Tag: Keenan Allen Fantasy

Chargers WR Keenan Allen dealing with AC joint sprain, still expected to play vs. Packers

The veteran wideout is expected to play this Sunday.

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, but he is still expected to play this weekend against the Packers.

Allen missed Wednesday’s practice but was a limited participant on Thursday.

Allen sustained the injury in the second half of the loss to the Lions. He left for the locker room to be evaluated but returned and logged his second touchdown of the game.

Allen finished the game with 11 catches for 175 yards and two scores.

Allen has the same injury on his right shoulder that occurred back in his rookie that he never got surgery on.

Allen has been nothing short of outstanding in his 11th season, as he is up to 73 catches, 895 yards and six touchdowns and his 10,000 career receiving yards under his belt.

Highlight: Chargers’ trickery pays off for touchdown vs. Vikings

Kellen Moore is in his bag.

Kellen Moore is in his bag.

Keenan Allen already had 14 targets midway through the third quarter. So when Justin Herbert found him again on a swing pass, it was only natural that the Vikings defense collapsed to try to tackle him before he added to his 135 receiving yards on the day.

That left Mike Williams and Josh Palmer wide open down the field with the option to throw the ball still available to Allen. The veteran loaded it up and found Williams streaking down the sideline with nobody anywhere near him. Williams walked it the rest of the way into the end zone to extend the Chargers lead.

Chargers’ Keenan Allen unlikely to play vs. Chiefs, Brandon Staley confident in wide receiver room

The Chargers are planning to play without WR Keenan Allen on Thursday night.

The Chargers are expected to be without their top wide receiver when they take on the Chiefs on Thursday.

Keenan Allen suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the season opener against the Raiders and did not return.

On Tuesday, ahead of the matchup with Kansas City, head coach Brandon Staley gave an update and said that “it’s not looking great” for Allen regarding his status.

Before exiting the game, Allen posted four catches for 66 yards.

After Allen left, Los Angeles’ passing offense still managed to be productive – quarterback Justin Herbert finished the game 26-of-34 passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns.

Herbert spread the wealth, connecting with nine different targets. But the pass-catcher who had the most significant impact was DeAndre Carter, who caught three passes for 64 yards and one touchdown.

As it stands, the Chargers have four healthy wide receivers on the roster. Whether or not they will promote one from the practice squad remains to be seen. If they chose to do so, they have three options: Michael Bandy, Jason Moore Jr., and Joe Reed.

“We’re still working through that for the next couple of days. We can decide to go with four wideouts, bring somebody else up in another position, or we could flex a receiver,” Staley said. “We’re still working through the initial stages of the plan, but I do think that we have receivers who are capable of being elevated and performing well for us.”

If Allen is sidelined, Mike Williams and Josh Palmer are expected to step up in place of him. Williams saw just three targets, finishing with two catches for 10 yards, while Palmer posted three catches for five yards on four targets last Sunday.

The Chiefs defense held Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to just 179 passing yards in Week 1.

1 bold prediction for every Chargers positional unit: Offense

Making predictions for the Los Angeles Chargers’ high-octane offense.

The Chargers are just days away from kicking off the 2022 regular season. After some roster reconstruction, the team is equipped with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.

How will the positional groups shape up? Let’s take a crack at making a bold prediction for each one, starting with the quarterback room.

Quarterback

Justin Herbert leads the NFL in passing yards

Last season, Herbert finished second in passing yards behind Tom Brady with 5,014. Herbert enters his third season, having plenty of chemistry with wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Josh Palmer. In addition, he will have one of the best receiving running backs in Austin Ekeler and a yards-after-the-catch weapon in Gerald Everett at his disposal. As a result, the Chargers will continue to put the ball in the hands of Herbert, giving him plenty of opportunities to load up this stat.

Running back

Austin Ekeler leads the NFL in touchdowns

Ekeler was a key piece of Joe Lombardi’s offense in 2021, contributing heavily as both a ball carrier and pass catcher. He set career-highs in rushing yards (911), all-purpose yards (1,558), rushing touchdowns (12) and tied a career-high in receiving touchdowns (eight). Ekeler tied Colts RB Jonathan Taylor for the most touchdowns scored (20) overall last season. Even with the arrival of Sony Michel, it shouldn’t take away from Ekeler’s red zone opportunities that much. In 2021, Ekeler scored 12 times on his 46 red zone attempts.

Wide receiver

Mike Williams leads wideouts in receiving yards and touchdowns

Williams is coming off his most productive season to date, as he set career highs with 76 receptions and 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches (both team-highs among receivers) in 2021. A large part of his breakout year was his new role under Lombardi. Not only was he a deep-field 50-50-ball threat, like how he was strictly used early in his career, but as the ‘X’ receiver, Williams attacked in the short and intermediate areas of the field and ran various routes. With Allen, Palmer and Everett to be accounted for, Williams should not draw blanketed coverage. Ultimately, I expect Williams to push his overall stats higher in 2022. 80 catches for over 1,200 yards with double-digit scores.

Tight end

Donald Parham outproduces Gerald Everett

Parham made strides in his second season with the Chargers. He finished with 20 receptions on 27 targets for 190 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games before his year ended when he suffered a devastating concussion in Week 15 against the Chiefs. In training camp, he looked like one of the best pass-catchers before hurting his hamstring. Even though Everett is the top tight end, I expect the offense to utilize Parham’s elite physical traits and movement skills often, whether up the seams or in the red zone.

Offensive line

Rashawn Slater allows no more than two sacks

Making the smooth transition from college to the pro level at the tackle position in Year 1 is not an easy task by any means. Very few can maintain the high level of play against NFL pass rushers right out the gate, but Slater defied the odds in his rookie season, garnering second-team All-Pro. Slater’s light feet, balance and technically refined and heavy hands showed to be elite enough to slow the cream of the crop of edge defenders, and I expect that to be no different in his sophomore season.

Chargers WR Keenan Allen placed on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Chargers could potentially be without their star wide receiver against the Giants.

The Chargers announced Monday that wide receiver Keenan Allen has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive.

It remains to be seen if Allen is vaccinated or not.

If he is vaccinated, Allen will need to be asymptomatic, and he can return once he gets two negative tests 24 hours apart.

If he is unvaccinated, Allen will be forced to stay away from the team for a minimum of 10 days, which would include this weekend’s game against the Giants.

This season, Allen has 86 receptions for 929 yards and four touchdowns.

Chargers WR Keenan Allen added to injury report, questionable vs. Raiders

The Los Angeles Chargers could be without their top skill player against the Las Vegas Raiders.

There’s a possibility that the Chargers could be without their top skill player against the Raiders on Sunday.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen was added to the injury report due to an illness and listed him as questionable on Saturday.

Allen has grown to be quarterback Justin Herbert’s favorite target, as he’s being targeted at least 10 times in all but one contest.

In seven games, Allen has 53 catches for 548 yards and three touchdowns.

If Allen isn’t able to go or if he’s held to limited snaps, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Joe Reed and K.J. Hill will be forced to step up. Luckily, Los Angeles will be facing a pass defense that ranks near the bottom in the NFL.

Along with Allen being added to the injury report, the team also placed cornerback Brandon Facyson on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Facyson missed Friday’s practice with what was considered an “illness.”

The Chargers will also likely be without their top defensive player, Joey Bosa, who is doubtful with a concussion.