With the free agent addition of Andre Johnson and the first-round pick of Phillip Dorsett, many believed Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief's fantasy value was shot. T.Y. Hilton was entrenched as the No. 1 option in the passing game, Johnson was the cagey veteran here to help Indy get to the Super Bowl and Dorsett was the rookie speedster. It's practically a Hollywood storyline.
Yet Johnson has looked the part of an aging 34-year-old and Dorsett has seen just scattered playing time. It appears as if Moncrief was not so willing to let go of his role in this offense. As a result, he's arguably been Indy's best receiver this year.
So who should fantasy football owners roll with this weekend?
"Moncrief has a receiving touchdown in all four of the games started by Andrew Luck, and in those games, Luck has targeted Moncrief more than any other Colt," ESPN Senior Fantasy analyst Matthew Berry wrote in his weekly Love/Hate column. "As you may have heard, I'm not a fan of the Saints' defense."
As well he shouldn't be. New Orleans' defense ranks 24th in passing yards allowed per game (272), 23rd in passing touchdowns (11) and opposing completion percentage (64.8) and 30th in passer rating (106.8). Considering all of that, it's perfectly possible that both Hilton and Moncrief will go off for fantasy owners this week (and, for the record, I'm not recommending you bench Hilton).
Hilton has caught at least five balls for 67 yards in each of his last three games so the consistency is there though he hasn't topped 100 yards in a game this season yet. But as Berry mentioned, Moncrief and Luck seem to have a connection. The second-year WR is averaging a healthy 9.3 targets per game when Luck starts and has gotten more red zone looks. Hilton has the higher upside and has been a more consistent fantasy player so far, but Moncrief may be the safer choice in the short term.
