Week 14 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zach Pascal had a nice game against the Titans last week with T.Y. Hilton still sidelined. He was targeted 10 times and caught seven balls for 109 yards. Pascal has been inconsistent and overall disappointing, considering the additional opportunities he’s had in an offense with a receiving corps that’s been decimated by injuries. However, he’s had a couple of good games and remains intriguing while Hilton is out.
This week, Pascal might have a repeat performance against the Buccaneers, who rank last in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. If Hilton ends up playing, fantasy owners should be wary of starting Pascal, but if he’s inactive as expected, then Pascal could be worth considering in deep leagues as a WR3 option. He’s risky, but if he gets another 10 targets against the Buccaneers, he could explode.
Week 13 vs. Tennessee Titans
Zach Pascal failed to catch his lone target last week despite a great matchup against the Texans. He’s now four games removed from his last decent fantasy game and with T.Y. Hilton flirting with being back in the lineup, it’s hard to trust him again. He’s probably worth holding on to in case Hilton has a setback during a nice matchup, but he’s too risky to have in lineups at this time. The Titans are a little above average against wide receivers this year, so this definitely doesn’t qualify as a good enough matchup to risk using Pascal.
Update: With T.Y. Hilton out, Pascal has increased upside. It's still not a great matchup, so he should be concerned no better than a risky WR3 option, but he should get additional targets, making him worth considering if you're desperate.
Week 12 at Houston Texans
Zach Pascal has looked like a quality receiver at times this season, but he’s really struggled to take advantage of increased looks over the past two games. After five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in Week 9 against the Steelers, Pascal has had a combined four catches for 43 yards and zero touchdowns over his last two games.
This week, Hilton is questionable for Thursday’s game against the Texans. If Hilton plays, Pascal is relegated to a high risk/reward option in deeper leagues. However, if Hilton is out again, desperate owners might gamble one more time on Pascal as a WR3. Houston ranks 29th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers and if he can’t find room to score against this defense, all is most certainly lost.
Week 11 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Zach Pascal disappointed last week in what should’ve been a fantastic matchup against the Dolphins and their depleted secondary. He ended up with just two catches and 26 yards, despite getting seven targets. Pascal should be better with improved quarterback play – Jacoby Brissett is expected to be back this week – but his inconsistency makes it hard to trust him.
Pascal faces a Jaguars defense that 15th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers and he should be the number one option this week, giving him upside. However, most fantasy owners should have better options available to him and he should be considered a high risk/reward WR3 option only.
Week 10 vs. Miami Dolphins
Zach Pascal has been a bright spot this season for the Colts in a year where the receiving corps has been decimated by injuries. Pascal struggled against the Broncos in Week 8, but he’s scored three touchdowns over his past three games and is coming off a five-catch, 76 yards and a touchdown performance against the Steelers on Sunday.
This week, Pascal has upside against a struggling Dolphins defense that is down their top cornerback Xavien Howard and was terrible against wide receivers anyway. Only the Buccaneers rank lower in aFPA to the position this season. Pascal is the best healthy receiver in Indianapolis right now, so he should get plenty of targets and flirt with WR2 numbers.
Week 9 at Pittsburgh Steelers
After a great game against the Texans in Week 7, Zach Pascal came crashing back to earth last week against a tough Broncos defense, catching only one of the two passes thrown his way for six yards. Pascal was on the field for 92% of the team’s offensive snaps, making him appear to be the WR2 on the roster while Devin Funchess is sidelined, but it’s hard to trust him with only sporadic fantasy output. This week, Pascal has some upside against a Steelers defense that ranks 21st in aFPA to opposing wide receivers, but he’s too risky to trust in the vast majority of leagues. He’s droppable.
Update: With T.Y. Hilton out the next three weeks, Pascal could get additional targets, giving him some deep-league WR3 potential against the Steelers. He's still risky, but there should definitely be increased opportunity.
Week 8 vs. Denver Broncos
Zach Pascal had a great game against the Texans last week, catching six of the seven passes thrown his way for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That’s a lot to expect on a week-to-week basis from a guy seeing only 50% of the team’s offensive snaps this season, but it’s encouraging to see any Colt outside of T.Y. Hilton producing at the wide receiver position.
This week, Pascal faces a tough Broncos defense. Only the 49ers rank higher in aFPA to opposing wide receivers this season. While Pascal is worth a speculative addition to rosters in deep leagues, he’s too risky to count on this week in a very difficult matchup.
Week 7 vs. Houston Texans
After a four-catch performance against the Raiders, Zach Pascal was targeted only twice against the Chiefs before the bye last week, catching one ball for eight yards and adding 12 yards on the ground. Pascal has shown promise at times but has been very inconsistent in his production. However, he saw 54% of the team’s offensive snaps against the Chiefs, second among Colts receivers to T.Y. Hilton. If he can continue to get snaps, he’ll eventually have a good game, giving him some roster upside in extremely deep leagues. In most formats, however, he’s not worth rostering at this point, even in what could be a nice matchup against the Texans.
Week 5 at Kansas City Chiefs
Zach Pascal led the team with 72 receiving yards last week against the Raiders. He caught four of the seven balls thrown his way and played 68% of the team’s offensive snaps. Pascal has had flashes of production before, but he’s never been able to sustain it, and it’s hard to imagine he does so now. He’ll be vying with rookie Parris Campbell and the promising Deon Cain for looks, and Chester Rogers is still lurking around as well. One of these guys will likely produce something against the Chiefs this week, but it’s hard to know which one. Pascal seems the safest to get more than zero points, but his upside seems lower than someone like Campbell. Leave him on waivers and gamble elsewhere.
Week 4 vs. Oakland Raiders
Zach Pascal caught a touchdown last week against the Falcons, but he only caught two of three balls sent his way for 53 yards. Pascal is likely to see more targets with T.Y. Hilton set to miss this week’s matchup against the Raiders, but even in a really good matchup, it’s hard to trust any of the Colts receivers to step up. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw 17 of his 27 non-Hilton pass attempts to tight ends or running backs last week, and I would expect a similar approach with Hilton out of the lineup. Someone will get Hilton’s 8.3 targets per game, but there’s no reason to suspect one player over another to do so. Pascal should stay on waivers.
