Beat: Colts asking more of Tyler Warren this year

Rapoport believes Warren will resume practicing in “a week or so.” He also expects “Warren’s role to grow” in his second NFL season. That makes sense. Warren’s 106 targets trailed only WR Michael Pittman’s 110. Pittman left Indy to join the Steelers this offseason, clearing the way for Warren to be the team’s top target earner. The soft-tissue injury adds some risk to Warren’s profile, but he should still be drafted as a mid-to-high TE1.

Steichen adds that the team will be cautious with Warren’s recovery, but chose not to share details regarding the injury’s severity beyond that. If healthy, the second-year tight end is a candidate to lead the team in targets this season after racking up 106 as a rookie. The Colts’ pass-catching corps is in a tough spot, with WR Alec Pierce (ankle) still sidelined. If Warren cannot play in Week 1, WR Josh Downs would presumably handle a sizable target share, operating as the team’s clear-cut No. 1 target earner. Stay tuned.

According to Boyd, Warren “went down” while running a route during 11-on-11 drills. He “got up clutching at his groin area” before making his way to the sideline to meet with the Colts’ training staff. FOX 59’s Mike Chappell said Warren was exhibiting a limp while leaving the field. This is not the kind of news we want to hear, but the second-year tight end still has time to rehab a minor tweak before the regular season opener. Stay tuned.

The new was first reported by NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. With the Colts in need of a starting caliber receiver given Alec Pierce’s slow recovery from offseason ankle surgery, Allen was an obvious fit. He was the best wide receiver still available and with the news that the Saints lost Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) for roughly two months dropping earlier Monday evening, the Colts finally pulled the trigger on a one-year deal for the 34-year-old veteran. While Allen instantly becomes a fantasy-relevant player again, his fit in the offense is interesting. Even in his prime, Allen was never a field-stretching deep threat like Pierce, the receiver he’s replacing. That means he’ll be fighting for the same underneath targets that will also go to Tyler Warren and Josh Downs. There will be plenty of targets to go around for all three to pay off their draft cost in PPR formats, but the overall efficiency of the offense could suffer without a legitimate deep threat.

Pierce remains well behind schedule following offseason surgery on his ankle, with it now coming to light that the veteran receiver required a second PRP injection in his left ankle. Now well beyond the original recovery window following the late-March surgery, Pierce appears to be in legitimate danger of missing time when games start to count if the platelet-rich plasma injections do not speed up his recovery for the second time. Pierce signed a four-year, $114 million contract extension with the Colts this offseason after the team lost Michael Pittman in a trade to the Steelers, signifying an intent to move forward with Pierce as their primary option at the position. That move could prove costly if Pierce misses regular season time. Josh Downs and Tyler Warren would be in line to benefit the most from any absence from Pierce.

He also projects some of Pittman’s targets to head to Josh Downs, perhaps elevating Downs to the fantasy WR4 line. Warren tapered off down the stretch as the Colts struggled with injured Daniel Jones and without Really Injured Daniel Jones. It does make sense that he’d take a second-year leap and be the preferred possession receiver in Pittman’s absence.

The standard pre- and post-Daniel Jones splits for Colts skill players hit Warren. He averaged five receptions and 61.7 yards per game over Indy’s first 10 games. From Weeks 11-17, with Jones injured and later lost for the season, Warren averaged 3.5 catches for 29 yards a game, scoring just once. He remains a plausible TE1, and will have top-five upside cases entering the offseason as the Colts could lose Alec Pierce in free agency and move on from Michael Pittman Jr. Warren isn’t a special mover, but he’s a stellar technician with more tackle-breaking power than you’d expect based on his pure size.

It was his first time over 40 yards since Week 12. Warren managed a bunch of short-area contested catches, but wasn’t targeted in the red zone. It’s been a disappointing second half of the season for Warren, who has 171 yards in six games since returning to American soil after the win in Germany. He’ll be a TE2 play against the Texans in Week 18 if the Colts want to keep playing him.

Warren tied for the team lead with nine targets, his second consecutive game leading the team in targets with Philip Rivers under center. That could change for the final two weeks of the regular season with the Colts now eliminate from the playoffs, potentially turning back to rookie Riley Leonard to finish out the season. Either way, Warren remains one of the more intriguing young tight ends in the league and appears primed to return significant value for dynasty managers moving forward.

Warren led the Colts in targets while running a route on 28 of the Colts’ 30 drop backs. Philip Rivers, 44, making his first NFL start since 2020, peppered his short-area pass catchers with targets from start to finish. Indy running backs combined for nine targets, and all of Warren’s targets were of the quick-hitting variety. The Colts’ lack of throw volume will affect everyone in this Colts offense, but Warren might be live as a startable tight end in 12-team PPR formats with Rivers likely starting the next couple games. Warren plays the Niners in Week 16.