The Indianapolis Colts will travel to take on the New England Patriots in Week 13. Here’s the final injury report and start-sit advice for every Colts and Patriots skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy football impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
And if you’re looking for all the latest injury updates around the league, our Final Week 13 Injury Report is live and updated with the very latest for all 32 teams.
Anthony Richardson, QB | IND
Richardson’s Injury Status for Week 13
Richardson is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Richardson
One week after showing some growth, Anthony Richardson was back to Anthony Richardson-ing against the Lions on Sunday.
Yes, he recorded 10+ carries for the third time in four games, but the forward baby steps from Week 11 as a passer disappeared. Against Detroit, he completed just 11 of 28 passes (39.3%) with zero touchdowns. He now has as many games this season with 25+ attempts and a sub-40% completion rate as the rest of the NFL (two) — but wait, there’s more.
He threw 13 passes under pressure on Sunday — he completed one of them (nine yards). You read that right. He was 9-of-12 for 145 yards in such spots against the Jets in Week 11, and then, poof, that growth and maturity vanished.
The Patriots aren’t an overly aggressive bunch on the defensive end, though they have brought the heat when they felt the matchup asked for it (four games this season with a blitz rate of at least 40%). I’m expecting them to label this as such a situation, and while Richardson’s profile always comes with the upside, the floor is too low to risk this time of year with 31 other signal callers to choose from.
Jonathan Taylor, RB | IND
Taylor’s Injury Status for Week 13
Taylor is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Taylor
The return of Anthony Richardson under center has decimated Jonathan Taylor’s efficiency. In those two games, Taylor has produced 58.4% under expectations (36 touches for 95 yards and zero scores). Are the recent struggles based on the quarterback? Based on the matchups?
The answer, of course, is somewhere in the middle. Richardson’s rushing equity could eat into Taylor’s the way many feared Jalen Hurts’ would to Saquon Barkley’s, but the Lions and Jets also have plenty of talent on the defensive end of the ball, so that can’t be overlooked.
The Patriots, by EPA, have a below-average run defense, and I think that gives Taylor a chance to post his second top-10 finish of the season as he gets back to the role of 18-22 touches that he had been penciled in for before the one-sided game against Detroit last week.
It’s okay to be disappointed with what you’ve seen from Taylor lately, but it’s not okay to bench him.
Alec Pierce, WR | IND
Pierce’s Injury Status for Week 13
Pierce failed to practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a foot problem.
Head coach Shane Steichen said Pierce was “good” on Monday after gingerly walking in the locker room after Sunday’s game. The positive news is that Pierce returned for a full practice on Friday, though he still ended up with a questionable designation.
With Josh Downs sidelined this week, Michael Pittman Jr. and second-round rookie Adonai Mitchell could see expanded roles, particularly if Pierce is limited or out.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Pierce
Anthony Richardson overshot Alec Pierce on what should have been a chunk play and had a shot at becoming an 88-yard score. Such is life when opting to party with a profile like Pierce’s.
He finished the game with just a single grab (39 yards), and you know that level of risk is a part of the deal. He does have three straight games with a 30-yard reception, but is the juice worth the squeeze?
The Colts are one of six teams yet to have their bye, and Pierce is rare in that he has appeared in every one of his team’s games this season. With that knowledge, would you be surprised to know that 112 players have more receptions than him this season?
The Patriots were picked apart by Tua Tagovailoa a week ago, but even in his dominating effort, there were zero 30-yard gains. I’m never going to rank Pierce as a viable weekly option based on his volatile role, but if you’re swinging for the fences, there are few dart throws with a clearer path to a spike week.
Josh Downs, WR | IND
Downs’ Injury Status for Week 13
Downs will miss Week 13 after injuring his shoulder on Sunday. NFL Network reported while Downs is not believed to have a serious injury, he is a “long shot” to play in Week 13. He didn’t practice all week and was declared out on the final injury report.
Downs’ right shoulder was driven into the ground on an end-around early in the fourth quarter of the Colts’ Week 12 matchup against the Lions. Indianapolis announced that he was questionable to return as a result.
The 2023 third-round pick re-entered the game on the Colts’ next offensive drive. However, he didn’t look right after failing to catch a deep pass from Anthony Richardson with roughly five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Downs returned to Indianapolis’ sideline and appeared to be having trouble with his shoulder injury. He finished the game with just three catches for 27 yards.
Down’s Fantasy Outlook
Josh Downs has reached 12 PPR points in each of his past four healthy games, but a shoulder injury resulted in an early exit last weekend, and he is poised to miss the third game of the year.
Even with all of the moving pieces in Indianapolis this season, the second-year receiver has produced 1% over expectation, no minor accomplishment with our “expected points” metric assuming league-average QB play, something that the Colts certainly have not had.
