Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
If you decide to hold off drafting a position in your fantasy league this year, make sure you make it the tight end position. After Jimmy Graham, the value in selecting a top-five guy compared to a lower-ranked player isn’t much. One player to keep in mind in the later rounds is Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen.
Allen missed all but one game last year. In the first game of the 2013 season, he had one catch for 20 yards and a touchdown (pictured above). In his place, Coby Fleener started the rest of the season, but wasn’t great. He finished with 52 receptions for 608 yards and four touchdowns, 13th in standard scoring.
When both players were healthy in 2012, they combined for 71 receptions, 802 yards and five touchdowns. This was also in a year where Reggie Wayne had 106 catches for 1,355 yards and five scores.
Entering the 2014 season, Fleener ranks three spots ahead of Allen (17th and 20th, respectively). Granted, Allen is coming off an ACL injury, but he is a much better tight end than Fleener. In 2013 without both Allen and Wayne, Fleener struggled to be a consistent tight end.
If you decide to wait for a tight end, there is some great value late in drafts like Allen in the 15th round. While you may want to grab a top-15 talent a little later, there is no fault for taking second tight end a few rounds later in case your first option is unavailable.
In a high-octane passing game like the one the Colts have, Allen will be a Comeback Player of the Year candidate.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.
