Indianapolis Colts former third-round tight end Jelani Woods is entering a pivotal season early in his career, and his blend of size, speed and open-field ability could give the Colts offense the kind of downfield weapon that is tough to find at the position. Injuries have limited Woods early in his career. He played in 15 games (two starts) in his rookie year in 2022 and had 25 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns, but he didn't play at all in 2023 due to injuries to both of his hamstrings. The 25-year-old changed his training regimen to specifically strengthen his legs this offseason and feels much better. Head coach Shane Steichen said Woods has "been making a ton of plays" at OTAs this offseason. The Colts have a crowded TE room with Woods, Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory, but if he stays healthy, Woods has the upside to be the Colts' top pass-catching TE.
Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) is back in action at organized team activities this week after missing all of last year due to hamstring injuries. Woods caught a pass on Wednesday from second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson while running a post route on air. The 25-year-old third round pick in 2022 out of Virginia will be competing for targets with Kylen Granson, who is in a contract year, and Drew Ogletree, but if he can stay on the field in 2024, he'll have some TE2 sleeper appeal with Richardson running the offense in Indy. In his first year in the NFL in 2022, Woods caught 25 passes on 40 targets for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (two starts). The Colts' tight end room has been one to avoid for fantasy managers for a while, but Woods is certainly worth watching this summer.
The Athletic's James Boyd has Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods projected as the team's starting tight end in May because he remains bullish on his potential, despite the fact he was sidelined all of last year due to hamstring injuries. Woods should be healthy for organized team activities, and his next-level athleticism will mesh perfectly with head coach Shane Steichen's play-calling to create mismatches all over the field. He's also big enough to block when needed, and Kylen Granson can continue to use his speed and route-running to help move the chains. Mo Alie-Cox will remain in the mix as a seasoned veteran. While Woods should have a bigger pass-catching role if he can stay on the field, this could once again be a frustrating committee situation at TE for fantasy managers.
The Indianapolis Colts can't commit to tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) being able to return this season. Woods has had multiple hamstring injuries since training camp and hasn't appeared in a game in 2023. The 25-year-old caught 25 passes on 40 targets for 312 yards and three touchdowns as part of a committee approach at tight end in Indy in his rookie campaign, but he hasn't been able to contribute at all this year because of his hamstring injuries. Without Woods in the fold, the Colts continue to employ a committee approach among Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, Mo Alie-Cox and Will Mallory. Granson probably has the most upside of the bunch, but fantasy managers should be avoiding this TE situation at all costs.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) had a setback with his other hamstring, and the team is unsure if he will play this season. Woods was making progress with his hamstring injury at the end of October but apparently had a setback since then and now may not play at all in 2023. The 25-year-old was placed on Injured Reserve before the Week 1 season opener. The Colts will roll on with Kylen Granson as their primary tight end in a crowded room that also includes Drew Ogletree, Mo Alie-Cox and Will Mallory. Fantasy managers in standard-sized leagues have no business messing with the Colts' tight end situation. Woods, a third-round pick in 2022, had 25 catches (40 targets) for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (two starts) in his rookie campaign.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) is "getting closer" to making his return from Injured Reserve. The 25-year-old second-year tight end has been on Injured Reserve all year, but he could be close to returning to practice and having his three-week window opened to return from IR. Woods isn't worth stashing in most fantasy leagues, as he'll return to a crowded tight end room in Indianapolis when he's healthy. The Colts also have Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, Mo Alie-Cox and Will Mallory. Woods caught 25 of his 40 targets in his rookie year in 2022 for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (two starts).
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen says that tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) will remain on injured reserve this week, per Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star. Woods' hamstring injury cost him the entire preseason and he doesn't appear to be ready to take practice reps quite yet, either. The 2022 third-round pick flashed at times in his rookie season, ultimately securing 25 out of 40 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. Even so, Woods belongs on fantasy waiver wires with his return not exactly seeming imminent. Kylen Granson has acted as Indianapolis' primary tight end with 11 catches for 88 yards and a score, but Drew Ogletree generated 48 yards while visiting the end zone in Week 4. There's not much to see here for fantasy purposes in most leagues.
Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) was placed on IR on Wednesday. The second-year tight end missed the entire preseason with a hamstring issue and now cannot be activated until at least Week 4. Woods posted a decent rookie season--as far as tight ends go--last year when he had 25 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns. The Colts will roll with Kylen Granson and Mo Alie-Cox as their top two tight ends to begin the year. Neither player has much fantasy appeal in what appears to be a low-volume passing attack led by rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods (hamstring) remained on the sideline for Thursday's preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 24-year-old continues to deal with a lingering hamstring issue. It has sidelined him basically all of training camp and the preseason. At this point, it's uncertain if Woods is going to be available to begin the season. Kylen Granson, Andrew Ogletree and Mo Alie-Cox took the snaps during Thursday's preseason matchup. This could be a messy situation in terms of fantasy football, so probably something to avoid until this is sorted out.
The Indianapolis Colts have a crowded tight end room this year with Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson and Jelani Woods all having played more than 300 snaps last year and catching at least 19 passes. The Colts drafted rookie Will Mallory in the fifth round, and they also have Andrew Ogletree, Pharoah Brown and Kaden Smith. The tight end position is very important in new head coach Shane Steichen's offense. Dallas Goedert played almost 70% of the snaps in 2021 with Steichen in Philadelphia, with no other TE playing 30% of the time. The most likely candidate to see the majority of snaps in Indy's offense in 2023 as a pass-catcher is Woods, who had 25 catches for 313 yards and three TDs as a rookie. Woods has the athleticism to stretch the field similar to how Goedert can, so for fantasy managers speculating on a Colts TE in very deep leagues, Woods might be your guy.
