Just as Andrew Luck actually looked like an NFL quarterback again, his No. 1 target will be placed on the shelf for at least a week. T.Y. Hilton was forced to leave Week 4’s contest against the Texans due to a hamstring injury and Frank Reich has unsurprisingly already declared Hilton out for Thursday night’s game against the Patriots. Luck ended up shredding the Texans’ porous secondary and had another chance to build on his progress, but he’ll be without his most productive receiver — making Nyheim Hines a legit blow-up candidate.
Hilton and Luck have always had great chemistry, and the two were just shaking off the rust (114 yds on 4 catches) before Hilton exited the game. Luck had targeted his No. 1 wideout 10-plus times in each of the first three games, but will have to spread the ball out on Thursday night. Ryan Grant and two creatures named Chester Rodgers and Zach Pacsal will “anchor” the receiving corps, while Eric Ebron and Nyheim Hines will also factor in heavily as pass-catchers. Hines is coming off of a 9-63-2 game against the Texans where he was targeted 11 times — and is only owned in 15 percent of leagues. If you’re looking for a potential blow-up Flex option this week, Luck will likely be checking down to Hines early and often against the slow Patriots’ linebackers.