Andrew Luck, one of the most brilliant quarterbacks to play in the last 10 years, will retire from the NFL, according to ESPN. While dealing with a mysterious ankle injury this training camp, Luck apparently decided he was too mentally worn down to attempt a return to the field and is opting to hang up the cleats.
We'll always remember Luck as one of Fantasy's most prolific quarterbacks, but for now, we must consider the ramifications of his decision.
The Colts are sure to stick with Jacoby Brissett as their starter moving forward. Brissett has looked better this offseason than he did in 2017 when he was rushed into the Colts' starting lineup following Luck's slow recovery from shoulder surgery. He wasn't good -- 6.6 yards per attempt and a 58% completion rate with only 13 touchdowns on 469 attempts.
The good news is that he has the benefit of working in Frank Reich's version of the West Coast offense, an upgrade over the system he was previously in. The better news is that he's surrounded by some really good talent.
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T.Y. Hilton's track record speaks for itself, though the numbers he had in 2017 -- 57 catches for 966 yards and four touchdowns -- aren't appealing. The belief is he can improve on all of those numbers this season, but probably not by a lot.
Eric Ebron seemed to develop some chemistry with Brissett in their second preseason game, catching a beautiful 16-yard pass from him on a drive that resulted in a 12-yard touchdown catch for the big tight end. Perhaps that can continue into the regular season, giving Ebron a chance at hanging on to the lowered expectations we already had for him. If you draft him thinking he can get 700 yards and six touchdowns, you should be alright.
And then there's Marlon Mack. Look, there's no way around this, if Luck's not threatening defenses with his arm, Mack's going to see more condensed attention from fiery defenders. He's not a good enough lead back to carry the load for this offense, even with its amazing offensive line. He's also not an established enough pass catcher. I'd nervously consider Mack as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in late Round 4 or Round 5.
Other Colts on the periphery like Jack Doyle, Devin Funchess and Parris Campbell no longer warrant Fantasy attention and should be dropped from redraft rosters.
Finally, if you already drafted Luck and need an emergency quarterback to get you through Week 1, the best options that are owned in less than 55 percent of CBS Sports leagues include Kyler Murray (31% owned -- really?!), Jimmy Garoppolo (28%), Matthew Stafford (53%), Josh Allen (47%), Derek Carr (40%).
