Week 3 at Minnesota Vikings
Grant finished Week 2 as the Half PPR WR114 with 0.3 fantasy points. He had one receptions on five targets, -2 yards, 13% of the team targets, and 9% of the team air yards. He will face a very difficult Week 3 matchup on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders are road underdogs (+8) and only implied for 17.75 points. Week 4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, has him ranked as the Half PPR WR95. This is very obvious, but fantasy owners should not put Grant in their starting lineup.
Week 2 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Grant finished Week 1 as the half PPR WR82 with 3.1 fantasy points. He had three receptions on four targets, 16 yards, 15% of the team targets, and six percent of the team air yards. The Raiders have a favorable matchup against a poor Chiefs secondary but putting Grant in your starting lineup is not recommended. 4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, has him ranked as the Half PPR WR75.
Week 16 vs. New York Giants
The Colts host the Giants as more than a touchdown favorite with a top five implied team total of 28.25 points in Week 16. New York ranks 14th in aFPA to WRs this season. That's nothing T.Y. Hilton can't beat, even as his practice time has dwindled late in the season to keep him healthy for kickoff. No other Colts WR is on the fantasy radar though.
Week 11 vs. Tennesee Titans
The Colts have a high implied team total of 25 at home against Tennessee, and maybe the best offensive line in the NFL right now, helping the Colts air attack by protecting Andrew Luck better than he's ever been protected. This week against a pass funnel Titans defense that ranks second in aFPA to RBs but only 28th against WRs, T.Y. Hilton should thrive. He's back in the WR2 mix for us, against a Titans defense he torched with Andrew Luck two years ago for a couple 20-plus-point PPR games. No other Colts receivers are on the fantasy radar though, as the tight ends and running backs operate as the secondary options to Hilton in the pass game in this offense.
Week 6 at New York Jets
Andrew Luck will once again be playing with a depleted supporting cast of pass catchers in the Meadowlands Sunday. T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle still are not practicing, and now Eric Ebron is also not practicing with four different injuries. Somebody has to catch the ball Sunday against a Jets defense that ranks just 17th in aFPA to WRs. Back-to-back weeks with 11 targets seems to make Chester Rogers the best option over Ryan Grant. Grant saw 15 targets over that span but failed to reach 70 yards in either game. That's not reliable production for Week 6.
Week 5 at New England Patriots (TNF)
Andrew Luck and the Colts offense travel to Foxboro with their top pass-catcher, T.Y. Hilton, doubtful with a hamstring injury. That should funnel more targets to the rest of the pass-catchers, but the Colts have the fourth-lowest implied team total of 20.5 points this week. The Patriots have been tough against receivers, ranking sixth in aFPA to the position. With Luck's tendency to spread the ball around, it's hard to trust any of the remaining WR targets on this team in Week 5. Consider Grant a desperation sneaky start in Week 5, but one with a low floor.
Week 4 vs. Houston Texans
The Colts have a slightly above-average implied team total of 24.25 points, but that number has come down throughout the week with sharp action in Vegas on the Texans, despite the majority of bets being laid on the Colts. The sharps certainly feel there will be some negative game script for the Colts passing game. The Texans are ranked just 25th in aFPA to WRs, but Ryan Grant's usage can't be relied on in Week 4. He only has six total targets in his past two games.
Week 3 at Philadelphia Eagles
With Andrew Luck back, T.Y. Hilton is again a target machine (11 each of the past two weeks); however, Luck is spreading it around to his other pass-catchers. Ryan Grant went from nine targets in Week 1 to two targets in Week 2. The Eagles are 27th in WR PPR points allowed to start the year, after getting roasted by Julio Jones and Bucs WRs. But until we see some consistent weekly volume from Grant, he's best left out of your starting lineups.
Week 2 at Washington Redskins
Washington was top-five in aFPA to WRs last season, and the Colts have a low 21-point implied team total for Week 2. Grant saw a promising nine targets in Week 1, as this offense looks to get the ball out of Andrew Luck's hand quickly with depth thin at the two tackle positions. That's evidenced by Grant averaging less than eight yards per reception in Week 1. However, the matchup and offensive line concerns render Grant too risky to start.
Week 1 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are a tough matchup for Ryan Grant (seventh in aFPA to WRs last season) and Andrew Luck has not targeted his WR2 nearly enough in the preseason to warrant any confidence in trotting Grant out into fantasy starting lineups in Week 1. He's a deep bench flier at best right now in what is expected to be an offense that targets T.Y. Hilton and the tight ends heavily.
