He’s caught passes from Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert. And now, as he enters Year 12 in the NFL, wide receiver Keenan Allen has a new task — serving as a key target for the rookie No. 1 overall draft pick.
Following his trade to the Chicago Bears, Allen may be looking to not only keep his status as one of the league’s most productive receivers, but to prove that he can still be a top-flight fantasy performer in his 30s.
But are age and a suddenly loaded Bears offense going to ultimately keep Allen’s numbers down in 2024?
Here’s the fantasy football outlook for Allen entering the 2024 season.
Keenan Allen’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
Allen is arguably coming off the best season of his career at age 31. He had a career-high in both receptions (108) and receiving yards per game (95.6) in 2023, and he did it in just 13 games due to missing the final month of the season with a heel injury.
His five 100-yard receiving games were also his most in a season since 2017 when he had seven such performances. His biggest game came in Week 3 vs. the Minnesota Vikings when he set single-game career highs in targets (20), receptions (18), and receiving yards (215).
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And despite being at a time in his career when most players begin to see their numbers regress, no player in the NFL averaged more targets per game last season than Allen (11.5). He was targeted at least nine times in 12 of his 13 games, and in the lone game in which he didn’t reach that mark — Week 4 vs. the Las Vegas Raiders — Allen still managed a touchdown reception.
His seven touchdown grabs were one off his career high. And, he averaged 30.5 yards after catch per game, per TruMedia, ranking 11th among wide receivers.
Is Allen a Good Fantasy Pick?
Allen checks in as the WR34 in Pro Football Network’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings as of Aug. 16. Among the Bears’ wide receivers, Allen ranks second behind DJ Moore (WR22).
Fantasy managers considering Allen will ultimately point to his age as the reason they cannot bring themselves to pick him before a certain point in drafts. And, given how so many players see their production begin to decline once they pass the age-30 threshold, it’s fair to feel like Allen has been living on borrowed time from a fantasy standpoint.
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The other factor to consider when deciding on Allen is his new team. The Bears made it a point to improve their offense for this season, and drafting former Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams No. 1 overall as their quarterback of the future was a good first step in that direction.
So was the addition of running back D’Andre Swift, who’s coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his career. These two, along with Moore, who enjoyed a career year in his first season with the Bears, could potentially make this team a top-10 offense this season.
The impressive collection of talent could also take some of the attention away from Allen. That could help him put up productive numbers in the long run, but in any case, fantasy managers probably shouldn’t expect 150 targets for the veteran this season, or any the rest of his career.
It’s hard to believe given his production, but a fantasy football draft strategy that involves utilizing even a mid-round pick on Allen may be a gamble. Then again, he’s done nothing but laugh at Father Time over the last few seasons, so why not one more year?