Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was a pre-season MVP favorite and widely considered the No. 1 QB in all of fantasy football along with Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers entering this season. Given Luck's 2014 numbers, it was easy to see how fantasy football experts came to this conclusion. Luck threw for 4,761 yards with 40 touchdowns against 16 interceptions while completing 61.7 percent of his passes in 2014. In the offseason, the Colts added veterans Andre Johnson and Frank Gore to the offense while drafting wide receiver Phillip Dorsett in the first-round. All the pieces were in place for a monster season.
Yet Luck disappointed in the seven games he appeared in this season while struggling with a litany of injuries. He completed just 55.3 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Colts offense averaged just 22.4 points during this stretch, a far cry from the 28.6 they put up in 2014.
The question now is will Luck be able to bounce back in 2016?
"With several deserving candidates, the top spot at quarterback was a bit of a headache to sort out," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Mike Clay wrote in his early 2016 fantasy rankings. "Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers were the clear-cut top two options in 2015 and, although neither panned out for a variety of reasons, both deserve to be in the mix again in 2016. Luck remains one of the top young talents at the position and will have a full offseason to heal. He will return as the commander of the Colts' pass-heavy, high-scoring offense stocked with T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett."
Luck is as good of a bet to right the ship as there is in the NFL. But to live up to the No. 1 ranking, the Colts will have to do a better job of protecting their quarterback. Indianapolis' offensive line ranked 17th in the league in sacks allowed (37) 31st in QB Hits (118). Some of that likely had to do with the immobility of 40-year-old backup QB Matt Hasselbeck, but a lot of it was a result of poor protection.
The QB position is pretty deep when it comes to fantasy football (Cam Newton was going in the ninth round or later in loads of drafts last year), so you don't need to reach on Luck if you aren't 100 percent sold. But if healthy, there's no reason why he can't get back to his borderline MVP level of play next season.
