Chargers QB Justin Herbert (foot) has shed his walking boot and appears to be on to the next step of his recovery. He had an injury in his right foot to the plantar fascia. The expectation has been that Herbert will play in Week 1 and no longer being in a walking boot backs up that timeline.
The Athletic's Daniel Popper left Chargers RB Kimani Vidal off his latest 53-man roster projection. Popper has RBs Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson, and Isaiah Spiller making the team over Vidal, the sixth-round rookie.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that the Chargers' "hope and expectation" remains that QB Justin Herbert (foot) will be ready for Week 1. "I would describe the Chargers' feeling on Herbert as concern but not panic," Fowler adds.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert has been diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, the team announced. "Doctors have recommended approximately two weeks in a boot — followed by a graduated return to play protocol — with the expectation that he will be ready for the start of the regular season," the team said in a statement.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert has “blown away the new regime in Los Angeles,” per insider Albert Breer. Not exactly a shocking tidbit, but it’s nice to get confirmation as Herbert plays under his fourth different OC.
The Athletic's Daniel Popper says RB Jaret Patterson "got a notable amount of work with the first team" in Thursday's full-team drills. Rookie RB Kimani Vidal, meanwhile, rotated with Isaiah Spiller and Elijah Dotson with the second team. Patterson spent most of last season on the Chargers' practice squad but finished the year back on the Washington practice squad. He then signed a futures contract with the Chargers this offseason.
Thursday's starter vs. starter drills at Chargers camp found second-year WR Quentin Johnston working with the second team, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. The first-team trio: Ladd McConkey, D.J. Chark, and Joshua Palmer.
Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins has participated fully in the first two days of training camp, according to ESPN's Kris Rhim. Dobbins is returning from last September's torn Achilles but is seemingly on track for the start of the 2024 campaign.
Asked about the current depth chart in the Chargers backfield, Daniel Popper of The Athletic this week listed Gus Edwards up top, J.K. Dobbins second, rookie Kimani Vidal third, and incumbent Isaiah Spiller fourth.
Daniel Popper of The Athletic says he's concerned about the Chargers having enough talent at WR. That's not a surprising worry, given that the team shed Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, while adding only second-round pick Ladd McConkey and low-level free-agent D.J. Chark Jr. So who will lead the group? "Joshua Palmer is a complete receiver poised for a career season at the top of the depth chart," Popper wrote this week. That's most noteworthy because Palmer (WR53) sits well behind McConkey (WR42) in best ball ADP.
Chargers RB Gus Edwards is sidelined with an undisclosed injury but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, HC Jim Harbaugh said on Thursday.
Chargers second-round rookie WR Ladd McConkey is reportedly meshing well with QB Justin Herbert in team workouts so far. Daniel Popper of The Athletic says McConkey has played "mostly in the slot." That probably lines up with most fans' expectations but doesn't align with his college usage. McConkey spent just 29.6% of his pass snaps in the slot across three seasons at Georgia, decreasing that rate each year.
Chargers third-round rookie LB Junior Colson garnered some early buzz for his work with the starting offense in OTAs. But more recent workouts have found him working behind second-year LB Daiyan Henley ... and others. According to The Athletic's Daniel Popper, Colson has paired with Shane Lee as the third-team ILB duo at this week's minicamp. A minor injury in May OTAs might have pushed the rookie temporarily down the depth chart. But we'll have to see whether Colson can climb it through summer.
New Chargers GM Joe Hortiz talked up WR Quentin Johnston in a recent interview with Kay Adams. "When he was coming out of college, he was an elite size/speed athlete. And you saw some rawness to his game," Hortiz said. "But as big as he is, 6'3, you watch him drop his weight, getting in and out of breaks, come to balance at the top of the route, get out quickly. He can do some rare things for a player his size. ... He's a great kid, he's a great worker. Everyone here has a high opinion of him. I believe he's really gonna launch. I really do. His skillset is great, we're gonna work with him, make him better and better."
The Chargers and WR D.J. Chark agreed to a one-year deal worth “up to” $5 million," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Chark went for 1,008 yards back in 2019 but hasn't really been fantasy relevant since. He's missed 39 games over the last four seasons and averaged 48.6 yards per game. Chark finished a distant second to WR Adam Thielen with 525 receiving yards on a bad Panthers passing game last year. His 1.08 yards per route ranked 75th among 93 qualifying WRs. Chark isn't a guy you should be excited to bet on, although this is a solid landing spot with QB Justin Herbert and a wide-open WR corps. Chark, Ladd McConkey, Josh Palmer, and Quentin Johnston will duke it out for snaps this summer.
Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins said Monday that he's 100% recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered last September. "It was like a walk in the park, it was like a sprained ankle," Dobbins said. "It was very easy, because I had the knee [injury] -- the knee was pretty hard. The Achilles was, I would say, easy, just because that's my mentality. It was pretty easy to me." We'll file this under "believe-it-when-we-see-it." Full health is not the same as full effectiveness. RB Cam Akers quickly made it back from an Achilles injury but hasn't been the same runner since. Dobbins still isn't a player to invest heavily in at this point. But we'll be keeping a close eye on him this spring and summer. The Chargers' backfield will be a key situation for fantasy owners to monitor, with Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and rookie Kimani Vidal duking it out for touches.
The Chargers selected USC WR Brenden Rice in Round 7 of the NFL Draft. Rice spent his first two seasons at Colorado, where low pass volume led to light usage. That changed upon transferring to USC in 2022. Paired with top QB Caleb Williams, Rice set career highs in catches (39), yards (611), and TDs (4). His production reached another level last fall with Jordan Addison off to the NFL. The 6’2 Rice posted a 45-791-12 line -- enough to rank first among Trojans in TDs; second in catches and yards. He posted a strong 2.75 yards per route run while playing most of his snaps out wide. The 22-year-old also flashed reliable hands, dropping only 2 balls (4.3% drop rate). No surprise there, as Brenden is the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice. Note: While not a burner, Rice’s size and physicality allow him to win in contested and red zone situations. (His 2023 TD rate was an absurd 26.6%.) Although the seventh-round draft capital is a major red flag, Rice at least joins a Chargers WR corps with snaps up for grabs. The rookie is not worth a pick in early best-ball drafts but is a fine flier in Round 4 or 5 of dynasty rookie drafts.
The Chargers added Troy RB Kimani Vidal in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Despite offers from LSU and South Carolina, the Georgia native took his talents to the Sun Belt Conference. Vidal averaged 11.2 carries per game as a true freshman and led the team in rushing – something he’d do in all four seasons. But his workloads really picked up from 2022-2023 for the run-heavy Trojans. In fact, Vidal was among the busiest college RBs with 526 carries (plus 44 catches) over that stretch. He held up well, too, missing only one game due to injury in his career. At nearly 5’8, 213 pounds, Vidal has bowling ball size and runs with matching intensity. Per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, the 22-year-old’s 94 missed tackles forced ranked second in the FBS last season. He’s not special out of the backfield, but Vidal’s tape shows a capable receiver with more pass protection refinement than the average rookie. He lands in a nice spot under run-loving HC Jim Harbaugh in a relatively wide-open backfield alongside J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. It shouldn’t be considered a surprise if Vidal pushes for snaps in 2024.
The Chargers traded up in Round 2 of the NFL Draft to select Georgia WR Ladd McConkey 34th overall. McConkey’s raw college production doesn’t jump off the page. He never reached 60 catches or 800 yards in a season. But he played in a run-leaning Georgia offense and had to battle TE Brock Bowers (among others) for targets. McConkey was super efficient, leaving school with career 75.3% catch rate and 2.54 yards per route. His career-best 3.26 yards per route last year ranked eighth among 409 WRs with 35+ targets. McConkey is devastatingly quick and a polished route runner, making him one of the best separators in this WR class. And he’s a weapon after the catch, with a career 0.25 missed tackles forced per catch – a better rate than guys like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze. McConkey boosted his stock at the Combine with a 4.39-second 40 time and 9.34 Relative Athletic Score. The 6’0, 186-pounder can play both outside and in the slot. He might not big a big-play producer or high-TD-rate receiver at the next level, but McConkey has the potential to rack up a bunch of receptions. Going to the Chargers presents immediate opportunity. The WR corps shed Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, leaving Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston as the top returning players. The landing spot helps McConkey's fantasy outlook. Check out our rookie rankings to see where he lands.
Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins plans to sign a one-year contract with the Chargers, according to multiple reports. This comes after Dobbins visited several teams. He lands with the franchise that already signed his former teammate Gus Edwards. We'll see about the specific terms of Dobbins' deal, but Edwards landed a two-year pact worth $6.5 million total, with $3.375 million in guarantees. We'll bet that Dobbins gets significantly less coming off his September Achilles' tear (and checkered injury history). The former second-round pick will be interesting to watch this summer, especially in a backfield that could present open competition for touches. But Edwards stands as the better bet for work right now. And we'd bet on the Chargers adding a RB in the draft. For now, don't let Chargers RBs factor heavily into your draft plans -- despite their modest best ball ADP numbers.
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