Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
Sunday January 18, 2015. 6:40 p.m. EST, CBS

This is a case of the up-and-coming “young” team against the long time staple who’s been there time and time again. Andrew Luck will attempt to come of age before our very eyes on Sunday and take down the kings of the mountain if you will, in the Patriots. It would only be fitting if Luck on his way to his first Super Bowl knocked off both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. His ascent as the next great QB could begin this Sunday! Colts’ fans are excited and believe the future is now! Well I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news. Brady and Belichick have no intentions of going quietly in to the good night. Everyone will make this about Brady versus Luck. However, the truth is that is not the case. The fact of the matter is the Colts outside of Luck are not a very good team. T.Y. Hilton is the only established good player on offense besides Luck and he will in all likelihood find himself on Revis Island. Their O-line is bad and their RBs are among the worst in the league. They have solid TEs and will need to rely very heavily on them. On defense the Colts have a decent secondary led by Vontae Davis. They are hanging their hat on stopping Andy Dalton with no weapons and a clearly deteriorated Manning. They are far from a bad team, however, they are also far from being good enough to beat the Patriots. Luck will mature and his team around him will probably get better. We will see him in multiple Super Bowls in future seasons, just not this season.

Indianapolis Colts: What to look for

Quarterbacks
Luck is going to have his issues this Sunday and he’s going to turn the ball over. However, Luck is going to get his fantasy points. He almost always does. Even heading in to Foxboro for an AFC Championship game. He is a decent play this week at $8,200 on DraftKings.com. Like usual he will be doing everything on his own and will throw the ball 40-plus times. With that said, Colts fans may have unpleasant flashbacks during this game. Like they’ve been there before.

Running Backs
Now that Trent Richardson is a thing of the past, as he should be. Boom Herron has taken over as the clear-cut lead running back. Herron is not particularly good, but he is in a great situation. His PPR value is tremendous and at $5,900, he is the second best RB play this week after Marshawn Lynch. Honestly I would start him over Eddie Lacy if they were the same price. Herron is almost a must start unless you want to roll the dice on a Patriots RB.

Wide Receivers
You are best avoiding Hilton this week. He will be on Revis Island and will not live up to his $7,000 price tag. Reggie Wayne is also a very dangerous play, even at $2,800. There is a reason he comes so cheap this week. If you do want to go with an Indy WR, play Donte Moncrief at $3,500. Revis will be on Hilton and Wayne will likely be held in check too. That leaves you with Moncrief or Hakeem Nicks. I have more faith in Moncrief.

Tight Ends
The Colts TEs are both great starts this week. These are the guys that will be moving the chains for Indy. They have Coby Fleener at $4,300 and Dwayne Allen at $3,800. Last time these teams played Week 11, Fleener caught seven passes for 144 yards. Allen got injured early in that game. While both TEs are good plays, Allen is the smart money. He doesn’t see a high volume of targets but is very efficient and great in the red zone. Either way you can’t go wrong this week with either TE.

New England Patriots: What to look for

Quarterbacks
Brady is the most expensive QB this weekend and for good reason. With that being said, his $8,500 may diminish his value a bit. Especially if the Pats decide to pound the Colts’ week rush defense or get a big lead. Brady is a solid play this week but it’s pretty much a toss-up between Brady, Luck and Russell Wilson. If you have cap room add him, if not the other two hold just as much value.

Running Backs
I really like LeGarrette Blount this week. He really let his owners down last week when the Pats decided to run the ball in the second half (with the exception of a QB sneak). Still, Belichick will attack the Indy rush defense and Blount is your best bet in their RB corps. You always have to worry about Jonas Gray and Brandon Bolden though. Shane Vereen always has PPR value, but doesn’t have a huge effect on the other runners.

Wide Receivers
Julian Edelman is the guy too own because of his PPR value. He will probably catch 6-to-9 passes again this week and is a safe bet to earn decent points. He may actually be the best WR to play this week regardless of price. Brandon LaFell also has upside this week. He’s not a great play though, especially if he’s matched up with Davis. Aside from that the only other WR that even warrants some consideration is Danny Amendola. His price tag is only $4,500 and he has actually been playing better as of late. He is a desperation but not a bad one.

Tight Ends
The Pats have Gronk. If you can afford Gronk, you play Gronk. He’s by far the best TE in the league and is always the best play. The Colts also allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing TEs this season.

Predictions

Final Score
Indianapolis: 20
New England: 34

Best Play
Colts: Boom Herron
Patriots: Rob Gronkowski

Sleeper
Danny Amendola & Donte Moncrief