With training camp ramping up its physicality, fantasy football managers are trying to figure out their draft plans as the regular season is expected to begin in less than a month.
The Indianapolis Colts will have a new leader under center in Philip Rivers, who joins the offense on a one-year deal after the Jacoby Brissett experiment failed. Rivers is reunited with head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, both of which have worked with the 38-year-old gunslinger with the Chargers.
But as fantasy football drafts get underway, when should Rivers be drafted?
Current ADP
According to the average draft position (ADP) data courtesy of Fantasy Football, Rivers is currently being drafted as the QB22 at 14.04. This means he’s the 22nd quarterback drafted off the board in the fourth pick of Round 14.
This range feels about right for what Rivers will give fantasy managers on a weekly basis.
Projected Stats
In my own fantasy football rankings, Rivers comes in at QB19 in four-point scoring. He should be throwing the ball a fair amount, but the Colts want to run the ball in neutral game scripts, which limits his upside on a weekly basis.
Here’s how I currently have Rivers statted-out for the 2020 season:
| Attempts | Comp. | Comp. % | Pass Yards | Pass TD | INT | Fantasy Points |
| 580 | 404 | 69.7% | 4478 | 29 | 15 | 266.7 |
When should you draft Rivers?
In a standard league with only one starting quarterback, Rivers probably isn’t on the radar of many fantasy managers. At best he turns into a high-end streaming option and as a target for the very late-round quarterback crowd.
However, the most likely outcome is that Rivers will be a fair streaming option with some consistency issues for fantasy managers. Given how the Colts want to run their offense, it is entirely possible there are games in which Rivers is simply not needed because of the rushing attack.
It should be expected that at least a few times this season, the rushing duo of Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor will take over a game giving the Colts a large lead without having to throw the ball. This makes Rivers a riskier option to rely on as a weekly starter in fantasy football.
But for where he is going, Rivers is a fine price. For those in 2QB and Superflex leagues, he’s a strong late-round target. But Rivers is be nothing more than a streamer to begin the season and taking him around the QB20 area is probably the earliest I would go.
Conclusion
The addition of Rivers will help the Colts offense drastically. He’s great for the value of the pass-catchers in the offense, all of which are current bargains at their ADPs. He will provide the Colts a more stable option in real football under center.
However, he shouldn’t be relied upon as a weekly starter in fantasy football to begin the season. Maybe the Colts wind up being more pass-happy than projected, but Rivers is more of a streamer in the right matchup until we get a better idea of how the offense will be split.