Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts Matchup Preview 10/27/19: Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy

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The Colts are coming into this week hot off a big win against the Texans. Brissett had a huge game, throwing 26/39 for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns. Despite losing their starting quarterback in the preseason when Luck retired unexpectedly, the Colts are still looking like a great team, and Brissett has stepped up as a leader for them. Their defense also looked quite strong, with three sacks and two interceptions on the day. The Broncos, on the other hand, have not looked quiet as strong this season. They got their second victory of the season in a surprise triumph over the Chargers in week 6, but couldn’t carry that momentum into week 7. Despite the Chiefs defense being mediocre this season, they were only able to put up 6 points. The Colts are the favorites in this matchup, looking more put together as a team overall. For odds movement and matchup history, visit the Denver Broncos vs Indianapolis Colts Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, October 27th, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM PST
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Coverage: CBS

Injury Report:

Broncos: Bryce Callahan (O), Ja’Wuan James (Q), Will Parks (O)
Colts: Parris Campbell (Q), Tyquan Lewis (Q), Malik Hooker (Q), Kenny Moore (Q), Carl Davis (Q), Penny Hart (Q)

Denver Broncos Analysis:

You wouldn’t expect a 2-5 team to be one of the strongest defensive units this year, and yet, the Broncos are just that. They’re 4th for fewest total yards per game with 302.6, 8th for fewest points allowed per game with 19.4, and 12th for average rush yards allowed per carry with 4.1, to name a few highlights. Their defense took a big hit when Bradley Chubb went out for the season, but they’ve still been playing pretty consistently. The Colts are a strong passing team with a lot of weapons, but the Broncos and their strong pass defense are going to make it tough for Brissett to put up a lot of points.

The Broncos main struggles have been on offense. They’re in the bottom 10 of the league for passing yards per game, with 207.9 on average. They fall in the middle of the league for rushing, with the talented Philip Lindsay being responsible for most of their 109.6 average rushing yards per game. It seems that the main problem for the Broncos is that they haven’t been able to make it work through the air. Flacco has only thrown 6 touchdowns this season, one more than his 5 interceptions. He’s 65.7% accurate on the year, which places him right below Tom Brady and two spots above Patrick Mahomes. Furthermore, he’s been sacked 23 times. His offensive line hasn’t been giving him any breaks, and it’s going to be tough for Flacco to be productive against the Colts if he’s under pressure a lot. Sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done, and could be their downfall this game. Flacco is a good quarterback, but without the protection he needs and weapons on offense, the Broncos aren’t going to be winning games. Phillip Lindsay is a great player, but he’s not enough to carry a team. Overall, the Broncos don’t seem to have an offense powerful enough to outscore the Colts, and therefore aren’t favorited in this matchup.

Denver Broncos Depth Chart

QB: Joe Flacco
RB1: Phillip Lindsay
RB2: Royce Freeman
WR1: Courtland Sutton
WR2: DaeSean Hamilton
WR3: Juwann Winfree
TE: Jeff Heuerman

Indianapolis Colts Analysis

The Colts were pretty heavily doubted coming into this season. After Andrew Luck announced his retirement during preseason, a lot of people were prematurely lamenting the fall of a playoff contender to a mediocre team. However, Brissett stepped up as a leader for the Colts, and the entire team has rallied and shown the fans and doubters that they’re still capable of being great. Brissett has 14 touchdowns (1 behind the leaders Pat Mahomes, Matt Ryan, and Russell Wilson) and only 3 interceptions on the year. He’s 21st in the league for yards, but has proven to be efficient with those yards in those 14 touchdowns. The Colts have a lot of weapons on offense, like tight end Eric Ebron who scored a touchdown last week on an incredibly spectacular catch, plus his 70 yards on 4 receptions. Zach Pascal got 106 yards and 2 touchdowns off of 6 receptions, and TY Hilton got 74 yards and a touchdown on 6 receptions. Despite the Broncos strong pass defense, I think the Colts are still going to score some big points through the air.

On defense, the Colts have been a pretty middling unit. They fall 20th in yards allowed per game with 361.2. They’re 19th against the rush with 111 yards on average allowed per game, and might have some trouble stopping Lindsay. He’s going to be their biggest trouble on defense. I think they’ll be able to corral the Broncos passing game on Sunday, as they’ve been pretty underwhelming this season. I believe the Colts are going to be able to hold the Broncos to few enough points that they’ll easily be able to outscore them, and take the win on Sunday. It’s possible that Lindsay runs through them and threatens their chance at a win, but I don’t think a great performance from Lindsay would be enough to give the Broncos a win over the Colts.

Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart

QB: Jacoby Brissett
RB1: Marlon Mack
RB2: Nyheim Hines
WR1: T.Y. Hilton
WR2: Zach Pascal
WR3: Chester Rogers
TE: Jack Doyle

Daily Fantasy

I think a Colts receiver has a chance of netting you some big points this Sunday. I’d go with starting Zach Pascal, or Eric Ebron if you’re looking for a tight end. Pascal had 106 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 receptions on Sunday. Ebron had 70 yards and a touchdown on 4 receptions. I’m not expecting numbers this high for them, but the Colts are passing team and these receivers are bound to get a lot of targets. I’d also recommend starting Lindsay, if you have him. The Colts have been allowing just over 100 rushing yards on average, and a talented back like Lindsay can wreak havoc on a weaker defense if they’re not careful. If you’re looking for a quarterback to replace somebody on a bye, Brissett is still low in ownership and might make a good waiver pickup, despite the Broncos’ pass defense, due to the hit they took when they lost Chubb who was a leader for them on defense.