Dwayne Allen ‘day to day’ with ankle sprain

Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen is "day to day" after he suffered a minor ankle sprain in a Sunday night loss to the New England Patriots, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Allen also told Holder that he's hopeful he can play in Week 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Initial reports made the injury sound more serious. ESPN reported that the tight end left Lucas Oil Stadium in a walking boot after he was carted off the field in the second quarter. Allen finished the night without a reception, while backup tight end Coby Fleener had seven receptions for a career-best 144 receiving yards.

Despite the recent emergence of Fleener as a target for Andrew Luck, Indianapolis is fortunate that Allen could return to the field next week. The Houston Texans are just a game behind the Colts for the top spot AFC South standings, and their rushing attack lost Ahmad Bradshaw later Sunday night to a broken ankle. The team will have to rely on Trent Richardson and Dan Herron to carry the workload, and finding running room without Allen, who is the Colts' top run-blocking tight end, would be a considerably more difficult task.