Davis Allen

In one season, Allen matched his entire two-year target total — and tripled his TD output.

After two years of near-invisibility (24 combined targets across 14 games in 2023–24), Allen received 33 targets in 2025 alone — 37% more than his entire prior career in a single season. Yards jumped from 134 combined to 208, and TDs went from 1 total to 3 in one year.

Why it matters. A TE2 whose annual target load more than doubles in Year 3 signals a genuine role expansion, not just injury fill-in duty — McVay found a consistent red-zone usage slot for Allen.

5 TDs in 29 games — and every single one came in the red zone.

Allen's TD-grabber profile is exactly the Higbee-archetype TE: short routes near the goal line, 4 of his 5 career receiving TDs are under 15 yards, and his only long TD (50 yards in Week 14 of 2023 vs Baltimore) was a YAC house call — the ball only traveled 16 air yards.

The 2025 Weeks 1 and 2 TDs are notable — they came when Higbee was active. Sean McVay specifically schemed Allen open in 12-personnel red-zone packages to start the season.

Why it matters. A TE2 whose TDs cluster near the goal line at 9.1 TDs per 100 targets (matching his 2023 rate exactly) has carved out a repeatable scoring role independent of snap volume — that's durable fantasy/game-script value.

All 3 of Allen's 2025 TDs came with Higbee active — 0 TDs in 7 games without him.

Counter-intuitive split: when Higbee was out, Allen got more targets (18 vs 15) and more yardage (128 vs 80) — but zero touchdowns. All 3 of his 2025 TDs came in games where Higbee was also active, in Weeks 1, 2, and 10.

This suggests McVay uses Allen in a dedicated red-zone package regardless of who is the TE1, not as a simple Higbee replacement. When the two-TE package is on the field, Allen is the one getting goal-line looks.

Why it matters. Understanding that Allen's TD role is activated by two-TE personnel — not by Higbee's absence — changes how to project his upside. He doesn't need Higbee to get hurt to score; he needs them both healthy and on the field together.

Two postseason games, two completely opposite lines — including a TD in the Wild Card round.

Allen has played in two career playoff games, each producing a different kind of box score. The 2023 Wild Card vs Detroit: 2-for-2, 28 yards, no score — a reliable chain-mover. The 2024 Wild Card vs Minnesota: 1-for-2, 13 yards, 1 TD — the goal-line specialist role.

Both games: 2 targets, identical role, completely different outcomes. The TD vs Minnesota came on a 13-yard score — the same yardage as his 2025 Week 1 TD, confirming this is a rehearsed package look.

Why it matters. A TE2 who scores in the playoffs despite playing behind the starter confirms the red-zone package role is real enough to survive the highest-leverage situations — Sean McVay didn't abandon it when it mattered most.

All 3 of his 2025 TDs came with Higbee on the field — a TE2 scoring AS the backup, not instead of him.

Among the 33 targets Allen saw in 2025, exactly 15 came in games where Higbee was also active — yet those 15 targets produced all 3 of his touchdowns. The 18 targets in weeks without Higbee produced 128 yards and 0 TDs.

For NFL TE2s with 25+ targets in 2025, 9.1 TD% (3 TDs on 33 targets) ranks in the top half of the position — but the distribution (all TDs concentrated in shared-TE-room games) is the unusual part.

Why it matters. Most TE2 touchdowns are opportunistic — they score when the TE1 is hurt or out. Allen's scoring pattern is the opposite, pointing to a deliberately designed personnel package rather than accident of circumstance.

Week 14 of 2023 vs Baltimore — 4 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD. Nothing close to it in the 29 games since.

In Week 14 of 2023 vs Baltimore, Allen had 5 targets, 4 receptions, 50 yards, and a TD — his career high in every meaningful category. The ball traveled only 16 air yards; the other 34 came after the catch.

In the 29 regular-season games since, he has never topped 40 receiving yards. Four games have cracked 30+ (NO 37, MIA 34, SEA 34, and the BAL game itself), but 50 yards stands alone as his ceiling game by a 13-yard margin.

Why it matters. The gap between Allen's ceiling game (50 yards, YAC-driven) and his typical floor (1-2 catches, under 20 yards) is one of the widest in the Rams' skill group — it flags him as a weekly dart-throw rather than a steady floor play.