When he returns to the mix, assuming full health, Downs will be my highest-ranked receiver on this team. In the meantime, his very questionable status results in a nice spike in value for Michael Pittman Jr.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR | IND
Pittman’s Injury Status for Week 13
Pittman (back) fully practiced all week and was off the final injury report of the week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Pittman
With Josh Downs (shoulder) very much on the iffy side of questionable and Michael Pittman Jr. entering this game with 15 targets (54 routes) in the two games since Anthony Richardson stepped back into the starting lineup, it is very possible that this veteran receiver is set to make a late-season run that rewards you for your loyalty on him during this bumpy season.
When dealing with a sporadic quarterback, I want two boxes checked, and they aren’t too complicated: I want easy button targets and I want the team to script out looks. This season, when Richardson is under center, Downs and Pittman have accounted for 65% of his first-quarter completions and 66% of his slot targets.
I’m not saying Pittman absorbs all of Downs’ looks, but he’s certainly the favorite to see an uptick in usage. The Patriots are one of three defenses yet to intercept a pass thrown to the slot this season, giving Richardson the green light to pepper that part of the field.
There’s always a level of risk to consider, and that keeps Pittman as more of a Flex than a WR2 this week for me, but I think you’re playing him in most spots. I have him ranked ahead of big names like Garrett Wilson and DeAndre Hopkins.
Drake Maye, QB | NE
Maye’s Injury Status for Week 13
Maye is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Maye
Drake Maye shows flashes of potential seemingly every week, but stringing together 60 strong minutes has proven to be a tough ask. The rookie hasn’t finished better than QB15 since Week 7 and that’s the general range in which I have him ranked for this home game.
The Colts own the second-lowest deep touchdown rate allowed (1.3% of attempts) while posting the sixth-highest interception rate on such passes. If they aren’t vulnerable down the field on Sunday, I’m having a hard time thinking that Maye dinks and dunks his way to viability.
You might be able to talk me into Maye as a viable streaming option in Week 15 (at Arizona after the bye week), but I’ll pass for Week 13.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB | NE
Stevenson’s Injury Status for Week 13
Stevenson is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Stevenson
Rhamondre Stevenson hasn’t scored in three straight games, and his production relative to expectations over that stretch is -41.1%. He now has five games this season with single-digit PPR points — three games with under five points to offset his three 20+ point games.
The game script was an issue for New England last week (five carries for 11 yards in the first 30 minutes with the Pats down 24-0) and, as expected, Stevenson was rendered useless in the second half.
I’m confident that Stevenson is the featured back in this offense, but I’m just as confident that he can’t make the carries count (2.8 yards per carry over his past six games). He’s as underwhelming as any featured back in the game and thus checks in as nothing more than an average Flex.
DeMario Douglas, WR | NE
Douglas’ Injury Status for Week 13
New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas was limited by an ankle injury during all three practices this week and received a questionable designation on the final report.
Douglas played 68% of New England’s offensive snaps in Week 12 (his highest rate in three games), so his ankle injury doesn’t appear to be serious. Given that he made it to every practice this week, he should have a good chance to suit up on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Douglas is rarely an explosive option, but he catches enough passes to be viable in PPR leagues. He’s scored just one touchdown this year, finishing as fantasy’s WR8 when he found the end zone in Week 6.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Douglas
DeMario Douglas has just one top-25 finish on his 2024 resume and Week 12 was a good reminder of just how sideways an offense led by a volatile rookie can go. New England had 49 passing yards in the first half of the loss to the Dolphins and not a single Patriot had multiple receptions over the first 30 minutes.
At the end of the day, Douglas was able to get you to double-digit PPR points last week (five catches for 62 yards) and that’s all you’re asking for from him. The Colts allow the highest slot completion percentage through 12 weeks (79%) and that gives me confidence that we get exactly what we expect from Douglas.
The ceiling is only so high, but there is comfort in stability, and over the course of 60 minutes, I think that’s enough to Flex Douglas if you’re labeled as a favorite.
Kendrick Bourne, WR | NE
Bourne’s Injury Status for Week 13
Bourne is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Bourn
Kendrick Bourne managed just 30 yards on 25 routes last weekend in Miami, and with just one game of 50 air yards this year, we are looking at a player who needs to score to pay off.
If you’re in a spot where you’re considering Flexing a TD-dependant player on a team with an implied total hovering around 20 points in an offense led by a rookie signal caller — well, if that’s the case, I’d recommend stumbling upon this content earlier next season
I’m not making it a priority to start any Patriot this week, and with him ranked as my third favorite receiver on this team, he’s not in the zip code of mattering.
Hunter Henry, TE | NE
Henry’s Injury Status for Week 13
Henry is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Henry
Drake Maye is peppering the TE position with targets these days but hasn’t featured one exclusively, which makes both Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper difficult to count on.
Over the past three weeks, Henry has earned 21 targets to Hooper’s 12. That’s encouraging, but his lead in the reception department over that stretch is just 12-11. Add in the consistent role of DeMario Douglas (27 targets in November) and the involvement of the running backs — there’s just not much upward trajectory for any pass catcher in this offense.
I prefer Henry to Hooper if you’re in the tortured spot of having to decide, but there are 15 players at the position I like more than either, so you can do better in most situations.