Bottom Line

The first half of Allen’s 2022 was wrecked by a hamstring injury. But he was awesome over the second half, ranking third among WRs in PPR points and sixth in non-PPR.

Allen has now finished as a top-13 WR in PPR points per game in six straight seasons. And the 31-year-old has shown no signs of decline.

First-round rookie WR Quentin Johnston adds target competition in 2023. But there’s plenty of volume in the Chargers’ pass-heavy offense to support at least another WR2-level season for Allen.

Circle his name as a likely value in your fantasy drafts.

What We Learned Last Year

• Allen went down with a hamstring injury in the season opener. He missed the next five games, aggravated the injury in Week 7, and then missed another two games.
• Over the final eight games, he totaled:
  • 83 targets
  • 60 catches
  • 675 yards
  • 4 TDs
• Only Justin Jefferson saw more targets than Allen over that span. No WR caught more balls.
• Allen garnered 26.6% of Chargers targets from Week 11 on, the 15th-biggest target share among WRs.
• He ranked third among WRs in PPR points over his final eight games; sixth in non-PPR.
• Allen underachieved in the TD department last year. He scored four times on 66 catches. That 6.1% TD rate is well below the league average of 7.5%, and below Allen’s career average of 6.6%.
• Allen has averaged 6+ catches and 70+ yards per game in six straight seasons.
• His finishes in PPR points per game:
  • 2017 - 4th
  • 2018 - 12th
  • 2019 - 8th
  • 2020 - 6th
  • 2021 - 13th
  • 2022 - 12th
• Allen turned 31 in April but has shown no signs of decline. In fact, he improved his Pro Football Focus receiving grade and yards per route run from 2021 to 2022. Last year’s marks both ranked 12th among 80 WRs with 50+ targets.

What to Expect in 2023

• The Chargers made a change at OC, canning Joe Lombardi and replacing him with Kellen Moore.
• Like Lombardi, Moore is a pass-leaning play caller. Three of his four Cowboys offenses ranked top 10 in both pass attempts and yards. The Chargers should again be near the top of the league in pass attempts this season.
• Allen will face additional target competition with the arrival of first-round WR Quentin Johnston. But the 6’3, 208-pounder figures to spend most of his time outside the numbers, making him a bigger threat to Mike Williams and, especially, Josh Palmer.
• The Chargers ranked top 7 in total WR catches, yards, and PPR points last season, so there’s plenty of production to go around.