Keenan Allen Traded To 49ers: Fantasy Football Fallout For Josh Downs & Niners

With Josh Downs requesting a trade, the Indianapolis Colts finally made a move at wide receiver.

Just not the one we were expecting.

The Colts traded veteran wideout Keenan Allen to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. You may not think this is a groundbreaking trade for fantasy football purposes, and you’d be right. But it’s not nothing.

Keenan Allen Fantasy Football Value With Niners

Allen has quietly been a viable FLEX option in PPR formats for much of the season, averaging 7.2 targets and 10.1 PPR PPG. And that was while playing in a below-average Indianapolis offense. Allen’s 28% TPRR and 23% target share both comfortably led Colts wide receivers.

Now he gets a massive environment boost.

We always want pieces of a Kyle Shanahan offense, and given the never-ending injuries to the San Francisco receiver room, Allen is going to play a pivotal role right away. The 49ers sound like they’ll get Deebo Samuel back this week, but the same cannot be said for Mike Evans, who has missed the last two and a half games with Achilles soreness.

Allen and Samuel are going to operate in very similar areas of the field, with the difference being Samuel will line up in the backfield and get occasional carries. But with Evans sidelined, there should be enough for both veteran wideouts to post WR3 production going forward, especially ahead of a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Allen is a priority add in any league he’s been dropped.

Fantasy Football Fallout Of Keenan Allen Trade On Josh Downs 

On the flip side, this move obviously impacts the Colts' offense, too. All along, Downs was the Indianapolis wideout we expected to be dealt, but this move makes that a lot less likely. If Downs stays in Indianapolis, the offensive ecosystem remains poor, but the departure of Allen would give him a boost. Allen has always been someone who earns targets at a fairly high rate, continuing that trend even in his age-34 season. With Allen on the field this season, Downs has been targeted on 19.5% of his routes. Both players have a similar aDOT (8.7 for Allen, 9.4 for Downs), so we should expect a jump in TPRR and target share for Downs.

We’ll see if the Colts move Downs before the deadline. But for now, he sees a small bump as a low-ceiling, but higher-floor, WR3.