Fantasy Football: Start or Sit Keenan Allen in Week Eleven?

Please allow me to speak for all Keenan Allen fantasy football owners this year. Keenan, buddy, let’s rap. What is it buddy, do you not like Los Angeles? You haven’t been able to put together a halfway decent game in forever. We really need you, friend. It’s become rough running you out there every week. There are plenty of reasons why you should be doing well, but you aren’t. I know you get the Bills this weekend. Are you going to come through this weekend, for me? For us? For those that believe in you?

Alright, enough with that plea. Keenan Allen has had an extremely strange season, by Keenan Allen standards. First, he hasn’t missed a single game this year after playing just nine games in 2015 and 2016 combined. Second, he’s gotten an absolute boatload of targets this season, averaging just a hair under nine targets a game. He’s hauled in a career-low 55% of these passes (more than 8% lower than his previous low). Still, his yards per game (66.2) is just 3.5 yards per game lower than his breakout 2013 rookie campaign: the only year he’s stayed healthy enough to amass 1,000 yards.

The thing that makes him extremely disappointing this year is touchdowns, or rather, the lack thereof. Keenan Allen kicked off 2017 with a bang, catching a touchdown week one. Since then, you, me, your grandma, the kindly old man cross the street and Keenan Allen all have the same number of touchdowns.

This isn’t a great week for Allen to go touchdown hunting, unfortunately. The Chargers play a Buffalo Bills team that got obliterated on the ground last week by the New Orleans Saints, after getting obliterated on the ground the week before against the New York Jets. Only four wide receivers have scored touchdowns against the Bills this season, and only two have over 100 yards against the Bills. Things are looking even worse for Allen this weekend, as the Jets and Saints put together a blueprint to beat the Bills: run the dang football. This means fewer opportunities for Allen, and that means a lower likelihood he will produce.

Keenan Allen has had decent yardage this season, getting about 66 yards per game. However, the Chargers haven’t been able to get him the football in the end zone to facilitate scoring. This weekend he gets a Bills team that gives up the ninth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this year. This isn’t the weekend to get cute and force Allen into your lineup. If you can get him onto your bench, you should do so.