Every year, there are multiple undrafted tight ends in fantasy football that become must-start throughout the season. In 2015, Gary Barnidge took that title, while other ones like Jordan Reed and Delanie Walker were taken in the later rounds and became upper echelon options.
With the position so top-heavy with Rob Gronkowski and everybody else, it’s always a wise strategy to wait and draft (or spend cheaply on) a tight end. One player that fits the bill next season is Dwayne Allen, who re-signed with the Colts on a four-year, $29.4 million deal.
That seems like a lot for a tight end that only had 46 receptions the last three years, but if anything else, the contract means he will be used a lot more. Coby Fleener is gone, so that will automatically open up more targets for him. In addition, the Colts added offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski late last year and he’s known for heavily involving tight ends into the offense.
Maybe that wasn’t the case with the Colts last year, but it’s hard to do that with your starting quarterback out of the lineup. The Colts turned into a defense-first in the second half of last season with Andrew Luck hurt and Matt Hasselbeck seemingly getting hurt every time he got hit. That was part of the reason Allen didn’t do anything relevant statistically.
In the previous year with Luck in tow, Allen finished with only 29 receptions, but also had eight touchdowns. Injuries have hindered Allen the last few years and have been a big part of him struggling. In his rookie season, Allen finished with 45 catches for 521 yards and three touchdowns, and more importantly played all 16 games.
If he can stay healthy, Allen can easily be a top-12 fantasy tight end. To deny that possibility would be a mistake. The thing that will put Allen over the top is that he’s a three-down tight end. While he has battled injuries, Allen remains one of the better blocking and receiving tight ends in the league. Most TEs are usually good in one aspect of the game and it’s rare they are above average in both of those areas.
January 3, 2016: Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener (80) during the NFL game between the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)
With a new contract, Fleener gone and Chudzinski already promising an increased role for Allen in the offense, this may be the year we finally see Allen become a true offensive threat for the Colts.
On the outside, Indianapolis has speedsters T.Y. Hilton and Phillip Dorsett to go with the bigger Donte Moncrief. Spreading the field with those guys, Allen should see plenty of open room in the middle of the field. That’s a main reason he finished with eight touchdowns in only 13 games in 2014. Often lining up as a blocker on the line, Allen and Luck destroyed teams in play-action in the red zone.
Allen had just 29 targets last season and his numbers were barely better than third-string tight end Jack Doyle. Fleener’s 85 targets have to go somewhere, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Allen surpassed that 80-target mark himself this year, if not more. Not to mention, the Colts passed the ball much less without Luck in the offense so that has to be taken into account as well for Allen’s upside.
As long as Luck is healthy, the No. 1 tight end in the Colts offense is a legitimate fantasy threat.
The best part about Allen is that he won’t cost anything come draft or auction time. He’ll be available in the later rounds and if you’re the type of owner that plays the waiver-wire game with tight ends, Allen will be a good first option to bet on. Allen’s low-upside will be in the 60-reception, 600-yard and eight-touchdown range. That put him as around the eighth-best tight end in standard leagues last season. What’s not to like about that?
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