INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
AFC South•8-9 SU · 9-7-1 ATS•Lucas Oil Stadium
2026 Just J Football Companion profile
Schedule
Next up · Week 1
vs Baltimore Ravens
Sun 9/13 · 1:00 PM
2026 schedule
- Wk 1vs Baltimore RavensSpread —Total —Sun 9/13 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 2at Kansas City ChiefsSpread —Total —Sun 9/20 · 8:20 PM
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- Wk 3vs Houston TexansSpread —Total —Sun 9/27 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 4at Washington Commanders (London)Spread —Total —Sun 10/4 · 9:30 AM
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- Wk 5at Pittsburgh SteelersSpread —Total —Sun 10/11 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 6vs Tennessee TitansSpread —Total —Sun 10/18 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 7at Minnesota VikingsSpread —Total —Sun 10/25 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 8at Jacksonville JaguarsSpread —Total —Sun 11/1 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 9vs Dallas CowboysSpread —Total —Sun 11/8 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 10vs Miami DolphinsSpread —Total —Sun 11/15 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 11at Houston TexansSpread —Total —Thu 11/19 · 8:15 PM
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- Wk 12vs New York GiantsSpread —Total —Sun 11/29 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 13Bye week
- Wk 14at Philadelphia EaglesSpread —Total —Sun 12/13 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 15at Tennessee TitansSpread —Total —Sun 12/20 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 16vs Cincinnati BengalsSpread —Total —
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- Wk 17at Cleveland BrownsSpread —Total —Sun 1/3 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 18vs Jacksonville JaguarsSpread —Total —
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Every game gets a JustJ pick — ATS side and total. Posted numbers are used the moment books hang them; until then the pick is quoted on the JustJ line and refreshes each week.
Schedule & market notes
- Bye: Week 13 — a late bye — a long front half of the season before any scheduled rest.
- Short-week / non-Sunday games: 1 Thursday — short-rest games carry their own well-documented ATS variance, worth flagging on your calendar as they approach.
- International game(s): Week 4 at Washington Commanders (London) — a true road game with no home-field advantage and real short-week/travel logistics even when technically the “home” team.
53-MAN ROSTER
Handicapping
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
9-7-1
56.2% cover rate — 9th of 32
2025 Straight up
8-9
Point differential +54
Scoring environment
51.6
Combined points per game — 4th highest of 32
Home venue
Turf
Lucas Oil Stadium
Points scored / allowed
27.4 per game scored (8th) · 24.2 allowed (20th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +3.2 (10th) · Strength of schedule +1.8
- Totals: Daniel Jones takes over after a strong finish to 2025; Jonathan Taylor's continued excellence gives Indianapolis a reliable offensive floor.
- Trend: The Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward trade acquisitions represent a real, immediate defensive upgrade at cornerback — among the more aggressive win-now moves in the AFC South this offseason.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
+5
7th of 32 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+5.9
3rd of 32
Defensive SRS
-1
20th of 32
Points (margin of victory)
+3.2 · 10th of 32
Against the spread
9-7-1 (56.2%) · 9th of 32
Totals (combined PPG)
51.6 · 4th of 32
Turnover differential -2 · 2025 results, Just J Football Companion / Pro-Football-Reference.
Power ratings & 2025 results
- 2025 record: 8-9-0 — Points For 466, Points Against 412 (differential +54).
- Margin of Victory: +3.2 pts/game — the average scoring margin across all 2025 games, win or lose.
- Strength of Schedule (SoS): +1.8 — Pro-Football-Reference's SRS-based measure of 2025 opponent quality; positive means a tougher slate than average.
- SRS (power rating): +5.0 — Simple Rating System score, which converts directly to a projected point spread on a neutral field against a leagueaverage team.
- Offensive SRS: +5.9 · Defensive SRS: -1.0 — the SRS power rating split into offensive and defensive components; higher offensive and higher defensive figures are both better.
- Turnover differential: -2 — total takeaways minus giveaways across the 2025 season, one of the more volatile year-to-year metrics and worth weighing against the rest of this profile rather than on its own.
League-wide unit ranks
Offensive Line
4
Defensive Line / Front Seven
18
Laiatu Latu developing (84.1 grade, Year 3); Grover Stewart stepped back but still productive
Linebackers
32
Akeem Davis-Gaither and rookie CJ Allen; real growing pains expected in 2026
Defensive Backs / Secondary
—
Special Teams
—
Kicker: Spencer Shrader
Overall Offense
3
Offensive SRS: +5.9
Overall Defense
20
Defensive SRS: -1.0
Handicapping notes
- Turf: Lucas Oil Stadium — 2025: 8-9 straight-up, 9-7-1 against the spread.
- : Daniel Jones takes over after a strong finish to 2025; Jonathan Taylor's continued excellence gives Indianapolis a reliable offensive floor.
- : The Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward trade acquisitions represent a real, immediate defensive upgrade at cornerback — among the more aggressive win-now moves in the AFC South this offseason.
Pro Bowlers
- Offense: RB Jonathan Taylor (3rd career selection), OG Quenton Nelson (8th career selection, 2025 All-Pro)
- Defense: None — alternates included DT DeForest Buckner and LB Zaire Franklin (since traded to Green Bay).
Coaches
Coaching staff
Head Coach
Shane Steichen
4th season
Offensive Coordinator
Jim Bob Cooter
4th season
Offensive Line Coach
Tony Sparano Jr.
