Despite the fact that Andrew Luck has been injured for the majority of the season, Indianapolis Colts No. 1 wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for a third straight season.
After catching just three passes for 29 yards in the team’s Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans, which was their third straight defeat, Indianapolis Colts star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton voiced his displeasure with the set-up of the offense.
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According to the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder, Hilton blamed the play-calling for the Colts recent lack of success on offense, pointing to the fact that the team isn’t making full use of its wide receivers. Hilton believes the Colts need to take more downfield shots, stating his belief that both Donte Moncrief and rookie Phillip Dorsett are “fast guys”.
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Hilton’s 16.7 yards per reception average is nothing to scoff at, and he’s still been one of the NFL’s top deep threats even with the limited arm of veteran Matt Hasselbeck under center. However, no other player on the Colts with at least 20 catches has 13.0 yards per reception or more, as Dorsett’s 14.0 YPR has come on just 27 targets this season.
But while Hilton’s frustration is understandable, the fact that the Colts are unwilling to test defenses with Hasselbeck at quarterback is equally justifiable. The Colts have to strike a fine balance, and, for the most part, that means making Hilton and Moncrief target hogs. Both wideouts have accrued over 100 targets this season, and, in all honesty, using Hilton as more of a deep threat with Moncrief taking on more of a chain-moving role seems to be working. For the Colts, it’s all about getting other players to step up, and perhaps the Colts could heed Hilton’s advice when it comes to using their first-round rookie.
Whatever the case, Hilton has managed to shine for a third year running, and he could have himself a big bounce-back day in Week 16 after last week’s dud against a talented Houston pass defense. His Week 16 opponents, the Miami Dolphins, clearly do not boast a talented pass D, as their secondary has been the worst in the NFL in Football Outsider’s DVOA against both No. 1 receivers and against deep passes.
A national audience saw these woes in the Dolphins Monday Night Football loss a couple of weeks ago to Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants, forgetting to cover him on an 84-yard touchdown pass. Just two weeks prior to that, the Dolphins were torn apart by a different marquee receiver, as New York Jets veteran Brandon Marshall caught nine of 11 targets for 131 yards and two TDs.
Marshall and Beckham Jr. are both among the best receivers in the game, but they bring different styles of play to the table. If the Dolphins can find a way to be burned by both of them, then you can imagine the kind of potential Hilton has in this Week 16 matchup.
Dec 13, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) lines up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third quarter at EverBank Field. The Jaguars won 51-16. Mandatory Credit: Jim Steve-USA TODAY Sports
For the most part, Hilton’s fantasy owners have been treated well this season, as the 26-year-old playmaker out of Florida International has put up 72.6 receiving yards per game with a handful of touchdowns.
This week, fantasy owners are licking their chops, as Hilton will take that 72.6 yards per game average to a defense that allows 82.2 yards per game to No. 1 wideouts this season.
Aside from a 132-yard blow-up against the Jacksonville Jaguars anemic pass defense, Hilton has been held down during the Colts three-game slide, catching just three passes for an average of 32.5 yards in the losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Texans.
Since the Dolphins pass defense is playing at least as poorly as the Jaguars secondary, Hilton should feast, even if the Colts continue their losing ways.
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Hilton is frustrated with the team, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that motivated him to burn a slumping Brent Grimes just a little bit harder when these two teams square off on Sunday.
He can blame the play-calling all he wants, but the real culprit has been Luck’s injury. That said, not even Hasselbeck’s limited tools can hold back Hilton’s upside this week, and it will be interesting to see if he can hit 100 yards for just the third time this year.