RB Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts

HT: 5-11, WT: 210, Born: 4-11-1987, College: Connecticut, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 27

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full ADP list]

Overall: R Woods (207), M Lattimore (208), Donald Brown (209), D Robinson (210), J Hunter (211)
Position: M Gillislee (206-RB68), M Lattimore (208-RB69), Donald Brown (209 - RB70), D Robinson (210-RB71), R Jennings (213-RB72)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: Donald Brown (195), J Locker (196),
Position: J Randle (181-RB65), M Turner (182-RB66), Donald Brown (195 - RB67), J Bell (203-RB68), M Lattimore (204-RB69)
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Outlook

Former first round pick, Donald Brown has not met the expectations of being the next best Colts running back. In his four years in the league, his best season was 2011 in which he totaled 645 rushing yards on 134 carries with 5 touchdowns. A promising 2012 season was expected to follow, but an injured ankle ended his year. Injuries and ball security issues have limited his playing time in his short career. He is currently the second running back on the depth chart behind Vick Ballard. If Brown can stay healthy he'll provide a second option at running back behind Ballard. However, don't be surprised if Delone Carter or even rookie Kerwynn Williams rises up the ranks and commands more snaps in 2013.

Latest News

Colts | Vick Ballard favored as starting back (Wed May 15, 01:24 PM) - Indianapolis Colts RB Vick Ballard is expected to enter training camp as the team's No. 1 running back, but that doesn't mean RB Donald Brown will not also see playing time. Head coach Chuck Pagano sees Ballard as a player who gets stronger as the game wears on, while Brown is considered more of a home run hitter for the offense.

Our View: Sounds like the Colts are going to use a RBBC featuring Ballard as the lead back and Brown as the change of pace back. Ballard's current ADP is RB28 and he's coming off the board near the end of round five.
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - 36 of Browns 48 yards came on two carries during the same drive of the second quarter. Both plays were up the gut and Brown showed good speed and power in running through trash and plowing his way into the end zone on the second carry. Aside from that, he was frequently stuffed behind the line of scrimmage or for minimal gain. Luck tried to get him involved in the passing game, but on two different plays, Brown was open and took his eyes off the ball before he made the catch. In both cases, Brown was open and the ball hit him in the hands. However, because he turned his attention up field instead of making the catch, he dropped the ball.

Week 2 - Brown is the lead back in Indianapolis but that isn’t worth any more this year than it has been in the past. He didn’t look particularly good against the Vikings, never finding much of a hole and getting tripped up too often, ending up with a paltry 2.8 yards per carry. He was never targeted as a receiver and was not much of a factor in this game.

Week 3 - Brown tallied 62 yards against the Jaguars, and he earned every single one. The Colts' offensive line was overmatched by the Jaguars front and rarely ever created running lanes or pushed them off the line of scrimmage. Brown was repeatedly fighting forward with defenders all over him to gain positive yardage. Save for a few plays where he could escape to the sideline, Brown was mostly working very hard for two and three yard gains. Brown finally broke into open field with his sole reception in the fourth quarter. The runningback caught a check down pass in plenty of space underneath as the Jaguars dropped deep. Pozluzny had Brown in single coverage but was caught looking in the backfield as Brown cut infield after faking a run to the flat. Brown then used his blocking well to gain the sideline for a huge gain. Brown could be a really productive runner with a better offensive line infront of him.

Week 5 - The Packers were over-aggressive against the Colts and Donald Brown was able to take advantage in turning in one of his better days as a pro. The type of things Brown was able to take advantage of were typified by a run in the second quarter. The Packers came heavy, the first two players flying by Brown, one tumbling by before he even had the ball and the second so out of position the best he could do was try to arm tackle Brown. Brown than used his speed to turn upfield and outrun the defenders for a nice gain. Brown was able to make people miss in the backfield and by avoiding early contact, take advantage of the gap between the rushers and the next level of the defense.

Week 8 - Brown returned from injury to carry the ball 14 times for 80 yards against the Titans porous rush defense. Brown's best runs came in overtime as he was given the ball on six consecutive downs resulting in 39 yards. At that point the Titans defense was out of energy and Brown ran up the middle with balance and power to help put the Colts in position to win the game. Despite the injury and the reduced workload throughout the game, Brown showed good acceleration to the hole and the Colts offensive line responded by opening ample running room for him. Brown is still caught in the backfield far too frequently and did not show adequate burst to the sideline. That said, he continues to be a reliable runner between the tackles able to break the occasional long run.

Week 10 - Donald Brown ran well against the Jags on Thursday night but simply did not get enough carries to be worthwhile as a starter in fantasy. Brown shared the load with RB Ballard almost evenly, which hurt both players value and made neither of them productive as a result. The Colts had the luxury of being able to run the ball often as they controlled the ball for most of this game, allowing both Brown and Ballard to get significant work. Brown did run with toughness and was determined to get every yard available. The Colts gave Brown mostly simple running plays, dives and one cut rushes designed to attack the middle of the defense. QB Luck used Brown as an option to audible to when the defense showed a promising look against the run. He has become a more reliable back in the passing and running game, though the he did not register a catch on Thursday. Unfortunately for Brown, he cannot be trusted as a fantasy option unless he gets the bulk of the carries on the ground, for whatever reason.

Week 11 - Brown showed good patience and burst with his first carry that went for nine yards. Brown was next involved at the beginning of the Colts' two minute drill before the half. He lined up as a wide receiver and ran a shallow crossing route, but Luck threw the ball behind him and they couldn't connect. Luck went straight back to Brown two plays later when he was lined up as a receiver to the other side of the field. Brown caught the ball and carried it forward for eight yards unopposed. Another reception on the same drive came when Brown worked back to his quarterback behind the line of scrimmage late in the play. He was tackled behind the line of scrimmage however. Brown's first carry of the third quarter came on the Colts' second drive when he skipped through a hole at the line of scrimmage for a six yard gain. The Colts went straight back to him and he was tackled behind the line of scrimmage however. Brown took a delayed handoff to the edge for a first down and five yards when he broke multiple tackles.

Week 12 - Like Ballard, Brown was stymied by a tough Bill’s rushing defense on Sunday. Getting 10 carries, Brown averaged a weak 2.6 yards a carry, with a long of 11. After struggling with some knee issues coming off arthroscopic surgery, Brown looked healthy, but couldn’t get much going. Like Ballard, Brown’s best run came when he bounced outside on the Colts’ final drive of the game. Working through the hole, Brown was able to get the edge and pick up an important first down to get the Colts out of the shadow of their own end zone. Brown also had one catch, picking up 23 yards on the play. Brown caught the quick out and slipped the initial tackle before turning up field and working down the sideline before finally getting pushed out of bounds.

Week 13 - Donald Brown had no success running the football against the Lions on Sunday and was hardly involved in the passing game either. Brown got many carries, most simple carries up the middle, but was frequently met with defenders at the line. Brown never got to the second level or found room to rip off a big gain. Brown was only a checkdown option in the passing game also, producing mediocre gains when Luck targeted him. The Colts gave RB Ballard a heavier workload on the ground, who performed better and is clearly the more powerful back. The Colts also abandoned the rushing attack rather early, as it became clear they would have to win this game on the arm of QB Luck. Ballard gets more touches than Brown on the ground and makes Brown a very low value commodity as a fantasy player.