With the arrival of veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, the Indianapolis Colts offense is expecting an uptick in production. This is especially true in the passing game, and for one of the biggest beneficiaries in running back Nyheim Hines.
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The drumbeat has been banging loudly for Hines the entire offseason—like Jumanji loud. As the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield for Rivers, the 23-year-old Hines is expected to be heavily involved in the passing game.
Head coach Frank Reich told reporters in a conference call on Monday that he could even see a game this season in which Nyheim Hines has 10 catches.
“We know how it goes – that Nyheim (Hines) could go a couple of games with a relatively small amount of touches and then all of a sudden, he has 10 catches in one game,” Reich said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a game this year that Nyheim Hines has 10 catches.”
The running back position has long been targeted by Rivers throughout his career. Hines is far and wide the best pass catcher in the backfield and even though he might not have the ceiling of an Austin Ekeler, an uptick in production should be expected.
Rivers has historically targeted the running back position throughout his career. Since 2015, Chargers running backs accounted for an average of 25.3% of the team’s total targets. Compare that to the Colts, whose backfield has accounted for an average of 18.3% of the team’s total targets in the same span.
Fantasy-wise, this backfield will be a mess. Two solid running backs in Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor will be splitting the early-down work while Hines will see his usage come primarily through the passing game. Everyone’s upside is limited. But pass-catching running backs have value, and Hines can line up all over the formation.
“You guys know from even just talking to Nick (Sirianni) last week, Philip (Rivers) has an uncanny ability to get the ball to the backs and checkdowns and using him like that,” Reich said. “Nyheim will be very much integrated into the game plan on all three downs.”
Even with this, Reich admitted that the snap share in the backfield will favor Mack and Taylor.
“Yeah, he’s not going to play as many snaps. I wouldn’t anticipate he is going to play as many snaps as Marlon (Mack) and Jonathan (Taylor), but there are still enough snaps for him to be very, very productive this year – very productive,” Reich said.
It will be interesting to see what the split is like in the backfield. For fantasy purposes, it is a nightmare to sift through, but Hines appears to already have a role carved out in the passing game with Rivers under center.
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