Who Should I Start? Keenan Allen or Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Monday, November 10, 5:51 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen caught two passes for 19 yards on five targets in Sunday's 25-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a quiet night statistically, but a historic one: Allen passed Hall of Famer Antonio Gates to become the Chargers' all-time leader in receptions. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old's route rate continues to decline (around 60%) as younger receivers like rookie Tre' Harris are integrated into the offense. His decrease in volume is typical of aging veterans mid to late in the season. Still, Week 11 offers a bounce-back opportunity against a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars defense that ranks ninth in passing yards allowed and fourth in receiving touchdowns surrendered. If rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden (quad) misses time, Allen could see an uptick in usage. He remains a WR3 with PPR upside, but if he continues to struggle to see volume, he might become more of a fringe WR4 moving forward.

Tuesday, November 4, 11:08 AM

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their practice squad on Tuesday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The 31-year-old held a depth role in San Francisco earlier this season, catching four of his eight targets for 40 yards in five games played. Valdes-Scantling has bounced around, with Pittsburgh marking his fourth team in two seasons. The veteran has been a useful player at nearly every stop of his career and now reunites with his former Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, in Pittsburgh. Valdes-Scantling's most productive season in the NFL came back in 2020 with Rodgers, where he caught a career high six touchdowns and led the league with 20.9 yards per reception.