Colts vs. Broncos Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy FanDuel, DraftKings

The Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos take part in what may be the most underwhelming prime-time game of the 2022 NFL season on Thursday night.

Neither offense has looked spectacular through four games, and they are both hampered by injuries to their top running backs.

Jonathan Taylor is out for the Colts with an ankle injury, while Javonte Williams is done for Denver's season with a torn ACL.

Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson will have more pressure on them to produce points through the air. Ryan has the better passing totals, but Wilson and his group of wide receivers may be the better option to use for daily fantasy football lineups.

Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Michael Pittman will be some of the most popular DFS picks on Thursday, so you have to dig a bit deeper on both rosters to find some gems who may place you well above others in the money positions in DraftKings and FanDuel contests.

Some daily fantasy players may turn to the backup running backs on both rosters to produce points, but that might not be wise on Thursday.

Melvin Gordon has had fumbling problems all season, and Nyheim Hines is usually more of a pass-catcher than a running threat.

Additionally, both rushing defenses have been solid through four weeks. Denver and Indianapolis conceded a single 100-yard ground game each. Both of those high concessions came in Week 4 against Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry, respectively.

The lackluster performances from the two rushing defenses in Week 4 could motivate the two teams even more to produce standout showings in a primetime game.

Gordon's four fumbles make him a liability for the Broncos, who may go with a running back by committee approach. Mike Boone and Latavius Murray are their other two options.

Murray may be a sleeper pick for the back end of DFS lineups and rushing props, if he is up to speed with the Denver playbook. Murray was signed off the New Orleans practice squad after he scored a touchdown in London on Sunday.

Hines has had more than 70 rushing yards in a single game three times in his career. He has mostly been a utility piece on the Colts offense, and his best asset could still be his pass catching.

Hines has 17 catches on 19 targets this season, so he could put up a decent point total, but he will not put up numbers like a typical starting running back would in DFS contests.

The focal point of all DFS lineups should be the passing attack of each team, but if you want to add in one running back, Hines may be the best choice because of his reliability inside the Colts offense.

Matt Ryan enters Thursday with 145 more passing yards than Russell Wilson, but it is Wilson who you should trust as an anchor for your DFS lineups.

Wilson still gets to work with the pair of Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, and that trio should form one of the most popular lineup stacks in Thursday contests.

Sutton has the most receptions and receiving yards of any player on both rosters. He has caught 24 of his 35 targets for 343 yards and a touchdown this season.

Sutton will likely have the largest target exposure in the passing game, and he feels like the safe pick to partner with Wilson.

Jeudy has one more touchdown catch than Sutton this season. He could be looked at often if Sutton gets caught up in coverage.

Jeudy is averaging 16.6 yards per catch, and he has the longest reception on the Broncos roster (67 yards).

Wilson should try to work the ball to Sutton and Jeudy as often as he can, and it would be a huge surprise if either player was not the leading receiver in Thursday's contest.

If you use the Denver pass game stack and Hines as a running back, you then have room to land a value play with a low salary, and there are many of them on the Colts and Broncos rosters.

Four of Matt Ryan's five touchdown passes have gone to tight ends.

Mo Alie-Cox and Jelani Woods both have a pair of scoring catches from the veteran quarterback, and both tight ends could be in play as the final roster piece for DFS contests.

The same could be said about Eric Saubert or Albert Okwuegbunam on the Denver roster. Saubert has the only touchdown catch outside of Sutton and Jeudy, and Okwuegbunam is due for a breakout game.

Alie-Cox is the only tight end on both rosters with more than 120 receiving yards. Indianapolis' Kylen Granson is the only other player above 100 receiving yards.

The DFS play on the tight ends will mostly be about which one of them can find the end zone.

Having the right touchdown scorer in a game that may be devoid of high rushing stats could be massive when it comes to placing your lineup in the winning positions.

Alie-Cox is the safest bet of the tight end group, but Woods and Saubert are sneaky options because they have been trusted in the red zone in previous weeks.

Okwuegbunam is the ultimate wild card on either roster. He was supposed to be a star tight end this season, but he has just 45 receiving yards on six catches. He could be a decent buy low option in a game where one or two role players must step up.

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