The Indianapolis Colts are hoping they see a lot of development from their second-round pick in 2019. Wide receiver Parris Campbell was dealt a tough hand his rookie season but will be looking to make an impact on the roster.
With a new quarterback in Philip Rivers, the Colts should see an uptick in the passing game. Campbell will be serving as the slot wide receiver for Rivers to begin the season and will likely take the majority of his snaps inside like he did in college with the Buckeyes.
Campbell played in just seven games during the 2019 season. He suffered four separate injuries, three of which required surgery. Heading into 2020, Campbell is fully healthy and looking to make an impact.
Here are my early projections for the former second-round pick:
| Targets | Rec. | Yards | TDs | Yds/Rec. | Target Share | Catch Rate |
| 56 | 39 | 433 | 2 | 11.1 | 10% | 70% |
Targets: These numbers might feel low for Campbell, especially given that he will be working the short game from the slot. However, the biggest detriment to Campbell’s target share is running back Nyheim Hines. If Hines truly has a big piece of the passing offense as the team continues to say—I have a projected 15% target share right now—then Campbell will be the one who sees fewer targets because he works in the slot. If he comes out and proves to be a favorite target of Rivers, then this could change. But with the drumbeat so loud for Hines, it’s hard to see both of them thriving in the passing offense.
Catch Rate: Campbell has reliable hands so projecting a strong catch rate isn’t too difficult. He showed in college he has secure hands and posted a 75% catch rate during his rookie season (24 targets). Working in the slot and mostly in the short passing game, things shouldn’t change all that much for Campbell when it comes to his catch rate. It wouldn’t even be a surprise to see him post a higher number than 70%.
Rushing: It should also be noted that there are some rushing numbers for Campbell in his projections. Right now, I have Campbell projected for nine carries and 76 rushing yards. The Colts will be looking to get the ball in his hands any way they can so he can use that 4.31 speed.
Conclusion
I love what Campbell brings to the Colts offense in terms of value and talent. But it’s hard to project him holding a large target share in the passing offense with Michael Pittman Jr. and the aforementioned Hines likely on the pecking order ahead of Campbell. It might be that Campbell is simply a better real wide receiver than a fantasy wide receiver for the Colts in 2020.
Point Projections
PPR: 101.9
Half-PPR: 82.4
Non-PPR: 62.9