T.Y. Hilton has been a tough player to gauge in fantasy football. He’s finished as high as the WR5 in fantasy, but also consistently falls into mid-20 overall finishes. But, with the best supporting cast he’s probably had in his entire career, Hilton is set up for a great year in 2019.
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T.Y. Hilton Fantasy Football Preview for 2019
Andrew Luck’s comeback
Many media members and fans pronounced quarterback Andrew Luck dead. Luck didn’t take a snap in 2017, after being a top fantasy quarterback since he got into the league. However, he came back with a vengeance, finishing as the QB5 in standard leagues.
Interestingly enough his fantasy stats were actually better in the first half of the year than the second half, but that only tells part of the story. Luck took advantage of teams being used to him using his big arm to chuck the ball downfield. Instead, the team employed a dink and dunk offense that focused on short throws in the middle of the field.
And it may not have just been an intentional move to counter what teams were used to him doing. The facts are that Luck didn’t have the arm strength to make those throws at the beginning of the year. This was not more evident than week three when Luck was subbed out of the game in favor of backup Jacoby Brissett for a Hail Mary play.
What skews Luck’s numbers in the first half of the season are his touchdowns. He had 23 tosses in the first eight games, to only 16 in the second half. However, his completion percentage rose from 65% to 69% in the second half of the year. More impressive yet was that his yards per attempt went from just 6.39 to 8.1 in the second half of the year. These are all stats that play right to Hilton’s strengths.
A Second Half Awakening
And these numbers are reflected in Hilton’s fantasy value for 2018. Hilton finished as the WR15, a rather respectable position, but not necessarily reflective of his true talent. Splitting his year in half shows two very different results. From weeks one through eight, Hilton was the WR31.
Again, this number is skewed because he only played in six games (missing two with injury). Still, he only averaged 9.9 yards per reception. This is worse than Albert Wilson, who was the WR24.
However, Hilton really came into form after the team’s week nine bye. From week 10 and on Hilton averaged 13 fantasy points per game coming in as the WR5 during that span. He didn’t go under 60 yards even once and had four 100-yard games. Hilton should build on those numbers coming into 2019.
Getting Some Help
Last year, aside from Hilton, Luck’s only other reliable target was tight end Eric Ebron. In the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts signed former Carolina Panther Devin Funchess. While Funchess isn’t the flashiest signing or best talent at the position, he provides an immediate upgrade at the number two wide receiver position. He will also compliment Hilton well.
None of the other receivers on the roster could scare opposing teams with the deep ball. Funchess, while not the fastest guy out there, can still use his big body to go after those 50/50 balls. Teams will have to respect it, which will take some attention away from Hilton on those long passing situations. This will give Hilton more home-run situations next year, something he has excelled at throughout his career.
Last Word on T.Y. Hilton in Fantasy Football
It would be nice to say that Hilton could be a steal of the 2019 draft. However, his strong 2018 finish gave him plenty of momentum. He’s currently sitting around the WR10 spot for his ADP, which seems about right. But, this is a relatively safe spot for Hilton’s floor. Wide receiver is a position that could see a huge shakeup with top talents like Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. both on new teams next season. Hilton has a real shot at a top-five finish.
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