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Early in his career, Los Angeles Chargers Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen was labeled "injury-prone" by many fantasy players. He appeared in only nine games combined in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Since then, Allen has missed only two full games due to injury and has been an elite fantasy producer, especially in PPR formats. He did not suit up for any preseason games this year, but we have seen videos of him looking sharp in practice.
Allen is currently being drafted in the middle of the third round, which is certainly a hefty price to pay for a 30-year-old wide receiver with a fair amount of target competition and an injury history. Is Allen currently healthy? Is he worth his average draft position as a top-12 receiver? Let's discuss Allen's outlook for 2022.
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Is Keenan Allen's Health A Concern Heading Into The Season?
The last reported injury suffered by Keenan Allen was ahead of Week 15 of the 2020 season. Fantasy managers that had him on their roster at the time probably still haven't forgiven him for playing in a limited fashion and burning them in the fantasy playoffs.
Take this for what it's worth from the man himself: Keenan Allen just yelled into the camera during pregame "Don't sit me!"
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 18, 2020
He went on to catch just one of his three targets for 17 yards. Since this hamstring injury, however, it's been smooth sailing for Allen. He missed only one game last season and it was due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Allen being held out of the preseason should not be a concern at all as we approach Week 1. He has been a full participant in practices and the Chargers chose to rest most of their key starters for the duration of the preseason, including Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, and Mike Williams. All signs point to a healthy 2022 for Allen, and drafters should have no injury-related hesitations selecting him as a top-12 fantasy wideout.
Where Should I Draft Keenan Allen In 2022 Fantasy Football?
In each of the past five seasons, Keenan Allen has been the WR14 or better and peaked as the WR3 in 2017. He has clearly become the favorite target of budding superstar quarterback Justin Herbert, earning over 140 targets in both 2020 and 2021 with Herbert under center.
Justin Herbert to Keenan Allen, who's guarded by Trevon Diggs.
Touchdown.pic.twitter.com/DA2fRrRKQ5
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 18, 2022
Allen's teammates Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler are both coming off of their most productive seasons and second-year receiver Joshua Palmer is enjoying a tremendous offseason. With so many weapons on the Chargers' offense, Allen may not have access to the league-winning ceiling that other players going in the third round possess. His floor, however, is probably the safest of any receiver outside of the top-five.
Selecting Keenan Allen as a top-12 receiver in the third round is definitely not a mistake. He's as consistent as it gets for fantasy football and will be a focal point on one of the best offenses in the NFL. Being concerned about his target competition and probable lack of top-three upside is fair, but any concerns related to his health are completely invalid at this point.
He should be viewed as a low-end WR1 and drafted with confidence at his current price.
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