Los Angeles

Chargers

The entire offense struggled in the first half after managing just two first downs and going 0-for-7 on third down before the break. They would pick things up the second half but Palmer would eventually be ejected from the game following a skirmish on a two-point attempt to start the fourth quarter. Palmer should remain a top-two option through the air for the Chargers on a weekly basis, but he definitely played second fiddle to rookie Ladd McConkey in this one. It might be wise to look for other options if you’re counting on the veteran for weekly production.

Johnston ranked second on the team in both yardage and targets behind rookie Ladd McConkey. Even so, it isn’t enough for him to carry fantasy upside in an offense that lacks a vertical component, largely content to dink-and-dunk their way to sustained drives and increased time of possession. That’s particularly troubling considering the offense managed just two first downs in the first half and went 0-for-7 on third down before the break.

McConkey barely out-gained Quentin Johnston but the seven targets were meaningful for the rookie receiver. He salvaged his fantasy day with a 10-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a slant with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Expect McConkey to lead the team in targets in most weeks this season, although the relative lack of a vertical component in the passing offense could require even more volume to maintain weekly fantasy upside.

Edwards was handily outshone by backfield mate J.K. Dobbins, the latter of whom amassed 139 combined yards and a score on 13 touches. Either way, Dobbins is unlikely to command a heavier weekly workload at this stage in his career, meaning Edwards should remain in a tight timeshare moving forward. Edwards’ per-touch upside significantly lags that of Dobbins and he should be largely left on the wire for the time being.

Dobbins had a quiet first half before exploding in the second, first scoring a touchdown from 12 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter before a 61-yard run later in the game. He was chased down from behind on the long run, clearly lacking the top-end speed he once showed while playing with the Ravens. Even so, he displayed elite patience and vision to bounce the run off tackle after his A-gap hole collapsed, beating the linebackers and safeties to the edge. Dobbins should continue in a strict timeshare with fellow offseason addition Gus Edwards, but he brings more upside to the table on a weekly basis than his teammate. He probably shouldn’t be on waivers if he happens to be in your league.

It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns for a Chargers team that didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter. The offense looked flat and lacked any semblance of vertical component, something that could spell trouble against more vaunted opponents. It took until just under three minutes remaining in the game for Herbert to notch his first passing touchdown of the season, a 10-yard catch-and-run scored by rookie Ladd McConkey on a slant. The lack of a true deep threat is likely to continue to hamstring the offense moving forward as the team appears intent on stringing together drives on shorter yardage passing in addition to a robust run game through JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Nevertheless, the Chargers escaped with a victory in true Jim Harbaugh fashion by wearing down their opponent between the tackles. Up next for the Chargers are the struggling Panthers who are coming off an embarrassing 47-10 trouncing at the hands of the Saints.

Vidal and fellow rookie Brenden Rice headline Chargers inactives for the team’s Week 1 game against the Raiders. The Chargers backfield should be spearheaded by JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards while offseason addition Hassan Haskins is also on hand to spell the top duo.

Chark will now miss the first four weeks of the regular season, at minimum, after sustaining a hip injury sometime in the week leading up to the team’s first game. Expect the bulk of the pass offense to flow through Joshua Palmer and rookie Ladd McConkey to start the season.

It wouldn’t be an NFL season with a surprise injury to Chargers defender. Samuel didn’t appear on the injury report until Friday when he was added as a limited participant. Per Jim Harbaugh, he suffered the injury in practice. Harbaugh told reporters he didn’t see the injury occur and didn’t give any more details. Samuel appears to be a true coin-flip for Week 1 given the lack of information.

Herbert suffered a plantar fascia injury in camp and missed some time while recovering. Herbert was listed as a full participant in all three practice sessions this week before being removed from the report. The injury could limit his mobility slightly, but there has been no indication that it will be a long-term issue. Herbert is a top-10 talent at quarterback, but Jim Harbuagh’s run-first style will severely limit his passing volume. Fantasy managers should treat him as a high-end QB2 going into the season.