Just as when Andrew Luck’s future couldn’t get any brighter, the Indianapolis Colts gave him another weapon in Hakeem Nicks, who is looking to find his fantasy and professional value of old.
Nicks is a talented wide receiver with the physical skills to be a consistent 1,000-yard receiver, but he hasn’t been healthy enough throughout his career to get to that mark.
He has never played in all 16 games in a season in his six-year NFL career, and had a dreadful 2012 when he appeared in 13 games but recorded only 692 yards and three touchdowns. His 2013 campaign was equally as disappointing, and he didn’t score a single touchdown despite catching 56 passes for 896 yards.
But with a change of scenery and a new quarterback, Nicks could get back to being a top 25 fantasy wide receiver.
Having Luck alone should give him a boost over his past two seasons. Eli Manning only threw 18 touchdowns in 16 games in 2013, so the opportunities simply weren’t there for Nicks to score.
In his first two seasons, Luck has thrown a total of 46 touchdowns, and threw just nine interceptions this season compared to Manning’s 27.
Luck is just a better quarterback than Manning right now and having the opportunity to score would give Nicks more fantasy value if he put up the same yardage but found the end zone five or six times.
There’ll be plenty of opportunity for Nicks in Indy as well. Because Luck is so talented, the Colts are going to score, and Nicks will be one of the top options.
Indianapolis also has Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton on the roster. Combined, they scored seven touchdowns last season, and Hilton had 1,083 yards. The previous season, the two receivers combined for 12 touchdowns and 2,216 receiving yards.
Opposing defenses will be focusing their two best defensive backs on Hilton and Wayne (assuming Wayne is completely healthy), leaving Nicks as the guy getting the nickel corner.
Luck isn’t the type of quarterback to consistently air it out (he only attempted 20 passes this season of 31 or more yards), but he was very effective throwing it for 20 yards or so down the right side of the field.
When throwing to the right side, Luck completed almost 70 percent of his passes, according to ESPN, throwing eight touchdowns on 109 attempts.
The same goes for Nicks, who averaged 18.9 yards per catch when running plays to the right side of the field.
When lining up for offensive plays, the Colts will have plenty to work with. Each of the three receivers are weapons in their own respect, and they have two tight ends who are capable of making plays: Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen.
Allen missed all of the 2013 season with an injury, but in his rookie year, he caught 45 passes for 521 yards, and without Allen this season, Fleener pulled down 52 passes for 608 yards and four touchdowns.
The Colts can line up with either of those tight ends, adding another dimension to their offense.
The only thing that could take away from Nicks or any of the other receivers is Indianapolis’s running game. If Trent Richardson can’t get anything going, the Colts could quickly become a one-dimensional offense.
Even if that happens, there are far too many weapons on this offense now. Nicks may not get to the 1,000-yard mark because of how many options Luck has at his disposal, but expect him to get back to his touchdown numbers from his earlier years with the New York Giants, putting him back into fantasy relevance.