The situation with Josh Allen’s injury has grabbed the fantasy football headlines over the past two weeks. However, with Allen still largely producing for fantasy managers, should there be any concern heading into Week 11 and the Buffalo Bills‘ matchup with the Cleveland Browns? Let’s examine the latest update on the injury and whether there are any implications for fantasy managers to consider.
Josh Allen’s Elbow Injury Appears on Track
When it comes to Allen’s elbow injury, things seem to be progressing as hoped. After playing in Week 10, Allen began Week 11 as a limited participant. That should suggest there is no concern that Allen will miss the game this week against the Browns.
Equally, there should be little concern over what Allen potentially being limited in practice should mean for fantasy managers. Despite concerns over what we might see, Allen threw for 330 yards and a touchdown in Week 10, adding 84 rushing yards on six rushing attempts.
We did see more of Devin Singletary around the goal line, as he scored two touchdowns. That might have been by design in order to avoid having Allen carry the ball in the most heavily crowded part of the field and where he could be hit from a number of angles.
When QBs carry the ball in the open field, they generally have more control over how much they are hit than around the goal line. If Allen is again limited around the goal line in Week 11, it will cap his ceiling somewhat.
The other slight concern for fantasy managers has been Allen’s decision-making. In the past three weeks, he has had six interceptions and now leads the league on the season with 10. Those negative plays are somewhat more of a concern than the injury right now, which really tells you where we are in terms of the injury situation.
Fantasy Value of Allen, Stefon Diggs, Devin Singletary, Gabe Davis, and More This Week
There was some concern coming into the week that Sunday’s game may be heavily impacted by snow. However, the weather forecast for Sunday has cleared, suggesting the majority of the snow will be gone by the time the game begins. Of course, we need to continue to monitor that, as forecasts can change frequently and quickly.
Therefore, the biggest concern on Sunday could be the wind, which has a chance to be around 20 mph, with gusts even higher. That could have a huge impact on the passing game for both teams and lead to them leaning more on the run game. If that is the case, it will be intriguing to see how much the Bills utilize Allen in the run game, especially when going against stacked boxes.
The weather situation could have a huge impact on the Bills’ fantasy options. In a game last year against New England, the wind was a huge factor. Allen went 15 of 30 for 145 passing yards with a single touchdown. He added 39 yards on the ground.
In that game, no receiver had more than four receptions of 51 yards. The best fantasy output among that group was Gabe Davis, with 10 points in half-PPR, thanks to a touchdown. No other receiver ended up with more than 7.1 fantasy points (Stefon Diggs).
MORE: Week 11 QB Fantasy Football Rankings
With high winds a possibility, it should lower the ceiling expectations for Diggs, Davis, Dawson Knox, etc. In the run game, however, it should benefit Singletary.
In last year’s game against the Patriots — who had a solid run defense — Singletary, Zack Moss, and Matt Breida split 19 rushing attempts. However, this week they face the Browns, whose defense has been vulnerable to running backs in terms of fantasy points this season.
The 26.49 average fantasy points allowed to RBs in half-PPR scoring is the third-highest of the season so far. They allowed 39.1 fantasy points to the Dolphins’ RBs last week, the third time they’ve allowed over 30 fantasy points to the position this year.
While Allen’s injury may be the primary concern for fantasy managers in terms of the situation in Buffalo, it’s actually the weather we really need to watch. If the game is not moved, then that wind could very well be a major obstacle to production in the passing game. We may have to wait as late as Sunday morning to determine whether the likes of Davis and Knox can be options to trust this week.
