Keenan Allen Traded to Chicago Bears: Fantasy Football Impact & Takeaways (2024)

The Chicago Bears keep adding weapons, while the Los Angeles Chargers keep shedding salary. According to multiple reports, the Chargers are trading WR Keenan Allen to the Bears in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

Let’s examine the immediate implications and fantasy impact of Allen being traded to the Bears.

Chargers Trade Keenan Allen to Bears

Keenan Allen will walk into the Windy City to compete with D.J. Moore for the team lead in targets this season. Moore was a volume hog last year without anyone but Cole Kmet to challenge him for targets weekly. He’s sure to see his volume numbers drop some from last year when he was 12th in target share (25.9%) and fifth in air-yard share (42.2%), especially since Allen didn’t show any signs of slowing down last year.

Allen was the WR3 in fantasy, ranking fifth in receptions, 11th in receiving yards, and 14th in yards after the catch. Allen was also 11th in yards per route run and second in first-read target share (per Fantasy Points Data). While Chicago’s quarterback situation remains uncertain, Allen should at least be viewed as a volume-based WR2 in 2024.

Josh Palmer last season in the 7 games without Big Mike

18.9% target share
31.4% air-yard share
2.19 YPRR
23.3% first-read share
71.1 receiving yards per game

(per @FantasyPtsData)

An easy buy in all formats. pic.twitter.com/dEUJSNt4Mz

— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) March 15, 2024

The Chargers entered free agency wildly over the NFL salary cap and have been making moves throughout the week to clear space. WR Mike Williams was released, edge rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa agreed to restructured contracts, and now Allen has been traded. For the Chargers, their WR room is suddenly without its top two pass catchers, and new HC Jim Harbaugh will certainly want to bring in some competition for WRs Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston despite Palmer looking good with an expanded role last year.

In the seven games he played after Mike Williams went down, Palmer commanded an 18.9% target share, a 31.4% air-yard share and produced 2.19 yards per route run. He averaged 71.1 receiving yards with a 23.3% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). Palmer could easily walk into Week 1 as the Bolts’ WR1. If that happens, even in a run-centric offense, Palmer should return WR3 value.