Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Donte Moncrief or Phillip Dorsett as Colts' No. 3 WR with Duron Carter struggling?

INDIANAPOLIS -- The most important preseason game for the Indianapolis Colts takes place on Saturday when they play the St. Louis Rams.

The third preseason game is key because it’s the one starters routinely play through at least halftime.

As far as battles for starting positions go, there really isn’t any on the Colts.

But there are other storylines to keep an eye on in the game.

Running back: No, no, there’s nothing going on with Frank Gore. He’s the Colts’ starting running back. The real battle centers around who will back him up. The two primary candidates are Boom Herron and Josh Robinson, with Vick Ballard still finding his way after missing most of the past two seasons with injuries and Zurlon Tipton lagging way behind the pack. Herron averaged 4.5 yards a carry and ended last season as the starter. Robinson, the rookie out of Mississippi State, has turned a lot of heads by rushing for 105 yards in the first two preseason games. But it should be pointed out that he rushed for most of those yards against third- and fourth-string players. Doing it against first- and second-teamers should give a better indication of where Robinson stands.

Wide receiver: We can all agree that Andre Johnson and T.Y. Hilton are the Colts’ top two receivers. The same can’t be said about the team’s third receiver. Duron Carter’s vanishing act in the first two preseason games leaves Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett battling it out despite the Colts not wanting to say the order of receivers on the depth chart. You really can’t go wrong with either player at that position. Moncrief had 444 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie last season and the Colts can line Dorsett up anywhere on the field. Don’t be surprised if the No. 3 receiver spot changes throughout the season. “We’ve got a good group of wideouts,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “They’ve all got different skill sets. Some run faster than others. Some are underneath guys. Some are deep guys. We’re going to extenuate all their strengths.”

Cornerback: This became an issue when Pagano announced that starter Greg Toler is “week-to-week” because of a neck injury. Week-to-week in Colts lingo usually means the player could be out for a period of time. The Colts are at their best in the secondary when Toler and Vontae Davis are on the field together. Darius Butler is next up, but the Colts prefer to have him defend the slot receiver when opposing teams go to three receivers. Third-round pick D’Joun Smith's transition to the NFL has been a tough one for him. Sheldon Price started the preseason opener at Philadelphia and Jalil Brown, the best cornerback not named Vontae Davis in training camp, should be back against the Rams after missing last week’s game against Chicago because of a hamstring injury. This is an important game for all three because the start of the regular season is a little more than two weeks away and there’s no set timetable on when Toler will be back.

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