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The early headlines out of joint practices between the Colts and Bengals were not flattering for Anthony Richardson, as the taunts the Cincinnati defenders were throwing his way became well publicized.
Bengals players didn’t hold back on Anthony Richardson during the Colts and Bengals joint practice today.
CB Cam Taylor Britt: “That’s all he do is run.”
DT BJ Hill: “Throw the damn ball.”
Safety Geno Stone: “He only throws to spots. He doesn’t throw to his receivers.” pic.twitter.com/AoHGqwkHpO
— Streameast News Network (@StreameastNews) August 21, 2024
Richardson then had a chance to respond in front of a national audience, and, well . . . looked like Anthony Richardson. The lowlights included several erratic throws sailing over the heads of his receivers, a brutal pick-six, and being stripped from behind while extending a play outside the pocket. The highlights included some impressive throws to the short and intermediate areas of the field, as he worked almost exclusively from the pocket. In fact, Richardson only broke the pocket twice the entire game: once on his fumble, and the other time on a scramble that resulted in his only rush attempt.
Every Anthony Richardson drop back from last night’s preseason game against the Bengals
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/bxd9D0Mg6A
— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) August 23, 2024
While watching the game, it was clear that the Colts’ plan was to focus on getting Richardson reps as a pocket passer. His final stat line was a decent eight completions on 14 pass attempts for 86 yards, one touchdown, one interception, one sack, and one rushing attempt for three yards. Much has been made that Richardson was playing against the Bengals’ backups, but less of a fuss is being made that his performance was not a true representation of how Richardson will be deployed when the games actually matter.
When asked after the game about the miscues he experienced, along with the Bengals taunts toward him during the week, Richardson took it all in stride.
#Colts QB Anthony Richardson on the Bengals’ trash talk during Tuesday’s joint practice and how he handles criticism overall:
“When it comes to people just talking, that don’t really phase me much. Cuz people been talking pretty much my whole life. … Just add fuel to the fire.” pic.twitter.com/Ve2yb05Dwh
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 23, 2024
One insight that came out of Richardson’s game – even for someone who studies as little tape as I do — was the awkward platforms from which he throws at times. Luckily, there are others more qualified to provide in-depth analysis on the subject.
The one thing Anthony Richardson needs to fix to improve his accuracy pic.twitter.com/3lTCtPDuJj
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) August 23, 2024
Since Richardson has come into the NFL, he has consistently been described as a hard worker who has the desire to become great. As an athlete, he is already one of the best we have seen at the quarterback position. As someone who has relied on his natural gifts and found success, it is no wonder that there are still times when he falls back on his athleticism over sound technique. If the reports about his desire to be great are true, there is a good chance that he will improve his footwork over the course of his career. Just don’t expect a complete sea change this season.
If fantasy managers were hoping to see Richardson develop into an elite passer this season, then they are not familiar with his profile. With his accuracy issues in the short and intermediate areas of the field well documented, Richardson’s value was always based on his ability as a rusher who would add additional points through the air. This is exactly how Richardson’s rookie season played out, albeit on a limited sample size.
Excluding Richardson’s Week 5 game against the Titans when he sustained his season-ending shoulder injury, Richardson averaged 12.4 fantasy points per game as a rusher. While that number does not seem realistic to project across an entire season, Richardson could easily earn just as much — or possibly more — rushing work at the goal line compared to star running back Jonathan Taylor.
Despite his inconsistent mechanics as a passer, Richardson has been able to put some impressive throws on film. As he continues to develop, Richardson may provide more potential as a passer than his critics give him credit for. While some fantasy managers have the habit of thinking in binary code, Richardson’s skills as a passer may end up closer to “0.5” in a land consisting solely of zeros and ones.
With a hefty price tag of a top-10 pick in FFPC Superflex drafts, Richardson’s past week should not change fantasy managers’ prior opinions of him in either direction. Richardson remains a developing prospect whose elite athleticism and frustrating inexperience both have the potential to single-handedly win or lose matchups in any given week.
As someone who believes in Richardson’s desire to work towards greatness, I will continue to draft him with cautious optimism. With that being said, I do also believe that C.J. Stroud’s elite ceiling as a passer and higher likelihood of staying healthy all season make him a better overall selection a few spots later. Jayden Daniels (19.4 ADP) also offers a similar upside bet to Richardson a round later. While Daniels will continue to be my highest-owned QB in all formats as the discount version of Richardson, I still want to have a significant amount of exposure to the higher-priced alternative.
