Jacob Tamme | TE | Indianapolis Colts – Week 8 Line: 6 catches, 64 yards, 1 TD

Imagine Indianapolis Colts owner Bill Polian pacing in his office just hours after losing tight end Dallas Clark to a season-ending wrist injury.  Imagine him thinking to himself, “Maybe I can clone Peyton and turn his clone into a tight end.”  Imagine Clone Manning stepping onto the field, all 6’5 of him, and running downfield routes through opposing secondaries.  You can stop imagining.  Jacob Tamme is Clone Manning incarnate.  Pedigree.  Brains.  And now, an appearance on The Fantasy Fix’s Fantasy Gold honor roll.

Tamme played tight end for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2003 to 2008, earning All-SEC First Team honors his junior and senior year.  He finished his career at Kentucky first among tight ends in receiving yards and fifth among all players in school history.

Brains.  Tamme completed his bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications and his master’s degree in business administration before the 2008 draft.  Two degrees in four years. Not bad.  

In 2007, he was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, which is presented to the top scholar-athlete in the country.  He was the 2007 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  And, to top it off, he was the editor of his high school newspaper.

Projections

All signs point to a productive season for Tamme.  Peyton Manning chucks the ball around with precision.  Tamme has been a prolific pass catcher at every level.  His 4.58 speed will be a menace to opposing linebackers.  As the season progresses, there’s a good chance that Tamme will acclimate to the Colts’ system.  He’s got the brains for it.  

So here’s the scenario, my friends: a brainiac tight end with wide receiver speed catching passes from Professor Manning.  Dude.   

Tasty matchups against New England, Jacksonville, and Tennessee further sweeten the pot.  The best part?  The Colts play the Titans in week 14 and the Jaguars in week 15, right about the time that most owners are in the opening rounds of their league playoffs. 

Sure, Tamme is just a tight end.  Unless you have the Chargers’ Antonio Gates, there are no guarantees at the position.  That being said, injuries to top tight ends left owners scouring the waiver wire for a helping of tight end sloppy seconds.   Tamme could be your answer.   As of Tuesday morning, he was available in 81% of Y! leagues.

Written by James Duren, exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com.