Fantasy football owners were dealt a blow when Jermichael Finley suffered a season-ending injury, and now another top tier tight end has gone down for the count. Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark has learned that he'll need wrist surgery, and the Colts have decided to place the fantasy star on injured reserve.Like Finley, Clark was a clear top-five tight end, with the Colts TE being drafted as the top tight end in fantasy leagues more often than not in August. He racked up 347 yards on 37 catches in six games this year, catching three TDs in the process. Owners that drafted Clark expecting another 100 catches, 1,100 yards and ten TDs will finish the season severely disappointed.
With Clark's injury, Jacob Tamme will move into the Colts' starting lineup. Like Clark, Tamme is more of a receiver than blocker at the tight end position, and as such he may be usable in fantasy leagues over the rest of the season. However, with the bye-week schedule closing in the next few weeks, it's very possible Clark owners will have better options on the wire. We'll look at some now:
Owen Daniels, Texans. Look, I know you may be hesitant to grab a tight end on a bye as a replacement, but let's face it, you weren't dropping Clark this week if he was healthy, so you've been planning to use a bench spot on a TE all season. Use that spot on Daniels, who's finally looking 100 percent after recovering from a knee injury to open the season. He had his best week of the season by far in Week 6, catching five passes for 79 yards. With a week to rest, Daniels should be top form during the second half of the season. He's available in over half of Fleaficker leagues as of Friday, and he should be the first guy you target as a replacement.
Aaron Hernandez, Patriots. New England traded the deep-threat presence of Randy Moss to go with a short-range attack, and that's going to help Hernandez. He already has three games with over 75 combined yards rushing and receiving (and yes, he has 31 rushing yards this season on two carries). Deion Branch's quick re-emergence in New England will also help to draw coverage away from Hernandez, and he could improve on the 66 yards per game he's averaging after five weeks. With his bye out of the way, you can grab Hernandez, drop Clark, and be set at TE for the rest of the season.
Ben Watson, Browns. Even if Colt McCoy could consistently hit wide receivers, he doesn't have many healthy options right now. With McCoy under center for his second career start on Sunday, he should again lean on the veteran Watson, who had his best game of the season in Week 6 when he grabbed six balls for 88 yards and a TD. He's actually been very consistent over the course of the year, posting four consecutive games with at least five receptions (and he recorded four catches in Week 2 as well). He's a great add for this week's game against New Orleans, but you'll have to go back to the well in Week 8 when he has his bye.
Jacob Tamme, Colts. Well, why not? Peyton Manning is the type of quarterback that has made wine out of water on a consistent basis. Guys like Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Brandon Stokley, Marcus Pollard as well as Clark, Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison have had success catching Manning passes. Could Tamme be the next guy to step up and take the fantasy world by storm? He has just six catches in his three-year career (and none in 2010), so he'll experience a bit of trial under fire. If any quarterback can make Tamme a solid fantasy contributor, it's Manning. Deep leaguers may want to jump on him in Week 8 after using a one-week matchup play like Todd Heap, Tony Moeaki or Daniel Graham.
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