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USATSI

The Colts preseason is over and any hope of Anthony Richardson magically morphing into a precise passer is gone.

That doesn't mean he hasn't improved in other ways -- or become an effective Fantasy quarterback. 

You might have concluded as much just by looking at the box score of his preseason game at Philly: 6 of 17 passing for 78 yards. That came in a half of play against Eagles backups. Not reported in the box score were two other pass attempts that fell incomplete on plays that drew defensive penalties.

Of the 19 total throws, I counted eight of them off-target. Some were completed, like an 11-yarder where Michael Pittman had to adjust his body to a throw low and behind him. But the off-target rate of 42% is uncommonly hideous. We almost never see rates that high.

That's significantly bad news, but that's bad news that can be overcome.

Of the 19 dropbacks Richardson made, only three reads by my count weren't good. That would make someone like Patrick Mahomes squirm, but for a rookie in his second preseason game that's alright.

He also wasn't flustered when the Eagles brought a blitz. He regularly stepped up in the pocket instead of bailing too early or panic-throwing the ball into the grass. It felt mature. That's good. 

His offensive line? It did a pretty good job protecting him given the situation -- two starters didn't play. Again, it played Eagles backups, and it showed. It was good. That's promising. 

And the Colts coaches had specific instructions for Richardson that may help explain the rough night passing: Throw downfield. Of his 17 official attempts, only five were inside of 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. 

"We were trying not to do too many checks in the preseason. We were trying to keep it a little vanilla just so that we can get reps and play fast," Richardson said after the game. " ... I'm excited to see how we game plan against certain teams and see how the offense does."

So while Richardson's throwing may not have been a good representation of what the Colts will consistently do this year, his rushing probably was. Be it by design or because he was evading pass rushers, Richardson smartly and effectively ran the ball, rekindling comparisons of Cam Newton due to his sheer size, power and speed. That's incredibly good news.

The box score has Richardson with 38 yards on the ground on five carries. That included a run for minus-1 yard on an RPO that the Eagles blitzed on, and it does not include a 15-yard scamper that was called back by a Colts penalty. He was savvy and physical, not to mention speedy given his girth. 

For as ugly as his passing was, his running will prove to make him dangerous, especially in an offense that will design plays around that top trait.

"His ability to create outside the pocket is definitely going to help us," Colts coach Shane Steichen said. A reminder: Steichen was part of the brain trust that helped Jalen Hurts run for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year as a starting quarterback.

No doubt there will be trepidation in drafting Richardson as a Fantasy starter because of his wayward passing. If you don't take him, you'd be doing so because you're worried he'll never have solid games passing. You'd also be ignoring his rushing upside, which is clearly enormous.

You'd also be scoffing at the idea of taking a chance on a player with an Average Draft Position after 100th overall. The risk in taking Richardson is heavily outweighed by the reward; he certainly does not have to be your only quarterback. If you take Richardson and he doesn't meet expectations, then it's a Round 9-plus pick gone bad. If he does meet expectations, your Fantasy team just got a lot better at a massive discount. Who in their right mind would say no to that??

In one-QB leagues: It's simple: Target Richardson at or after 100th overall if you need a starter, then double-back for a stable veteran quarterback before the end of your draft. Any one of Geno Smith, Daniel Jones or Jared Goff, all QBs with an ADP of at least 110, would be good to pair with Richardson. Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers would be even better, but those big-name passers could get taken ahead of Richardson even though they don't have much more upside.

In two-QB leagues: This is trickier because you don't want to get caught without solid-performing passers in this format. Richardson is risky as the 10th or 11th quarterback off the board in these leagues, but if you make the commitment to trying to win your league with difference-making prospects, he's worth building around. If you take a great passer in Round 1 and pair Richardson with him in late Round 2 or early Round 3, it's brilliant. If you have a late first-round pick, you may want to pass on Richardson unless he slides to early Round 3 and instead settle for one or two quarterbacks who are more stable with your first choices.

Bottom line: The upside Richardson possesses and the low cost compared to other players at quarterback makes him one of the guys who's worth taking the risk on in your leagues.