Ladd McConkey ($6,300) caught nine of his 12 targets for 117 yards in last Sunday’s win over the Falcons (23.7 FPTS), but the wideout hurt his knee in the fourth quarter and was unable to return to the contest. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday morning that McConkey’s status for Sunday vs. the Chiefs is “up in the air,” but Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh told the media later on in the day that he expects McConkey to practice Wednesday.
While this is encouraging news from Harbaugh, it remains to be seen if McConkey will suit up Sunday and if he is out, there will be a large void to fill in the Chargers’ offense. This season, McConkey is leading Los Angeles with a 26.4% target share and a 86% route rate.
Both Quentin Johnston ($4,500) and Joshua Palmer ($4,000) would see more targets if McConkey sits, making both of them viable options, but Johnston would be the better target of he and Palmer in that situation. Johnston has seen a target on 19% of his routes this season, while Palmer has garnered a target on 15% of his routes. Additionally, Johnston is scoring 0.24 FPTS per snap and he has scored double-digit FPTS in five of his 10 starts, while Palmer is averaging 0.16 FPTS per snap and he has only recorded double-digit FPTS in two of his 11 games.
While this is an average matchup against a Chiefs defense that is giving up the 17th-most yards per pass (6.3), the Chargers will likely be forced into a pass-heavy game plan as four-point underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook. J.K. Dobbins (knee) missing his second game in a row is also a notable factor, as with the back inactive for the first time this season last Sunday vs. the Falcons, Los Angeles threw the ball at a 63% clip, which is significantly higher than its 53% pass rate for the season.
All in all, if McConkey sits, Johnston will bring great upside as the Chargers’ No. 1 wideout and he will be a strong option for both season-long and DFS formats.
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