Keenan Allen or Rashee Rice: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 4 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Start Rice — Allen is ruled out.

Keenan Allen is ruled out, which settles it: Rashee Rice is the only startable side of this call. Rice projects 14.9 PPR points.

Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen

WR59INDvs WSH

Projected Points

OUT — verdict voidSit· high
Rashee Rice

Rashee Rice

WR11KCvs LV

Projected Points

Start

Rashee Rice’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
-143 / +112
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 55.5
-113 / -113
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+140
Anytime Touchdown Props →
IND@
WSHSun, Oct 4, 9:30 AM ETView the game →
KC@
LVSun, Oct 4, 4:25 PM ETView the game →

Why Keenan Allen

Sit· high

Veteran possession WR in a crowded receiver room. Elite route craft and reliable hands on third downs.

Ruled out this week: Keenan Allen's 'out' status means zero points, overriding a soft WSH matchup (30 of 32) and a 21% target share.

  • Currently ruled out — not a viable start until his status changes.
  • WSH ranks 30 of 32 against WRs (one of the softer matchups, 3-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 24.5 team points as 1.5-point underdogs.
  • Listed WR-2 on the latest depth chart with a 64% snap share.

The call

  • Availability is the whole story: he is listed out, so he cannot score and has to come out of any lineup.
  • The matchup would have helped. WSH ranks 30 of 32 against WRs, though that comes from a 3-game sample with 0.25 confidence, and his team's implied total is a healthy 24.5.
  • When active, his role was usable but not elite: WR-2 with a 64% snap share and a 21% target share, which lines up with a WR59 consensus rank and an 11.3-point projection.
  • Plug in any active replacement-level receiver. A zero from an inactive player is the worst outcome in a lineup slot.

Latest on Allen

Status

Keenan Allen has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders with a groin injury.

Colts WR Keenan Allen (groin) out vs. Commanders in LondonESPN · Oct 3, 2026
StatusPreviously

Added to Week 4 injury report Thursday limited with groin injury after resting Wednesday.

Colts Wire · Oct 1, 2026
Fantasy football last-minute pickups for Week 4: Raymond, Allen, Waller among top options

If injuries or tough matchups have you seeking help, Matt Bowen provides options at each key position.

ESPN · Oct 2, 2026
Sources: Colts' Keenan Allen faces minimum 3-game suspension

Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen, who was formally charged last week with two misdemeanor offenses stemming from his drunken driving arrest in downtown Indianapolis last month, is facing a minimum three-game suspension, sources told ESPN.

ESPN · Sep 20, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Rashee Rice

Start

WR1 and primary target. Physical yards-after-catch separator with heavy in-breaking route usage.

Start — every-week WR start at consensus WR11: 24.5 implied team total, 19% target share.

  • LV ranks 7 of 32 against WRs (one of the tougher matchups, 3-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 24.5 team points as 5.5-point favorites.
  • Listed WR on the latest depth chart with a 80% snap share.

Latest on Rice

Role

Rice had seven receptions on nine targets for 88 receiving yards against the Dolphins last week.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs have rediscovered the deep passESPN · Oct 2, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricKeenan AllenRashee Rice
Projected points
Consensus rankWR59WR11
Opponent vs positionWSH · 30 of 323-game sampleLV · 7 of 323-game sample
Receptions32 of 321 of 32
Receiving Yards30 of 3214 of 32
Receiving TDs31 of 321 of 32
Targets28 of 3219 of 32
Anytime TD31 of 321 of 32
Target share21%19%
Reception share20%19%
Implied total · spread24.5+1.524.5-5.5
Depth chartWR2WR1
Snap share64%80%
Injury designationout—

Recent form

Keenan Allen — last 3 weeks

Week 3vs HOU
Week 2vs KC
Week 1vs BAL

Rashee Rice — last 3 weeks

Week 3vs MIA
Week 2vs IND
Week 1vs DEN

Signal breakdown

  • 11.3 vs 14.9 projected PPR pointsRashee Rice +
  • Rank 59 vs 11Rashee Rice +
  • Opponent DvP rank 30 vs 7 (32 = softest)Keenan Allen +
  • Implied 24.5 vs 24.5 team pointseven
  • A ruled-out player cannot be a startRashee Rice +
  • 64% vs 80% snap shareRashee Rice +

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