Rolling with the Rookie: CJ Allen, LB, Colts

With OTAs now underway, the start of the season is just around the corner. With that, there will be a ton of training camp battles to be played out. It’s time to examine which IDP rookies could make an immediate impact and which teams are going to jump-start the clock and roll with rookies. One team that is starting that rookie clock early is the Indianapolis Colts, with linebacker CJ Allen.

Rewind to the Past

The Indianapolis Colts drafted CJ Allen in the 2nd round with the 53rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft. In his three years with the Georgia Bulldogs, Allen played in 41 games, making 30 starts, with totals of 205 tackles, 117 solo stops, 13½ TFLs, 4½ sacks, one interception, 12 PBUs, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He ranked in the Top 10 of the SEC in solo tackles the last two years with Georgia. Allen would also rank 5th in total tackles (88), while being named an All-American last season for the Bulldogs.

Forward to the Future

The future for Allen and the Colts starts now and not later. With Zaire Franklin now playing for the Green Bay Packers and not a lot of depth on the roster, there was a huge void to fill at the middle linebacker spot. The Colts are going to throw Allen into the deep end, so he’ll have to quickly learn the ways of being an NFL linebacker. The Colts' most experienced linebacker is Akeem Davis-Gather, who plays the weakside position, and after that, the options are limited. Indianapolis has a solid group of defensive linemen who will funnel a lot of plays towards the linebackers, so Allen will get plenty of opportunities to make plays. The biggest question will be: Does he get the green dot, and how does he handle that responsibility? He should be able to handle that and lead the Colts defense.

Fantasy Breakdown

What does this mean for us who play in the IDP world? As a starter, Allen’s value instantly takes a bump up as he will be playing for a defense that has routinely produced very good fantasy linebackers. As the main starter at linebacker, with no real competition to challenge him, I expect that Allen will be prepped and ready to receive the full workload this season. With that workload will come a ton of opportunities for him to make plays for a team that needs a playmaker at the second level. For fantasy managers, that is music to the ears. I see Allen as an LB3 option in fantasy this year, with an even brighter future ahead. He’s currently being drafted at an average of 16.8 in rookie drafts, which is an early 2nd round, so plan accordingly when preparing for your drafts. Allen is a solid redraft option this year and is definitely worth targeting in dynasty.

All stats provided by Pro Football Reference

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy