Making his long-awaited debut, Indianapolis Colts longtime veteran T.Y. Hilton has been activated and will suit up in Week 6 against the Houston Texans. As fantasy football managers make their last-minute adjustments, could Hilton be a sneaky addition to fantasy lineups this week in a matchup against the Texans?
T.Y. Hilton makes his long-awaited 2021 debut in Week 6
Earlier in the week, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Colts were activating Hilton (neck) to return to practice. Still, he had a few hurdles to cross before they would activate him to the 53-man roster. Well, that didn’t take long.
On Saturday, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported the Colts have, in fact, activated Hilton to the 53-man roster. He is expected to make his 2021 season debut against the Houston Texans — which feels like it can’t be a coincidence.
Hilton had been out since suffering a disk injury during practice late in training camp, which required surgery. Early in his recovery, Hilton reportedly contemplated retirement due to the pain, stating he hoped “nobody has to go through that at all.” Hilton had conversations with former Colts QB Andrew Luck who retired in his prime due to injuries and the constant battle of recovery.
Hilton could be a spark plug for the Colts’ offense
There is no denying Hilton’s legacy with the Colts. Hilton has five seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards, all coming in a six-year stretch from 2013 to 2018. He was always reliable, too, having missed just 11 games in his first nine seasons in the league. But now at 32 years old, the question is, what does Hilton have left in the tank?
Hilton actually ended the 2020 season on a high note, which might give credence to his upside and why the Colts brought him back in 2021. Despite a slow start, from Week 12 on, Hilton was 14th in the NFL in yardage with 435 in six games and scored 5 times (tied for third). Hilton did this while seeing 22% of the target share and leading the Colts in all receiving categories. During this stretch, Hilton had his first 100-yard receiving game since December 2018.
Outside of Michael Pittman Jr., who is finally appearing to break out, the Colts lack playmakers on the perimeter. Pittman leads the team in targets (43), receptions (29), and yards (368). Beyond him, the next closest WR is Zach Pascal with 12 receptions for 124 yards and 3 scores, followed by Parris Campbell at 9 receptions for 111 yards.
Hilton steps in on Day 1 as the No. 2 option on this team and can be the WR1 in any game, given his ability to make big plays. Carson Wentz is playing better football as of late, which happens when both ankles aren’t sprained. He is fresh off a 402-yard game with 2 scores vs. Baltimore.
Return against the Texans is almost scripted
Hilton has made a career out of terrorizing secondaries. No one has been a part of this Halloween-level saga more than the Texans.
In his 18 games against the AFC South rivals, Hilton has 97 receptions on 156 targets for 1,718 yards and 11 touchdowns. It is far and away the highest amongst any opponent. That’s an average of 11.01 targets, 5.4 receptions, 95.4 yards, and 0.6 TDs per game.
Of the 34 times Hilton has recorded 100+ receiving yards, eight have come at the expense of the Texans (23.5%), including three of his top-five games and his top-two outings (233 and 199 yards).
Is Hilton worth trusting in Week 6 for fantasy?
How lucky are you feeling? Like Dirty Harry level or closer to Jack, who just so happens to be on the Titanic and in a relationship with the most selfish person in the world, who totally could have let him fit on that piece of wood.
Wow, that was oddly specific, but I don’t hate it. And it makes sense.
On one end, you could get lucky and end up with a WR3 out of nowhere and have a player who would be in weekly flex consideration. After all, for the first time, he wouldn’t need to be the top option. Or you try starting him in his first game back and end up sinking your fantasy team while you watch everyone else barely survive what has been a brutal week of injuries.
I’ve got Hilton just inside my top 60, which is well outside of starting consideration unless you’re in a 16-team league. Nevertheless, it is spooky season. Perhaps Hilton has one more chapter left to write in this horror story.