» Don't worry, fantasy football team owners — Nyheim Hines is still a major part of the Colts' offensive plans: Hines played a major role in Indy's 2020 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday; in all, he logged 39 offensive snaps (53 percent) and had seven carries for 28 yards and a touchdown, and led the offense with eight receptions for 45 yards and another score through the air.
So with a season-ending Achilles injury suffered by starting running back Marlon Mack in that Jaguars game, coupled with the fact the Colts were going to have a rookie, Jonathan Taylor, as their starter moving forward at the position, many assumed Hines' role on offense would be increasing even more.
But last Sunday against the Vikings, Hines played just nine offensive snaps (12 percent), touching the ball one time — a four-yard reception in the second quarter (he also had four punt returns for 40 yards).
Is this a sign of things to come for Hines with Taylor — who had a terrific first-career start with 26 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown — now the starter? Inquiring fantasy minds want to know.
The simple answer is no, that's not the case. Hines is still a major part of the Colts' offense; Indy just utilized a little bit different gameplan against the Vikings.
"We need to get the ball to Nyheim. He's too good of a playmaker. So that is an emphasis and that is an emphasis each week," Sirianni said. "It just fell last week that he didn't get the touches.
"We know we can win a lot of different ways," Sirianni continued. "The main way we know we want to win is through the running game. Then everything comes off of that. Jonathan was carrying the ball. He was carrying the ball well. When Jordan (Wilkins) went in, he was carrying the ball well (nine carries for 40 yards). That's just the way it kind of lied last week, but definitely it is always in our plans to get Nyheim the ball and be a big part of this offense. It just didn't work that way last week."