Colts fans need to keep their eyes on this WR with Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell out

Colts fans should pay attention to Daurice Fountain over the next few weeks.

The Indianapolis Colts have been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball through the first three weeks of the 2020 season. Though it certainly isn’t a contest, you could argue that the offense has endured the most crushing blows as running back Marlon Mack was lost for the year after suffering a torn Achilles in Week 1.

Elsewhere, the wide receiver position has been bit sternly by the injury bug. Breakout second-year candidate Parris Campbell and 2020 second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr. will both be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair leg injuries.

The Colts are currently preparing for their first game without either of those guys on the field and the team will need somebody to lessen the burden on the likes of TY Hilton and Mo Alie-Cox in the passing game.

Well, fans in Indianapolis should be looking to Daurice Fountain to fill that void. The 2018 fifth-round pick recorded his first career reception in Week 3 and spoke to reporters on Monday about that feat as well as the massive opportunity that’s been presented to him in the wake of Campbell and Pittman going under the knife.

"“I definitely have a lot of confidence,” Fountain said, via Colts.com. “I’m just treating every day like it’s a game. Obviously, over the past few years, I haven’t been able to play in a lot of games so I was just taking that energy to practice and just treating every practice like a game. It really helped me just go out here and be prepared and be ready when my number was called.”"

With Pittman shelved following surgery to relieve compartment leg syndrome in his calf, Fountain could seriously emerge as the Colts No. 3 receiver, behind Hilton and Zach Pascal. The former Northern Iowa star logged two receptions for 23 yards on Sunday against the Jets while playing 19 snaps (32%).

That isn’t a sizable quantity by any stretch, but Pittman wasn’t removed from the game right away. On top of that, Hilton and Pascal haven’t exactly burst onto the scene with Philip Rivers under center, combining to log just 204 receiving yards through the first three games.

The bottom line is that Fountain should be given ample opportunity to lock down a starting WR role. 2019 undrafted talent Ashton Dulin played just 13 snaps (22%), failing to haul in a reception on his lone target, which further indicates the Colts view him as more of a return specialist than a receiver.

Fountain’s other competition on the depth chart is Dezmon Patmon, but the 2020 sixth-rounder has been battling a knee injury and has yet to see the field as a rookie. We seriously doubt head coach Frank Reich will thrust him into a prominent role over Fountain given those circumstances.

We’re not even trying to speak it into existence. The stars are quite literally aligning for Fountain to have his first real shot at earning significant playing time on the Colts since he entered the NFL back in 2018.

Colts: Indy possibly getting reinforcements at right time after slew of injuries to stars

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