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Is Josh Allen playing this week versus the Panthers, or is Josh Allen still injured? Read the injury fantasy football injury updates for Allen for Week 15.
Josh Allen has been amazing once again this season. Through 14 weeks of the NFL season, he's averaging 24.39 points per game. That's not quite at his 2020 pace of 25.32, but he's right there. So far this season, he is the QB1 and the highest-scoring player in half-PPR scoring. Needless to say, he's been fantastic. Many thought he would regress after his insane 2020 season and that simply has not happened. At least not in the way many expected. Has he been as good as last year? No, but he's pretty darn close.
| Per Game Averages | ||
| Metric | 2020 | 2021 |
| Completion Percentage | 69.2% | 65.8% |
| Yards | 284 | 271 |
| Touchdowns | 2.31 | 2.15 |
| Interceptions | 0.63 | 0.85 |
| TD Rate | 6.5% | 5.7% |
| Interception Rate | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Yard Per Attempt | 7.9 | 7.1 |
| Rushing Yards | 26.3 | 40.8 |
| Rushing Attempts | 6.38 | 6.69 |
| Rushing TD’s | 0.50 | 0.31 |
Out of 13 games this season, Allen has scored 28 or more points six times or 46% of the time – just insane upside. He's been over 36 points on three occasions. Those kinds of performances tend to be week-winning ones. He hasn't been quite as consistent as he was last season, however. Last year, he had one game with under 15 points and this season he's had two already. Both of which were lower than his lowest game from 2020. To be fair, one of those games was the wind-fest contest against the Patriots that limited Mac Jones to just three pass attempts, so he likely deserves a freebie on that one. Regardless, Allen has been an outstanding fantasy asset and one that has most certainly lived up to the price tag. He has more week-winning upside than any other quarterback in the league.
Unfortunately, Allen is now dealing with what is being described as a mild foot sprain. It was originally classified as a minor case of turf toe. The injury occurred in their Week 14 game against the Buccaneers where Allen almost single-handily brought the Bills back to win. He finished that contest with 308 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He was also a force on the ground – racking up 109 rushing yards with another score with his legs en route to a 36.2 point game. But now, fantasy managers are wondering if Allen is going to suit up in Week 15 and if he does play, will he be limited.
Is Josh Allen Playing in Week 15 Against The Panthers?
Even though Josh Allen is dealing with a sprained foot injury, he will be the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 when they take on the Carolina Panthers. Following his presser after the loss to Tampa Bay, fantasy managers saw Allen in a walking boot and likely panicked a bit. At that time, Allen described the injury as "no big deal". And it certainly didn't look like it was as he almost pulled off the comeback in Week 14, all the while racking up 417 of offense with three touchdowns, but actions speak louder than words, so here you go.
Josh Allen Limited Wednesday With Sprained Foot https://t.co/PsYY9NNpLr
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) December 15, 2021
Allen was limited to start the week, an excellent sign indicating the injury is indeed, just a minor one. The Bills' team, much like any NFL team, is going to go as far as their quarterback takes them and Josh Allen is a special, Super Bowl-caliber one. Those are this team's aspirations. Despite all of that, they didn't even bother giving Allen a full-day off. Not even one, which should tell you everything you need to know. Allen is a gamer, he's one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league and there's no question he'll be under center come gametime.
The Bills are currently the 7th-seed in the AFC playoff picture and the last team in. There are three other teams with the same 7–6 record they have, so to say that every game counts from here on out would be a vastly big underestimate. With their whole season on the line these next four weeks, fantasy managers can bet on Allen gutting this out and like we saw last week Sunday, he's going to give it everything he's got.
What Should Fantasy Managers Expect From Josh Allen?
Fantasy managers don't know exactly what the injury is or how bad it is. Is it a foot sprain? Is it turf toe? Here's the thing, it doesn't really matter. It wasn't even worrisome enough for the Bills to give their most valuable player a day off on Wednesday. The league is definitely shifting in terms of practice time and cautiousness with injuries and each team's star players. We see that play out in the preseason and even during the week where players won't practice on Wednesdays at all as part of their maintenance plan. It's smart really, but despite the changing landscape, Josh Allen still practiced on Wednesday.
I'll be expecting a near-100% Josh Allen on Sunday. He didn't appear limited whatsoever by the injury in the fourth quarter of the Tampa game and based on his practice regiment so far, there's no reason to think it will alter how he plays. If there's one area, it could play a factor in is his run game. A quick glance at his per-game averages from 2020 to this season and you'll see he's running more and gaining almost 15 more yards per game on the ground. However, if the Bills were, even at all, concerned about his mobility, he'd have likely received a day or two off, which we know hasn't happened.
Fantasy managers should have absolutely zero questions about locking him into their starting lineup. The upside he brings to the table is unmatched.
Thru 13 games, we've seen Josh Allen finish as THE QB1 on the week FIVE times. For context:
2019 Lamar Jackson: 4x
2018 Patrick Mahomes: 3x
2013 Peyton Manning: 3xWe have four more games to go people.
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) December 13, 2021
How Does Josh Allen's Impact the Bills Offense?
I'm not expecting any real decrease in Allen's ability and because of that, I'm not downgrading any of the Bills' offensive players either. Stefon Diggs should still be treated as a must-start mid-tier WR1. Cole Beasley is a WR4 in half-PPR scoring and a WR3 in full-PPR. Dawson Knox is a must-start tight end. Gabriel Davis is also worthy of starting consideration in a game Emmanuel Sanders is likely to miss. He can be treated as a low-end flex play this week.
The Bills' offensive philosophy is centered around Josh Allen's arm and a minor foot sprain is not going to change that – not with their season on the line. So far this year, they've passed the ball 502 times and ran it 329, a 1.5:1 ratio. The Bills are the No. 2 offense in neutral pass-rate, which illustrates just how much this offense depends on Josh Allen, but not only that – it showcases just how much volume is available for these pass-catchers.
Devin Singletary checks in as the RB35 in half-PPR scoring this season and if Allen's injury does limit his own rushing, Singletary would get a slight boost to a solid RB3 play in Week 15. Singletary has just 16 more rushing yards than Allen does this season, which illustrates just how limited the Bills' running backs have been. Zack Moss, however, has been inactive in three of the last four games with the one exception being the wind-fest game against the Patriots where passing was extremely limited. Matt Breida appears to be more of a change of pace back, but one that doesn't hold much fantasy value, if any. Singletary is the only Bills' running back worthy of any starting consideration moving forward.
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