ESPN explains why Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox is a player to watch
With the Indianapolis Colts playing their first regular season game Sunday, ESPN believes Mo Alie-Cox is a name fans should watch.
The Indianapolis Colts are entering the 2022 season with a lot of star power and high expectations. From All-Pro players on offense like Jonathan Taylor and Quenton Nelson to the defensive stars like Shaquille Leonard and company, Indy has its fair share of talented stars that are respected league-wide.
One guy still working to earn that respect is tight end Mo Alie-Cox. After joining the Colts following a collegiate basketball career, Alie-Cox has been consistently developing as an NFL tight end. This offseason marked a big step in Mo’s development. Alie-Cox signed a contract to return to the Colts for three more years and he was elevated to TE1 since Jack Doyle retired.
Some wonder if Alie-Cox is ready for that and if he can hold off Indy’s promising young tight ends. However, some believe this is the platform Alie-Cox needs so that he can emerge as a breakout player this year. That’s an argument that Liz Loza of ESPN made in a recent article.
Previewing all 32 teams, several ESPN reporters and analysts came together to detail each franchise’s upcoming season. For the Colts, Loza named Alie-Cox as a fantasy breakout candidate because he’s now Indy’s top tight end and because he’s also playing with a “tight end-friendly” Matt Ryan.
Mo Alie-Cox was named a fantasy breakout candidate
It’s hard not to agree with this argument from Loza. Frank Reich has already talked about his desire to have a tight end-centric offense and while the Colts are deep at the position, Mo is the top guy. That means he will likely see the most targets. Additionally, this is a run-first offense, and the threat of Jonathan Taylor should help open up a lot of things for Alie-Cox.
The Colts will likely use a lot of play-action and RPOs in their offense this year and defenses will have to respect the run or they’re at risk of Taylor having a field day. As defenders anticipate the run, they’ll squeeze towards the line of scrimmage and that’ll give the 6-foot-6 Alie-Cox plenty of room to make plays in the middle of the field.
With the NFL season kicking off on Thursday, most fantasy rosters are already selected and Alie-Cox probably isn’t on many. However, he’s definitely a name for fans to watch in the first few weeks because he could become a huge steal on waivers.
