Alright, let’s get into what went down with Keenan Allen around Week 17. I was keeping a close eye on things, like I usually do, especially with fantasy playoffs on the line for some folks, or just wanting to see the Chargers finish strong.
Leading up to that week, it was all noise about his heel. Remember that? It felt like Groundhog Day with the injury reports.
My Tracking Process
So, here’s what I did, basically my routine when a key guy is iffy:
- Monday/Tuesday: Started digging around. Checking the first news blurbs after the previous game. Mostly just ‘we’ll see how the week goes’ kind of stuff. Not much help.
- Wednesday/Thursday: This is when I really paid attention. Practice reports are key. Did he practice? Even limited? I remember seeing he wasn’t practicing early in the week. That’s never a good sign, especially late in the season. You start getting that bad feeling.
- Friday: The final injury report day. This is usually the decider. I was refreshing feeds, looking for that official status. When he was listed as doubtful, or maybe it was straight-up ‘out’ by then, can’t recall the exact tag but it was clear he wasn’t trending well. It pretty much confirmed my fears.
Making the Call
Look, Keenan’s a stud. Usually automatic start when healthy. But you can’t mess around with injuries in Week 17. The Chargers were also pretty much out of the playoff picture, if I remember right? So, risking him didn’t make much sense for them either.
For my own tracking, and yeah, maybe a fantasy league or two I keep tabs on, I had to just assume he wouldn’t play. It’s tough benching a guy like Allen, feels wrong, but sitting around hoping for a miracle on Sunday morning? That’s how you lose.
The Outcome
Sure enough, game day rolled around, and Keenan Allen was inactive. He didn’t suit up. It was the right call for him, probably, gotta preserve your body. But man, it left a hole. You just miss seeing him out there making those catches look easy.
So, the whole process was basically: Watch the news -> Check practice status -> See he’s not practicing -> Make the tough decision based on the signs -> He ultimately sits out.
It wasn’t rocket science, just paying attention to the signs during the week. It’s what you gotta do. Week 17 was just another reminder that availability is sometimes the best ability, especially late in the year.
