The Indianapolis Colts had Andrew Luck return from a shoulder injury and the quarterback is healthy and ready to start again heading into Week 7. Chuck Pagano has taken some flack this season and after the fake punt fiasco on Sunday night, talk about his job security has continued to grow and he could potentially get fired after the season.
Luck was out for two games for the Colts with a shoulder injury and he was able to return against the Patriots in Week 6. Luck threw for 312 yards and attempted 50 passes on the night, so his shoulder clearly has healed up considerably, but he did not go deep much and could have some lingering soreness. Luck is on track to start again in Week 7 against the Saints and fantasy owners should be confident in him with a weak secondary for New Orleans coming in.
TY Hilton and Frank Gore are strong fantasy options for the game, while Donte Moncrief and Andre Johnson are sleeper picks for the Colts. Moncrief had a solid game against the Patriots with six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown and he was targeted 11 times by Luck. Johnson has put up his two best performances of the season the last two weeks and he has a combined nine catches for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in that span.
The Colts struggled early on this season and Pagano took blame for that and some in the media speculated that his job could be on the line this year. Luck has dealt with an injury and while he has been healthy he has not been as sharp as he was last season. The fake punt play against the Patriots on Sunday was a mess, as the team lined up incorrectly and also snapped the ball when they were not supposed to. Pagano took responsibility for the miscommunication on the play and said to the Indianapolis Star that he "didn't do a good enough job with all 11 players that were on the football field."
Earlier in the season there were reports about tension between Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson and that stemmed from some personnel moves and other issues. According to the Indianapolis Star, Grigson has made "decisions that run counter to Pagano's wishes" and while both the GM and coach have denied any issues, there have been multiple reports that Pagano is frustrated at times by certain moves. Pagano made comments about the offensive line earlier in the season and some saw that as a shot at the personnel that Grigson has brought in to help protect Andrew Luck.
While there is no guarantee that Pagano will be fired if the Colts struggle the rest of the season, there is a good chance the team will evaluate things if they miss the playoffs. The punt play against the Patriots was not a good look for Pagano and while that one play may not determine his future, it's not one he will look back on fondly.
