Keenan

Allen

After a somewhat absurd Thanksgiving to Christmas heater, Allen ends the season with back-to-back 25-yard outings. Beset by his now-typical lower-body woes to begin the season, Allen surprisingly didn’t miss a game after returning to the lineup for good in Week 4. Good news as he heads to free agency for the first time, but the soon-to-be 33-year-old has certainly lost a step even as he continues to compile in the short area of the field like few others in the league. Pro Football Focus charted Allen’s yards per route run as cratering from 2.36 in 2023 to a rough 1.36 (approximately). That number, of course, could say as much about the Bears’ abysmal offense as Allen’s age. The Bears will probably explore re-signing Allen after he unsurprisingly became a Caleb Williams security blanket, but he will arguably have more value as a one-year rental for a contending club.

Allen had the most targets of any Chicago receiver, but came nowhere near his 9/141/1 game against the Lions. Tough to come close to that receiving yardage when your team only throws for 122 yards, to be fair. Fantasy managers can at least take a smidgen of solace in five receptions, but obviously this isn’t what anyone had in mind. Allen will finish his first year with the Bears in a meaningless Week 18 contest against the Packers.

Allen has exploded under interim offensive coordinator and eventually interim head coach Thomas Brown. He has five touchdowns over his past five games and has topped 70 yards in all but one of those contests. Week 16 was no different as Caleb Williams targeted him on intermediate and middle-of-the-field looks relentlessly. Playing from behind, game script was also on Allen’s side as Williams attempted 40 passes. Playing his best football as the season nears its merciful end for Bears fans, Allen is rising up the WR2 ranks for his Week 17 matchup with the Seahawks.

Allen did a good job making the best of some of Caleb Williams’ wild pitches, and cashed his score against a zone look on fourth-and-10 with five minutes remaining. It was a nice rebound from last week from a fantasy perspective, and Allen has been over 10 targets or scored in three of his last four games. That should put him on the WR2/WR3 radar against the Lions in Week 16, even with the dreadful current state of this passing game.

Allen was largely out of sight and out of mind in this one, earning just one target, which he failed to catch, in the first half. The Bears’ offense was out of sorts as the 49ers’ pass rush swarmed Williams all day long. Allen is just a WR3/4 against the Vikings in Week 15.

Allen’s ankle seemingly responded positively following his Week 13 sprain. He practiced in full over the last two days after taking the day off on Wednesday. With DJ Moore and D’Andre Swift questionable to play due to quadriceps injuries and Roschon Johnson sidelined by a concussion, Allen could take on a WR1/2-worthy workload this weekend.

Allen progressing from a Wednesday DNP to a Thursday FP is great news. While he may continue receiving treatment on his ankle, he is fully on track to play for Week 14. With DJ Moore currently sidelined by a quad injury, Allen profiles as a high-volume WR2/3.

Allen has dealt with multiple foot and ankle injuries this season, most recently entering Week 12 with an ankle injury. He was not on the Week 13 injury report but did leave mid-game to deal with what appears to be an aggravation. He was able to return but sported a slight limp at times. Fantasy managers should tentatively expect the veteran to suit up in Week 14 though he is clearly managing an injury.

Allen was instrumental in the Bears’ second-half comeback. After being bottled up for much of the first half, Allen broke free in the secondary on several occasions, with his biggest play coming on a 31-yard touchdown to kick off the second half. Allen would put his sharp route running on display down near the goal line when he shook cornerback Amik Robertson to haul in a nine-yard score. Allen left the game briefly with an ankle injury but had it taped up and returned to finish out the day. He was seen limping a few times, but remained on the field to make a handful of key plays late. Assuming he’s good to go in Week 14, he’ll be a fringe WR2/WR3 against the 49ers.

Per usual, Allen dominated the targets for Chicago, vacuuming up shallow looks with ease. Unlikely nearly every other week of the season, Allen did something with his looks. His previous season-high in receiving yardage was a measly 44. He had a two-score game over a month ago but no other touchdowns as a Bear. Allen was used on a mix of screens and deeper targets, giving him both a strong fantasy floor and an intriguing ceiling. Coming off his best game of the year, Allen will remain on the WR2/3 border for his Week 13 matchup with Detroit.