Colts TE Jelani Woods could be a fantasy football star in 2024

The Indianapolis Colts' roster is full of young offensive weapons, and if any can break out this season, it could do wonders for their offense.

Pro Football Focus' Jon Macri shared three candidates that could be breakout performers in fantasy football at the TE position . One of which comes from the Colts.

Jelani Woods, TE

"Woods missed the entire 2023 season due to hamstring injuries that kept him from getting back in the lineup after a relatively strong rookie year in 2022. Woods led the Colts' tight end room that year in receiving yards (312) and receiving grade (68.0), and he even led the entire team in yards per route run (1.51). The elite athlete out of Virginia showcased a lot of potential as a rookie, and being back fully healthy in 2024, he has the opportunity to bring a whole new dynamic that was missing from the Colts offense last season.

After highlighting several tight ends who seemingly came out of nowhere in fantasy production before delivering their breakout seasons earlier, Woods is a personal favorite to be this year’s version of that breakout tight end. He wasn’t a full-time player when last we saw him (2022), delivering just 5.0 PPR points per game and 74.2 total fantasy points for the year, but he has significant upside to bet on for that to greatly increase this season."

- Breakout Fantays Football TE canidates

One way Macri thinks Woods can breakout this season is by him becoming a "go-to option in the red zone.

"Woods’ massive frame provides him a significant advantage over most coverage defenders and can pay dividends in those tight areas of the field like the red zone and end zone. The 2022 Colts were clearly aware of this potential as well, targeting Woods on 19.4% of his routes in the red zone – which was second-highest on the team, just behind Michael Pittman (20.3%).

Over the past two seasons for Indianapolis, that 19.4% target rate in the red zone is the best mark for their tight ends, as is Woods’ 70.7 receiving grade, 0.94 yards per route run, and 9.6% first down-touchdown rate in that area of the field. Accomplishing this as a rookie provides more encouragement that another year of growth will make him an even more dangerous weapon in those high-value scoring areas of the field, giving him a big leg up in his fantasy potential as well."

- Breakout Fantays Football TE canidates

With Woods missing the entire 2023 season with a lingering hamstring injury, many around the NFL have probably forgotten all about the athletic phenom . And with the Colts adding nearly an entire new offensive staff in 2023, in some ways, this may feel like another rookie season for Woods. The Colts used the committee approach at TE last season, with Kylen Granson leading the room with 50 targets, 30 receptions, and 368 yards, and Mo Alie-Cox led the room with three touchdowns.

During his rookie season, Woods came close to all of these numbers, recording 41 targets, 25 receptions, 312 yards, and three touchdowns. The hope for this season is that the hamstring injury that sidelined him last year is fully in the past and he can hit the team's upcoming Training Camp running. If that happens, he could develop into a massive part of the team's offense and potentially into one of Anthony Richardson's favorite targets for the upcoming season and the foreseeable future. This would make Woods an exciting player for the Colts as well as an enticing option for you to consider adding in your upcoming fantasy football drafts .

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