The Indianapolis Colts will not have Andrew Luck to start in Week 5 and Matt Hasselbeck will be in after Luck missed the game last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shoulder injury. The Colts won without Luck and on Thursday they will play the Texans and fantasy football owners should look at Donte Moncrief, Coby Fleener, Frank Gore, Andre Johnson and TY Hilton as the best starter options.
The Colts won against the Jags in overtime last week and now the team has a short time to prepare for the Texans on Thursday night. Matt Hasselbeck started for the Colts last week and if Luck happens to suffer an injury against the Texans and has to leave, Hasselbeck will be the one to take over. According to the Indianapolis Star, Luck was able to practice on Monday and was listed as limited, but he was able to throw. Zak Keefer reported that Chuck Pagano said Luck looked "a lot better" heading into Thursday from last week. UPDATE: Luck is out, Hasselbeck is starting.
UPDATE: "Colts QB Matt Hasselbeck is starting tonight, per source. No Andrew Luck again."
The Colts have been dealing with a number of injuries and while Luck was limited, players like Vontae Davis, Frank Fore and Henry Anderson did not participate. Dwayne Allen was able to have a full practice along with Greg Toler and that could mean the tight end is ready to return after missing time. Luck reportedly has a partial shoulder separation according to Chris Hagan of FOX59, but the team has not confirmed the injury. Luck had an MRI last week and clearly the injury is not serious enough to keep him out for Thursday, as he is preparing as if he is starting the game.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Allen has a chance to come back after missing time for the Colts with an ankle injury, but his status "remains a question" for the team heading into Thursday. Allen has been out the past two games and the Colts may want to be cautious, as they have a long week after the Thursday night game. Coby Fleener stepped up last week and he has been a solid option with Allen out, as he had nine catches for 83 yards and a TD against the Jaguars.
TY Hilton comes in after making seven catches for 67 yards last week and he is a solid fantasy start option for Thursday along with Donte Moncrief, who has quietly been having a productive season. Moncrief caught six balls last week and he comes in with 23 catches and three TDs in four games. Andre Johnson has been slow to get things started and he has just seven catches in four games with the Colts and is looking for a breakout.
Gore was held out of practice with a foot issue and he is expected to play on Thursday against the Texans. Gore has 227 yards in four games this season and is averaging over four yards per carry. Compared to last season, Luck has been off to a slow start and the injury could be the reason why he has not been able to get things going yet. Last season Luck had 40 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and this season he has just five TDs in three games with seven picks and is completing just 56 percent of his passes.