Week 8 vs. Denver Broncos
Nyheim Hines had only one carry and one reception last week for a total of five yards. While he’s had a couple of games with five or more targets in the passing game this year, he simply isn’t getting the ball enough to be worthy of a roster spot in most leagues. Hines was only on the field for 12% of the team’s offensive snaps last week and until we see something change in his usage, he should be left on waivers.
Week 7 vs. Houston Texans
Nyheim Hines had his highest receiving yardage total of the season against the Chiefs before the bye last week, catching four of the five passes thrown his way for 46 yards. While he’s yet to produce legitimate fantasy numbers this year, he has been targeted an average of 4.2 times per game, including 11 targets over his last two outings. Hines is a long-shot, but against a Texans team that has been on fire offensively the last couple of weeks, the Colts could wind up in passing situations early and often, which should benefit his Hines’ snap-count. Owners in deep PPR leagues should consider him a desperation option with upside.
Week 5 at Kansas City Chiefs
Nyheim Hines saw the field more last week as the Colts got down early against the Raiders and ended up throwing the ball 46 times. Hines wound up with six catches and three carries, showing some PPR value in deep leagues, but he only gained 45 total yards from scrimmage and is too risky to rely on in most formats. Hines has a shot at seeing the field more frequently against the Chiefs, as their high-powered offense may once again force the Colts to abandon the run early, but he’s still a long-shot to put up legit fantasy numbers. Keep him on waivers in most leagues.
Week 4 vs. Oakland Raiders
Nyheim Hines had another dismal outing last week against the Falcons, carrying the ball twice and catching three passes for a total of 29 yards. Hines has only been on the field for 24% of the team’s offensive snaps so far this season and he hasn’t even been active enough in the passing game to warrant consideration in PPR formats. Hines faces a Raiders defense this week that surprisingly ranks fourth in our aFPA to running backs, making it really hard to justify rostering Hines.
Week 3 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Nyheim Hines had only two carries and two targets last week against the Titans. While he did catch four passes in Week 1, he’s only been on the field for 23% of the Colts’ offensive snaps through two games. Until that number increases, he should be left on waivers in all leagues.
Week 2 at Tennessee Titans
Nyheim Hines had eight touches last week against the Chargers – four carries and four catches – but only wound up with 17 yards. He has some big-play potential, giving him upside in PPR formats, but he ultimately wasn’t active enough to make him valuable in most leagues. He faces a tough Titans defense that smothered the Browns last week, and he’s probably better left on waivers this week, particularly in standard formats.
Fantasy Upside
Nyheim Hines carved a nice role for himself as a rookie last season. As the complementary back, he ran the ball 85 times for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, however, he added 425 receiving yards and another two scores on 63 receptions. Hines was third on the team with 81 targets and was on the field for 44% of the snaps available to him. With the Colts’ offense continuing to improve and a year of continuity along the offensive line, Hines could be even more productive this season.
Fantasy Downside
Hines is too small to ever get legitimate workhorse volume, so his upside is limited. The Colts like Marlon Mack as their primary ball-carrier, and seemed to lean more on Jordan Wilkins as the replacement when Mack missed time. While that’s a good sign for Hines’ value staying consistent, it also makes it hard to envision a path to a much bigger role. In standard leagues, Hines is far less valuable since he only found the end zone four times and averages just 6.7 yards per catch.
2019 Bottom Line
Hines is currently going in the 12th round of 12-team leagues, which is decent value in PPR formats with his potential to catch another 63-plus balls. In a standard league, however, that’s probably about right, or possibly even a bit too high. The Colts were second in the league in pass attempts last season, and just 17th in rushing attempts. If you’re not getting the points for Hines’ receptions, his value is significantly less. In PPR leagues, however, he can be a high-floor plug-and-play option for bye weeks and depth.
Week 19 at Kanas City Chiefs
Despite being five-point underdogs in Kansas City, Vegas expects a shootout between the Chiefs and the Colts. That has pushed the Colts implied team total in the divisional round up higher than 25 points. In the ground game, the Chiefs rank just 28th in aFPA to RBs. Marlon Mack's volume puts him in an attractive position to have a big week for those that want him on their fantasy rosters. The strength of the Colts offensive line cannot be questioned. He dominated the work so much that Nyheim Hines was basically useless for fantasy last week.
Week 17 at Tennessee Titans
The Colts offensive starters, if healthy, will play a full 60 minutes in Week 17 in what has turned into a play-in game against the Titans. Indianapolis is a 3-point road favorite with an implied team total of 23.25 points. That should lead to positive game script for the Colts running game against the toughest opponent in the league in aFPA to RBs. Nyheim Hines has been utilized as a satellite back in the passing game more often of late, but with touch counts of six, 10 and seven over the past three games, he's extremely risky.
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 31st in aFPA to RBs this season. That makes Marlon Mack a great RB2 option this week with heavy positive game script expected, but no other Colts RB is getting the necessary volume to be FLEX considerations.
