The NFL season is in full effect and along with that is the fantasy football season. It is arguably the most pivotal point in fantasy football, as this is when owners can assess their teams and what changes need to be made. The Chargers are a team that has a lot of questions when it comes to their skill positions. There is no real top spot for any position other than quarterback, which raises many fantasy owners’ eyebrows. Here is a guide for which Chargers to stay in on and who to get rid of this season.
QB Justin Herbert: Out
As many expected, Justin Herbert isn’t putting up the numbers the NFL world has been accustomed to over the years. However, it wasn’t expected for him to perform this poorly in fantasy football. Although Herbert will still throw some touchdowns for the Chargers, his yards will not be what they used to be in the old passing offenses of Kellen Moore and Joe Lombardi. With that being said, Herbert is not worth keeping as a starting QB in a smaller league this year.
RB JK Dobbins: In
So far, JK Dobbins has shown he could win some fantasy leagues this season. Currently, the league’s leading rusher, the former Ravens star will easily be a top-ten RB if he stays healthy. As far as fantasy goes, he will surely be putting up at least 15 points per game, more often than not something similar to how he has performed in the last few weeks. If there is any way to acquire JK Dobbins for a reasonable price in any league, the best advice would be to jump on him as fast as possible.
RB Gus Edwards: Out
Gus Edwards is probably the most interesting player on the Chargers in fantasy. Edwards went into the season as the RB1 in LA but quickly fell back to RB2 behind Dobbins like he was in Baltimore. With this being said, however, Edwards is not worth giving up on yet. There will be multiple games this year where Greg Roman and the offense lean on Edwards a lot more than Dobbins, and he will certainly score big in those games.
There is also a possible world where JK Dobbins deals with some more injuries and that would thrust the Gus Bus into the sole RB1 spot of what is currently the best rush-attack in football. While going out of one’s way for Gus Edwards may not be a good idea, there is no reason yet to give up on the power back.
WR Ladd McConkey: In
Ladd McConkey was a perfect example of a draft-and-stash going into the fantasy season. Currently, things are panning out for that to be a great prediction. McConkey is undoubtedly the most talented WR on this Chargers roster, he needs to get acclimated to the NFL before he passes the more seasoned vets on the depth chart. With Joshua Palmer not putting up WR1 numbers so far & DJ Chark on IR, Ladd will be Herbert’s top target sooner rather than later. While Ladd is not yet at the point where he will be putting up big numbers, he is surely worth buying low on before he gets to that point.
WR Josh Palmer: Out
Going into the season as the top WR on this roster, Josh Palmer was drafted in most leagues this year. However, the season is shaping out and it doesn’t look like Palmer will have that title for much longer. The offense has been utilizing young weapons Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey more, and the run-first scheme doesn’t help more than a couple of receivers get a piece of the fantasy pie. As Palmer’s time as the top receiver on the team nears an end, it is best to look for better options down the line via waivers or trades.
WR Quentin Johnston: In
Already considered a bust after his rookie year, Quentin Johnston is finally looking like an NFL receiver. No longer being used as the next Mike Williams, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman are playing the offense to his strength – yards after the catch. Even before his two-touchdown explosion in week two, Johnston looked vastly more comfortable on the field, getting short receptions that he could extend for a bigger gain. QJ’s skillset has never been around making flashy catches, it has always been what he can do after that catch. As long as the offense keeps using him in this way, he is a surefire waiver-wire pickup. Johnston’s ceiling this season is high, which is exactly what fantasy managers should be looking for at this point.