We are now entering the ninth week of the 2022 NFL season, and daily practice reports are becoming longer and longer as injury updates pour in. We last saw Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen in Week 7, where Allen played sparingly before the team had its Week 8 bye.
What is the latest on Allen’s status, and should fantasy football managers expect him back after he had a week off to rest his hamstring?
Keenan Allen Injury Update
After seeing consecutive seasons shortened by serious injuries early in his career, Allen has been remarkably healthy for the better part of the past five seasons. Unfortunately, that came to end in Week 1, as he strained his hamstring and missed the next five weeks.
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Allen has now missed more games in 2022 than he missed from 2017 to 2021 combined.
The Chargers had been exceedingly careful with the 30-year-old Allen’s hamstring. Yet, they activated him at clearly less than 100% the week before their bye. It was a curious decision and one they seemed to regret, as they pulled Allen mid-game after he played just 23 snaps.
The Chargers held a couple of practices earlier in the week, but their first official practice came on Wednesday. Allen did not participate. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper reported that head coach Brandon Staley said the injury has not “responded the way that [they’d] hoped.”
It was an interesting quote, given that Allen was able to take the field in Week 1 and just had a full week to rest it.
According to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, “Keenan Allen says his hamstring got worse during the bye week when training.” That is not what the Chargers or fantasy managers want to hear. Thiry added, “[Allen] says next time he goes in a game it won’t be on a snap count, that it will be all or nothing, with his hamstring absolutely ready to go. He said he felt great going into Week 7, but not 100%.”
Will Keenan Allen Play This Sunday?
It feels like both the team and Allen grew frustrated that his hamstring wasn’t recovering quickly enough and just tried to force it two weeks ago. The Chargers wanting to make sure it’s 100% before he returns to action makes all the sense in the world. Unfortunately, it means fantasy managers may be without Allen for multiple weeks going forward.
It doesn’t take much to read the tea leaves here. Allen is almost certainly not going to play this week. The fact that his hamstring regressed over the bye week indicates a setback.
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By the time you’re reading this, it may be too late to pick up Josh Palmer or DeAndre Carter. Nevertheless, if either is out there, grab them. They will operate as Justin Herbert’s top two receivers on Sunday. Michael Bandy should be the WR3, pushing Carter into the slot in 11-personnel.
The Chargers have a fantastic matchup against the Falcons’ league-worst pass defense this Sunday. Atlanta allows the most fantasy points to wide receivers, and both Palmer and Carter are worthwhile WR3s this week.