Daniel Jones Leaves Week 14 with Achilles Injury to Fantasy Football Owners' Demise
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Daniel Jones exited the game in the 2nd quarter with an achilles injury. This is obviously terrible news for Colts fans, as well as it is gunwrenching for Fantasy Football owners. Jones did walk off under his own power, but anytime a player is listed to have an achilles injury, we fear the worst. This will come with heavy implications in Fantasy Football and that is what we will break down in the below.
Fantasy Football Impact
If the MRI confirms a torn Achilles, Daniel Jones will face a 9-month recovery that puts him right up against the start of 2026 season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2025
Jones is a pending free agent, though Indy wants him back. https://t.co/OX9rxKqZUN
The Colts turn to Riley Leonard in their game today. They roster no other Quarterback, so it will have to be Leonard in the short-term and a free agency pickup by the team in the long term, if that is the route they may want to go.
Leonard was a transfer from Duke to Notre Dame and he was drafted in the 6th round of the NFL draft by the Colts. He is less of a big-arm and more of a dual-threat, Taysom Hill-esque option. This offense will have to rely heavily on the run and play-action pass. Leonard cannot carry this team, or so it should not be expected. I would not be buying him in Fantasy Football, despite his rushing ability.
We will imagine that this aids the volume of Jonathan Taylor. However, if the offense is struggling, it may flip on Taylor and limit his touchdown upside. I would still consider Taylor a the borderline RB1 in Fantasy Football until proven otherwise.
Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs will all suffer with a downtick in passing upside. Leonard may be a Quarterback that will not surpass 175 Passing Yards per Game. In fact, that may be optimistic. I could be wrong, but I would not over anticipate anything special.
Stock Watch
Daniel Jones must not be dropped until we know more. Once we have further updates on his injury status, we will have a better analysis of the situation. For now, we assume the worst for Fantasy Football purposes.
Jonathan Taylor remains as a Top-3 Running Back.
Michael Pittman Jr., drops from a high-end WR2 to a Flex option.
Alec Pierce drops from a WR2 to a bench item with Flex upside. He is more reliant on deeper balls, and Leonard will provide a bigger drop off to Pierce than any other pass-catcher.
Josh Downs has been a bench item. He remains that way, but with even less upside. He will be unstartable with Leonard.
Tyler Warren may have the least of the dropoffs. The Colts will use him in the shuffle pass and play-action game. He will be a focal point of a dynamic offense of trickery and deception. Warren has played behind center a whole bunch. He is still a must-start Tight End.
Daniel Jones Injures Achilles in Week 14
Jones went down with a non-contact injury with weight clearly on the back of his foot/heel. This is always a tell-tale for an achilles tear, but we do not know for sure. Often times the player does not walk off, but Jones did. We will await better medical analysis.
Daniel Jones went down with a non-contact right leg injury. The concern is this is he has a FIBULA fracture on Left side and compensating on Right
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) December 7, 2025
Worst case scenario: Achilles Tear
Best case scenario: Calf strain pic.twitter.com/v13XBOu8x7
A fibula injury has given Jones issue of recent, but that was in the other leg, so these issues are separate. According to Dr. Evan Jefferies, DPT, Jones could have an achilles tear as a worst-case, and a calf strain as a best case. Our Fantasy Sports On SI team will have further updates for you once the injury status becomes more 20/20 on Jones.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.