Worth selling puts to enter positions?

Is it worth selling OTM puts to enter positions since the money is tied up til exp? Or should I just buy the shares outright and not worry about the potential for price to fall in the near term? For context I want to purchase 2200 shares of HTGC at 12.50 but the premium for contracts is pretty dismal, and I wonder if I'd make more just collecting dividends and selling calls over the same period