Fantasy Football Week 5: How Anthony Richardson's latest injury changes Colts, Gardner Minshew outlook

Here's how to approach the Richardson injury moving forward

Anthony Richardson has been one of the most electric players in the league five games into his rookie season, but it's also starting to look like he might have some durability issues. He left his third game out of five in Week 5, this time with a shoulder injury that could cost him some time.

Richardson will undergo an MRI on his right shoulder, but ESPN reported Sunday afternoon that the team believes it is a sprained AC joint. The injury came as he was driven down to the ground after a 4-yard run in the second quarter, and he immediately grabbed at his shoulder and stayed down. Richardson was unable to return to the game, and it raises some real questions about his status moving forward, as well as how the Colts will use him moving forward.

Richardson rushed just two times Sunday for 5 yards, but he's been a big part of the team's overall running game, with 23 carries through four games. And, seeing as he's left multiple games early – once very late with a knee issue, and then once with a concussion early – it's more like 23 carries in three games. 

An AC joint sprain may only end up being a one- or two-week injury, as it was for Derek Carr, who played a week after suffering his. However, Richardson's physical, run-heavy style might lead the Colts to be a bit more cautious with their young QB. Whether that will change how they use him when he's ultimately cleared to play, whether that's in Week 6 or some time later – remains to be seen, but head coach Shane Steichen didn't sound like he was planning on reining his young QB in when asked about it after the game.

"I think when you have a dynamic player like him, obviously, one of his skillsets is a runner [and] that makes him really good," Steichen said, via ESPN. "The designed run that he got hurt on [was] something similar to last week where he popped it for a big one. So that's stuff that you've got to look at, be smart with."

This is one of the tougher balancing acts for coaches because Richardson's rushing ability is a big part of the Colts offense right now – the threat of it helps make the running game explosive even when he doesn't keep it, and they design a lot of their passing game around the threat of his running as well. 

And, obviously for Fantasy, we'd hate to see Richardson running less, because even in six-point-per-pass-TD leagues, 53% of his points this season had come from his rushing production. He could still be a Fantasy starter if they dial back his rushing, but the margin for error gets a lot slimmer.

Looking ahead to Week 6, if Gardner Minshew has to start against the Jaguars, he'd probably come in around 15th at the QB position in the Fantasy rankings. Minshew started in Week 3 against the Ravens and had 15.1 Fantasy points, and now has two touchdowns on 83 passes this season, and we'd likely see the Colts try to control the clock with their running game, just like they did Sunday. If you play in a 2QB league and need a replacement for Richardson, Daniel Jones (who left Sunday's game with a neck injury) or Jordan Love and Kenny Pickett (who are on a bye in Week 6), you can certainly look Minshew's way. But the rest of us will be hoping Richardson can get back soon and avoid the injury bug that has followed him around through the first month of his NFL career because he's already established himself as one of the most dynamic players at the position.