Keenan Allen arrested for DWI after first game

Allen suffered a groin injury in practice last week and was unable to play in Week 4 against the Commanders. His early-week return puts him on track to play in Week 5 against the Steelers, but he can likely only be viewed as a touchdown-dependent FLEX at this time.

Allen was limited in practice throughout the week and listed as questionable. Now he’s been ruled out for Week 4 against the Commanders. Josh Downs is locked in as the Colts top wide receiver this week and Tyler Warren should also see a boost in value with Allen sidelined.

This one went under the radar. Allen was limited on Wednesday with a “rest” designation. He remained limited on Thursday, but the Colts tacked a groin injury next to his name while maintaining the “rest” designation and hope for a Week 4 appearance along the way. Allen was downgraded on Friday, unable to practice, and should be considered truly questionable to face the Commanders this week. Were he to sit, No. 1 wide receiver Josh Downs would get a helpful target share boost.

His touchdown was the kind of touchdown Allen has been making for years, creating just enough space in front of a zone linebacker in the red zone for the catch-and-run score. Nine targets will play in a Shane Steichen offense, even if we don’t think there’s a lot left in the Allen reserve tanks at this stage of his career. Allen is on the FLEX radar against the Commanders in Week 4.

The most notable aspect to come from Allen’s modest performance was the fact that he really didn’t see an increase in emphasis in the offense following the departure of Alec Pierce at the end of the first quarter. Pierce’s initial X-rays came back negative on the same heel he had surgery on this offseason, but will get further testing Monday to diagnose the severity of the injury. Either way, Allen can safely be returned to the waiver wire in most fantasy formats.

This stems from Allen’s pair of misdemeanor charges related to a drunk driving arrest that occurred in August. A three-game suspension is the minimum allowed for a DUI or similar arrest under the current collective bargaining agreement. As Schefter notes, the league can make the suspension longer, and Allen’s blood-alcohol content was three times the legal limit. The NFL will wait for the legal process to play out before stepping in with a suspension of its own. That could take several months depending on how things unfold in court.

Allen was arrested for DWI in late August and could face a suspension from the NFL. When that suspension could come down is anyone’s guess. For now Allen will continue playing significant snaps for the Colts. In Week 1 against the Ravens, Allen caught all six of his targets for 32 yards while running a route on 73 percent of the team’s drop backs.

Allen did all of his damage in the short area of the field, as the veteran receiver never totaled more than nine yards on any of his six catches. Allen averaged fewer than four air yards per target on the day. It’s far too early to say Allen can be dropped from fantasy rosters, even if this was just a PPR scam, but there’s no need to jam him into your lineups in Week 2 against the Chiefs.

In other words, there will be no in-house punishment for Allen being arrested for DWI and DWI endangering a person on Sunday morning. It’s a hard-to-augur game, as we are not entirely sure if the Ravens defense is going to take a turn for the better and if Daniel Jones is NFL-healthy rather than training-camp-healthy, but Allen should have enough of a role to land in the WR4 ranks at the very least.

Per Maske, the NFL’s substances of abuse policy outlines a three-game suspension for a “first offense of a violation of the law involving alcohol,” which would encompass the two DWI charges levied against Allen early Sunday morning. There is no telling when a potential suspension would be on the table for the veteran receiver, leaving fantasy managers in the dark as they contemplate additional variance associated with his profile. The additional details surrounding Allen’s specific arrest could lessen league discipline as well considering he was parked illegally and not in the act of driving, but the law is clear in that any person sitting in a vehicle with keys is considered with intent to operate while intoxicated. More to come as the most recent saga plays out.