Schefter: Keenan Allen faces three-game suspension

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.

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.

The Colts released a statement noting that they were aware of the charges and are in the information gathering process. Allen was arrested in downtown Indianapolis after the Colts’ final preseason game around 1AM ET. More updates to come, we’re sure, but obviously this is not a great look for Allen.

The new was first reported by NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. With the Colts in need of a starting caliber receiver given Alec Pierce’s slow recovery from offseason ankle surgery, Allen was an obvious fit. He was the best wide receiver still available and with the news that the Saints lost Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) for roughly two months dropping earlier Monday evening, the Colts finally pulled the trigger on a one-year deal for the 34-year-old veteran. While Allen instantly becomes a fantasy-relevant player again, his fit in the offense is interesting. Even in his prime, Allen was never a field-stretching deep threat like Pierce, the receiver he’s replacing. That means he’ll be fighting for the same underneath targets that will also go to Tyler Warren and Josh Downs. There will be plenty of targets to go around for all three to pay off their draft cost in PPR formats, but the overall efficiency of the offense could suffer without a legitimate deep threat.

It looks like Ladd McConkey could avoid the late-summer Keenan Allen rug pull. It’s good news for McConkey as new Chargers OC Mike McDaniel plans to get the wideout more short-area looks in 2026 — targets Allen might have soaked up if he had returned to LA. As recently as late May, Chargers GM Joe Hortiz said he had not “closed the door” on bringing Allen back for the 2026 season. McConkey, who by many measures was unlucky in 2025, has WR1 upside in McDaniel’s offense.

Allen has played with Colts head coach Shane Steichen when Steichen was calling plays with the Chargers, so the pairing makes some sense there. Boyd seems to believe that Alec Pierce’s ankle-related absence may make the Colts try a play for a veteran wideout. It would be a weird fit between Allen and Josh Downs to have the offense revolve around two slot-majority wideouts if Pierce weren’t ready for the start of the regular season.