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Fantasy Football Week 13 Start or Sit: Keenan Allen

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By @GregSulik

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Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Keenan Allen has been one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy football this season, failing to live up to the promise of his impressive rookie campaign. Allen leads the San Diego Chargers in targets by a wide margin, but it hasn’t translated into production. Allen leads the team with 61 receptions for 641 yards, but he has just two touchdowns and two 100 yard games.

The biggest issue for Allen is his lack of big plays, as he is only averaging 10.5 yards per catch after averaging north of 14 yards per reception last year. That point is highlighted even more harshly when you realize Allen only has two receptions over 20 yards the entire season.

However, Allen is coming off his best game of the season, with 6 receptions for 104 yards and a score in last week’s win. Many frustrated owners had Allen on the bench for that game, but with the crucial final week of the regular season in most fantasy leagues happening now, the question of whether or not to start Allen arises again.

The Chargers are on the road against the Baltimore Ravens this week, who rank 29th in the NFL in pass yards allowed per game. This is a game that is vital for playoff positioning, so you would expect both teams’ best players to rise to the occasion, Allen included. This a promising matchup for Allen, who could be a big boost to fantasy teams in the playoff if he lives up to his talent.

The Ravens’ pass defense has been great for fantasy owners all year, as they’ve given up big games to the likes of A.J. Green, Antonio Brown (twice), T.Y. Hilton, Mike Evans, Roddy White, Marques Colston, Kelvin Benjamin and Mohamed Sanu. As you can see from that list, there isn’t one particular type of receiver the Ravens struggle with, they just struggle with all good receivers. Allen has the talent to cause problems for the Baltimore secondary, and with the volume of targets he gets he is a high upside player this week.

It is understandable that many Allen owners don’t trust him (I get it, I’m one of them), but he’s worth taking a gamble on this week. Unless you have an incredible group of receivers, it’s not likely that you have a better upside play than Allen on your bench. This a good matchup and he’s coming off a game in which in he finally lived up to his abilities. Look for the Chargers to keep getting him the ball, and look for Allen to have a solid game that helps your fantasy team in this very important Week 13.

Final Verdict: Start

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