Fantasy Football: 4 Things We Learned in Week 3

Andrew Luck Definitely Isn't 100%

There were fears that Andrew Luck wouldn't be the same coming back from the shoulder injury that sidelined him for all of 2017. While those fears abated when Luck played in the preseason this year, new doubts began to grow. What if Luck couldn't throw downfield?

These were not baseless suspicions. Per Pat Thorman, Luck's average depth of target (aDOT) was way down in the preseason compared to where it was pre-injury. It was reasonable to surmise that the team was instructing Luck to hold back in preseason games, but that trend has carried over into the regular season. He has an adjusted yards per attempt of just 5.1 through three weeks in 2018. Of his 16 pass attempts of 15-plus yards, he has completed just 5, per NFL's Next Gen Stats.

What truly sealed the deal was what happened in the final seconds of Week 3's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Down 20-16 with just five seconds remaining on the clock, the Colts subbed out Luck and replaced him with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett to attempt the 54-yard hail mary pass the team needed to seize a win at the last second.

It sure seems like it proves that both Luck and the team know that his shoulder isn't back to 100% yet. We shouldn't expect the deep bombs to T.Y. Hilton we've grown accustomed to, and we should expect Luck to continue peppering his receivers with low-aDOT targets until further notice.