Jordan Reed's Fantasy Outlook After Niles Paul's Ankle Injury

Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed was set to back up Niles Paul while he dealt with a hamstring issue.

But during the Redskins' first preseason game Thursday night, Paul went down with injury and was carted off the field. The Redskins' prognosis only confirmed fans' worst fears:

Logan Paulsen, another Redskins tight end hopeful, might need toe surgery, according to 106.7 The Fan's Brian McNally.

Scratch those tight ends off of your respective fantasy team hopefuls. But there could be help on the way in Washington.

Reed has the athleticism and hands to be a big-time target if he stays healthy. Reed has missed 12 games over the past two seasons with concussion, quadriceps and hamstring issues, but in his time on the field he has seen plenty of the ball. 

In 20 career games, Reed has caught 124 passes for 964 yards and could develop into a nice option for Robert Griffin III, who will have wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon garnering plenty of attention. 

Last season, Reed collected 41 fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues. He is a high-risk, high-reward pick that you might want to use as your second tight end and could probably nab between the 10th and 12th rounds. But if he shows that he's healthy and is able to hit the ground running, he could prove to be one of the biggest steals of your draft.

In a full season, you could expect Reed to catch close to 70 passes for around 750 yards with three to five touchdowns, which could put him around 93 points on the season. Not bad for a tight end who was set to spend the season behind Paul.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com