5 Players Whose Fantasy Football Stock Has Risen Since Free Agency Started
Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts
When you have an opportunity to tout a tight end who ran a 4.91 40-yard dash, you do it.
Jack Doyle isn't an athletic specimen, but that doesn't matter when you're the primary tight end in the Indianapolis Colts offense. Though he'll still compete for looks at the position with Erik Swoope, we know tight ends can thrive when Andrew Luck is under center.
Take a look at the chart below which shows Indianapolis' tight end -- as a group -- rankings in major receiving categories over the last two seasons where Luck played the majority of the team's games.
| Year | Receptions Rank | Yards Rank | Touchdowns Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5th | 3rd | 2nd |
| 2014 | 5th | 2nd | 1st |
The Colts' tight end use close to the goal line is a big deal, as shown by the touchdown ranks above. Last year, Doyle and Dwayne Allen combined for 11 targets (Doyle had 6, Allen had 5) within the 10-yard line, which was more than any other tight end in football aside from Kyle Rudolph. Even if half of Allen's targets from that area of the field go to Doyle, we're looking at potential top-five close-to-the-end-zone usage.
Doyle himself finished as the 13th-best fantasy tight end last year (I know that's not saying a whole lot considering how poor the position was) in both standard and PPR formats, and in 2014, Coby Fleener, then with the Colts, was the 7th-best one. The offense is built for tight ends to thrive, so it'd be surprising if Doyle can't at least give you a return on a late-round fantasy football investment.
