We spent almost the entire season to this point asking the question of is Keenan Allen playing, and unfortunately, for fantasy football managers, that does not change for Week 7. Now nearly six weeks removed from suffering the injury, should we expect to see Allen on the field this week?
Let’s look at the latest news regarding Allen’s status this week and the fantasy impact and implications if he is either active or not.
Update: Keenan Allen told NFL Network’s Bridget Condon that he will play in Week 7. Allen was not listed among the Chargers inactives.
Is Keenan Allen Playing Today?
As of Sunday morning, we appear to have little clarity on Allen’s status for Week 7. Saturday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that the WR “wants to see how he feels Sunday before making a final decision,” according to a source. Early on Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that Allen would be a game-time decision.
There was some additional information in Schefter’s tweet, which gives an indication of what might happen this week. Schefter added, “But the Chargers know their bye is next week, and resting Allen now would give his hamstring two more weeks to heal and be ready after bye (sic).”
That has been a consideration all week for Allen and the Chargers. Allen himself spoke about being smart on Wednesday, but then head coach Brandon Staley appeared optimistic that Allen would be active this week when he spoke to the media on Friday.
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What are the Fantasy Implications of Allen’s Injury Situation?
This uncertainty makes things really tough for fantasy managers this week. With this game between the Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks being a late afternoon kick-off, it makes for a tricky situation. With no clarity on Allen’s status, fantasy managers may need to make a lineup decision for the 1 p.m. ET games.
If that is the case, then it would be best to play it safe. These little hints we keep getting about Allen not playing until after the bye should certainly not be ignored. Additionally, even if the star WR is active, there is every chance we see his usage be limited so as to avoid overworking him and potentially seeing him suffer a re-injury of the hamstring.
Every fantasy decision is a balance of risk and reward. Well, for leagues shallower than 16 teams, the risk this week far outweighs the potential reward. If Allen is either inactive or limited in his play, fantasy managers could end up paying the price. If you are considering starting Allen, then you need to make sure you have an insurance option on your roster who can be dropped into the lineup if he does end up being inactive later.
MORE: Week 7 Fantasy WR Rankings
Matchup-wise, this is a tough one for the Chargers’ WRs. The Seahawks allow an average of 22.83 points to the position in half-PPR scoring. That is the eighth-lowest number in the league and really limits how many WRs we can expect to have production this week.
The reason that is important is two-fold. If Allen is active, it could limit the output for Mike Williams against a tough matchup. Equally, if Allen is inactive, it limits what we can expect DeAndre Carter to produce if he ends up being the second receiver behind Williams. Josh Palmer had been playing in that role, but he has been ruled out with a concussion.
One name it is worth considering is TE Gerald Everett. While the Seahawks are really tough against WRs, they struggle against the TE position. They have allowed an average of 20.41 fantasy points to the position in half-PPR, which is over 25 percent more than any other team allows to the position. If Allen is out, we could see Everett used extensively this week, especially with Donald Parham already ruled out with a concussion.