On Wednesday, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck hit another setback. Colts General Manager Chris Ballard said that Luck is suffering from soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder. The soreness is so bad that he is receiving a cortisone shot.
“It’s natural, there’s going to be some pain and soreness when you’re rehabbing an injury,” Ballard said in a press conference on Wednesday. “And it’s been kinda coming along the whole time. It’s just one thing that hasn’t gone away. We’re going to shut it down and calm it down for now.”
He also did deny that they will put him on injured reserve but didn’t answer if he would return this season.
In fantasy, many who picked him hoped he could be part of the second half of the year. Now with the possibility of missing 2017, for those who haven’t cut Luck yet, it is time to do so now. And going forward, Luck should be no longer viewed as a must starter in fantasy.
Andrew Luck going forward
Andrew Luck hasn’t been all that lucky dealing with injuries. He has dealt with them since 2015 which started with a sprained shoulder. He suffered multiple injuries after the sprained shoulder including a lacerated kidney plus multiple muscle pulls in his abdomen in 2015, a frayed labrum in the preseason in 2016 and shoulder surgery in 2017.
Luck also suffered a concussion in 2016 in which he missed only one game. But the injuries since 2015 have been too many. And now with this setback, it’s hard to trust him going forward as your main quarterback in fantasy. However, he’s still Andrew Luck and we have seen what he’s done in the past.
Since his rookie season in 2012, Luck has ranked in the top 10 of quarterbacks four times out of six seasons and in the top five twice. He has been in the top 10 in passing yards three times and has been in the top five in passing touchdowns twice including the league leader in 2014 with 40.
He has proven consistent in fantasy but the injury problems have always been cause for concern. There’s no question he still can play through injuries as he has done before, but this injury has been nagging him since his surgery and has now suffered a serious setback.
Now I’m not saying he still isn’t a QB1 because he is. But he shouldn’t be an automatic QB1. With multiple injuries, he has been bitten with being injury prone. Now granted he played 15 games in 2016, but he has had some type of injury the past three years. There has to be some caution thinking about his health. But the talent level of Luck shouldn’t keep you away too much.
Jacoby Brissett Outlook
From this point on, Jacoby Brissett will remain the starter and will likely finish barring any injuries.
Brissett has had a average 2017 season throwing for 1,209 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also run for three touchdowns.
Since week 3, he has scored over 12 fantasy points. His best came in week 3 against the Browns with 29. This is in part to some success is his ability to run the ball himself. But we are now in the stretch and the three of the four defenses against the Colts are ranked in the top 10 against the quarterback.
Two of them are the best two in the league which are this week’s opponent the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts after that stretch still face some tough defenses including the Denver Broncos, the Buffalo Bills who rank third against quarterbacks and the Baltimore Ravens who are right behind him.
Brissett remains a low-end QB2 or likely remain in the wavier wire.
2018 outlook
Now it’s bad to think ahead at this point but, depending how he heals in the offseason, there should be caution when it comes to Luck. As mentioned he will probably not play in 2017 and will heal the shoulder for the 2018 season. He should remain a QB1 but have a quality backup depending how well his recovery is.
Featured image from kwbe.com.
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