The Colts placed Carson Wentz on the reserve/COVID-19 list five days ago, which put his status for today’s game in jeopardy. Wentz tested positive and is currently unvaccinated. What are his chances of playing against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, and what can fantasy football managers expect if he does?
Update 01/02/2021: Carson Wentz has been cleared to return from the COVID protocol and will suit up in Week 17.
Is Carson Wentz playing today vs. the Raiders?
The Colts activated Wentz off of the COVID list on Saturday, but he will need clearance this morning in order to play. This has been described as a “procedural” process. The expectation is that Wentz will be fully cleared and therefore start the game today.
Week 17 presents an important matchup that could allow Indianapolis to draw level with the Titans in the AFC South. Tennessee is currently 10-5, one game clear of the 9-6 Colts.
The Titans face a challenging Dolphins team today. Miami’s defense is playing great football, while Tennessee goes into the game banged-up and still without Derrick Henry.
If the Dolphins can win, and the Colts can get a victory against the Raiders, Indy and Tennessee will have the same record. However, the Colts lost both games against the Titans this year and won’t have the head-to-head advantage as a result. They’ll need another favorable turn of events in Week 18 if they want to be crowned division champions.
Wentz’s performance as a Colt so far
Wentz has thrown 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions this season in Indy. Last year with the Eagles, he tossed only 16 touchdowns against 15 picks. His tremendous improvement comes hand in hand with Wentz reuniting with former Philadelphia offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who is now the head coach in Indianapolis.
The Colts are a run-first team, whereas the Eagles were not when Wentz was their QB. Despite Jonathan Taylor having an MVP-caliber campaign on the ground, Wentz has still thrown for over 3,200 yards and posted his lowest interception total since coming into the league.
Wentz is more than capable of doing what the Colts need him to do as a passer while they pound the ball on the ground with one of the league’s most exciting young backs. Not only that, but Indy’s elite defense features some of the NFL’s best talent. The combination makes the Colts one of the most interesting teams in the postseason mix.
After starting slow, the Colts have been hot for several weeks, winning six of their last seven games.
Wentz’s fantasy outlook
Wentz is currently the QB13 in fantasy this season. He will have been quite the steal for anybody who took a chance on him after a terrible final year in Philadelphia.
Many believed that if anybody could revitalize Wentz’s career, it was his old coach in Reich — and that’s exactly what we’ve seen this year.