Defensive Coordinator
Lou Anarumo
2nd season
Defensive Line Coach
Marion Hobby
Offense
Offensive unit ranks
Offensive Line Rank
11/32
Sharp Football Analysis, 2026 preseason
Key skill players
- QB1Daniel JonesQB19
- RB1Jonathan Taylor(3x Pro Bowler; led NFL in rushing TDs in 2025)RB4
- WR1Alec Pierce(signed a 4 yr / $114M extension)outside the top 45 WRs
- WR2Josh Downsoutside the top 45 WRs
- TE1Tyler WarrenTE4
- TEAM DEFENSE (D/ST)Colts D/ST
Key Offensive Line
LT Bernhard RaimannCentral Michigan
4 yr / $100M extension, $60M guaranteed; ~$25M AAV. 5th NFL season; graded as the NFL's 8th-best tackle by PFF in 2024, allowing just 4 sacks on 471 pass-blocking snaps. Born in Vienna, Austria, and a former tight end convert.
LG Quenton NelsonNotre Dame
4 yr / $80M extension; ~$20M AAV. 9th NFL season; an 8x Pro Bowler and 6x All-Pro widely regarded as a future Hall of Famer at guard.
C Tanor BortoliniWisconsin
returning starter at center; 4th NFL season, holding down the middle of a line that returns its top two names (Raimann, Nelson) from a playoff push.
Defense
Defensive unit ranks
Defensive Line Rank (front seven)
25/32
Sharp Football Analysis, 2026 preseason
Defensive efficiency
- 5.3 yards allowed per play, 17th of 32.
- 23.3% pressure rate generated (blitzed on 26.6% of dropbacks), 16th of 32.
- 44.3% opponent drive scoring rate — a below-average mark.
- 11.9% opponent drive turnover rate — roughly league-average.
- 125 missed tackles on the season.
Key Defensive Line
DT DeForest BucknerOregon
2 yr / $46M extension; ~$23M AAV. 11th NFL season; a 3x Pro Bowler and one of the most consistent interior defenders of his generation.
NT Grover StewartAlbany State
extended alongside Buckner in the same offseason round of re-signings; 9th NFL season, a stout rundefending nose tackle who's started for Indianapolis since 2018.
Edge Laiatu LatuUCLA
still on his rookie contract (2024 1st-round pick). 3rd NFL season; led the team with 8.5 sacks in 2025 and is considered a building block for the pass rush.
Key Linebackers
MLB C.J. AllenGeorgia
still on his rookie contract (2026 draft pick). Listed as the starting middle linebacker on Indianapolis's first unofficial depth chart of camp, though currently working back from injury.
LB Akeem Davis-GaitherAppalachian State
returning starter at weakside linebacker; 6th NFL season, a versatile piece who's bounced between multiple linebacker spots in his career.
LB Bryce BoettcherBoise State
still on his rookie-era contract; part of the backup rotation and in the mix for a bigger role given uncertainty around Allen's health.
Key Defensive Backs
CB Sauce GardnerCincinnati
acquired via blockbuster trade (2026); still on his rookie-era extension window. 5th NFL season; a 3x Pro Bowler and one of the league's premier shutdown corners.
CB Charvarius WardMiddle Tennessee State
acquired via trade (2026); 8th NFL season, forming a formidable new starting cornerback duo with Gardner.
S Camryn BynumCalifornia
returning starting safety; 6th NFL season, part of a retooled Indianapolis secondary now anchored by two bigname corner additions. A FC SO UT H INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Fantasy
Projected fantasy points per game · 2026
Standard 12-team scoring (non-PPR): 1 pt / 25 pass yds, 4 pts pass TD, -2 INT, 1 pt / 10 rush+rec yds, 6 pts TD, -2 fumble lost. Projections are modeled from each player's 2026 positional rank.
| Player | Rank | Proj FPPG | Proj season | Actual FPPG | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 Daniel Jones | QB19 | 15.7 | 267 | — | — |
| RB1 Jonathan Taylor | RB4Starter | 18.2 | 309 | — | — |
| WR1 Alec Pierce | outside the top 45 WRs | — | — | — | — |
| WR2 Josh Downs | outside the top 45 WRs | — | — | — | — |
| TE1 Tyler Warren | TE4Starter | 12.5 | 213 | — | — |
| TEAM DEFENSE (D/ST) Colts D/ST | — | — | — | — | — |
Season fantasy tracker
Weekly fantasy scoring for these players appears here once 2026 games go final — each week's points are graded in standard 12-team scoring and rolled into the actual FPPG above.
Environment
- Home games: played under a fixed or retractable roof — every home date is a weather-neutral, full-strength fantasy environment for this offense.
- Road dome/retractable-roof games: ideal weather-neutral spots for maximum fantasy production: Wk 7 (Minnesota Vikings), Wk 11 (Houston Texans).
- 2025 recap: Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and was a top-3 fantasy RB, while Tyler Warren emerged as a strong rookie tight end target earner.
- 2026 projection: Taylor remains an easy first-round fantasy pick behind a strong offensive line. Warren projects as a legitimate TE1 in Year 2. The receiver room (Pierce, Downs) stays fantasy-relevant but without a true alpha target earner.
- Jonathan Taylor: Pro: elite touchdown production behind a strong offensive line. Con: touchdown-dependent scoring carries some year-to-year volatility.
- Tyler Warren: Pro: real TE1 breakout potential after a strong rookie season. Con: target competition from Pierce and Downs could cap his ceiling some weeks. A FC SO UT H INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
NOTES
No notes on INDIANAPOLIS COLTS yet.