Austin

Collie

Manning’s recovery timetable is 2-3 months at minimum. Per Mort, there’s no word yet on the possibility of injured reserve. We imagine the Colts will hold off on that decision as long as possible, though the season is circling the drain. Manning won’t play before Halloween and possibly not until Thanksgiving. Kerry Collins is still just a low-end QB2 in what will likely be a more run-oriented offense than it’s been under Manning. Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Pierre Garcon all take severe blows.

The key stat here is that Pierre Garcon played on 56-of-57 snaps. It’s Garcon -- not Collie -- that is the No. 2 receiver in base formations. And now that Kerry Collins is under center, the Colts will sparingly go three-wide unless they are getting blown out like they were in Week 1. Collie is fourth in line for targets on an offense that no longer emphasizes the pass. The zero catch 2011 debut was not a fluke.

He had receptions of 23 and 27 yards in length, but continues to play in a part-time role and has yet to score this season. He’s a WR5/6 in fantasy.

Aside from the rookie camp, league rules prohibit Luck from working out with the Colts until Stanford’s school year ends on June 7. His teammates are allowed to come to him, though, while Luck says he may travel to Miami to work with Reggie Wayne. Although a nuisance, the rules won’t stunt Luck’s development.

The slot receiver was on the receiving end of seven targets, seeing his production and usage increase because the Colts went into throw-happy comeback mode in the final two quarters. Collie is about a WR6/7 in fantasy football and won’t be an advised play in any game going forward.

Collie made the majority of his catches on short, high-percentage throws from Dan Orlovsky. Devin McCourty struggled in his first game back since Week 10 and Julian Edelman continues to be used in the Troy Brown role on defense. Despite Collie’s recent production, his value is entirely dependent on the status of Peyton Manning (neck). He’s still yet to score a touchdown this season.

Caldwell changed his mind -- or, more likely, had it changed for him -- after suggesting Monday that Curtis Painter would remain the starter. On the same day that DC Larry Coyer was fired, the Colts are doing quite a bit of house-cleaning. Orlovsky has plenty of experience at the helm of a winless team from his stint with the Lions in 2008. Even with Painter’s nine turnovers to one touchdown over the past five games, Orlovsky isn’t much of an upgrade.

The Colts are a virtual lock to draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck, leaving up in the air the futures of nucleus players Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai, and Robert Mathis. Collie, among the most effective per-play receivers in the league in 2010, went over 70 yards and found the end zone for the first time all season on 11 targets. Allaying concussion concerns, Collie finishes with a 54/514/1 line. It’s conceivable that he could enter 2012 as the Colts’ No. 1 receiver. Wayne and Pierre Garcon are both free agents.

He was efficient, at least, hauling in 80 percent of his five targets. Collie has been waiver-wire material in fantasy football leagues all year long.

Collie converted a key fourth-down play deep in the fourth quarter to keep the Colts’ hopes alive, but Curtis Painter’s inaccuracy caps any upside here. Collie is averaging just 3.6 catches for 29.4 yards over the last five weeks.