Warren has 83 receiving yards, rush TD in Week 5

Warren tied for a team high in catches but was out-targeted by Laquon Treadwell and Ashton Dulin. If you couldn’t tell, the passing attack did not look good. Daniel Jones was horribly inaccurate and the Commanders were largely successful in slowing down Warren and Josh Downs. Better days should be ahead for Warren, but he’s averaging a dismal 32.5 yards per game right now. He’s falling to the back of the TE1 ranks ahead of Indy’s Week 5 date with Pittsburgh.

With Alec Pierce gone, the targets heavily concentrated to Warren and Josh Downs. Warren, still an extension of the run game, just doesn’t look like he’s going to generate much yardage on his catches unless he breaks a tackle. But the PPR points all count the same, and nine catches at tight end is nine catches at tight end. He’ll remain on the TE1 line against the Commanders next week.

The seven targets and a score look nice in the box scores, but it is hard to overlook just how reliant Warren is on screens and leak concepts in this offense, almost all of which are built behind play action. That’s good news for fantasy managers when the ground game is cooking, as it was against the Chiefs, but we’ve also seen how ineffective it can be when the Colts aren’t able to control games as they did to start the 2025 season. Losers of nine straight games dating back to last season, Warren could struggle to return enough yardage to truly emerge as a locked-in TE1 until this team starts winning some games. His performance against the Chiefs now marks consecutive games with 21 yards or fewer, although a touchdown in each contest has kept his fantasy value afloat. He’ll be a difficult start against the lockdown Houston defense in Week 3.

Warren’s underwhelming line can be blamed on the offense’s struggle to move the ball all afternoon. The second-year tight end tallied two receptions in the first half, both for two yards, with his longest play coming on a nine-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. His five targets were good for second-most on the team, but the Colts offense left a lot to be desired this week. The expected volume will keep Warren in the TE1 mix for Week 2 against the Chiefs.

Pierce is recovering from offseason surgery that caused him to miss the entirety of training camp and the preseason. The lack of reps could leave him a little rusty heading into Week 1, but the good news is that a limited practice today means he should be active versus the Ravens. Pierce will be a high-risk WR4 for the first slate of the season. Josh Downs and Tyler Warren were not on the injury report.

Warren is recovering from an apparently minor groin injury. By all accounts he should be a full go for Week 1. Warren last season was top three among tight ends in targets per route run and first-read target rate in the balanced Colts offense. He’ll offer a sturdy weekly floor and could lead the team in targets in 2026 if he stays healthy.

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.