Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Chargers TE Donald Parham (shoulder) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Raiders. Parham would be a TD-or-bust desperation fantasy start if he suits up. His absence would be a slight boost for TE Gerald Everett.

Chargers WR Josh Palmer (knee) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice and was activated to the 53-man roster. He's set to play vs. the Raiders on Thursday night for the first time since Week 8. Palmer figures to slide back in as Los Angeles' No. 2 WR but isn't a very attractive fantasy option with QB Easton Stick. Palmer would at least be a WR4 consideration if WR Keenan Allen's heel injury keeps him out on Thursday night.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the index finger in his right (throwing) hand, according to multiple reports. That leaves fifth-year QB Easton Stick to pilot the offense over the final four games. Stick has been with the Chargers since they drafted him in Round 5 back in 2019, but he had attempted just one regular season pass before Sunday. Stick went a forgettable 13 of 24 passing for 179 yards after taking over against the Broncos, throwing no TDs or INTs but fumbling twice (losing one). His 2023 preseason also proved unimpressive, including a 60.3% completion rate, 5.2 yards per pass attempt, 1 TD, 2 INTs, and a 9.0% sack rate. The QB situation obviously downgrades everyone on the Chargers' offense. WR Keenan Allen should remain usable. Stick targeted Allen on 37.5% of his attempts against Denver. He threw another 20.8% toward RB Austin Ekeler, the only other Chargers offensive piece you should still consider using. WRs Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer and TE Gerald Everett look droppable for other options. Herbert should have plenty of time to recover ahead of the 2024 season.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert is "very likely" to undergo surgery to repair his fractured right index finger on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That surgery will determine whether Herbert has a chance to play again this season. HC Brandon Staley said Monday that Herbert's long-term outlook will take precedence over his short-term availability for the 5-8 Chargers. We're not expecting to see Herbert on the field again this season, but we'll update his status when we know more.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Chargers QB Justin Herbert (finger) is not expected to play vs. the Raiders on Thursday night. Herbert is consulting with Dr. Steven Shin to determine exactly how long he'll be sidelined with his fractured right index finger, Schefter adds. We should get a timeline for Herbert's return within the next 24 hours. QB Easton Stick will start on Thursday night -- and likely beyond.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert fractured his right index finger in Sunday's loss to the Broncos, HC Brandon Staley said afterward. "Given where we are in the season, a fracture could mean his season is over," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted. We should get more details on Herbert's status on Monday, but the 5-8 Chargers have no reason to rush Herbert back. QB Easton Stick will take over for however long Herbert is out. The 2019 fifth-round pick had one regular-season pass attempt before going 13-of-24 for 179 yards in relief of Herbert today. Stick is obviously a significant downgrade for this Chargers offense.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert injured his right index finger in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update Herbert's status when we know more. He's been replaced by QB Easton Stick.

Update: Herbert has been ruled out.

Chargers WR Josh Palmer (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. He returned to practice this week but isn’t quite ready for game action. We’ll see if Palmer can make it back for Thursday night’s game vs. the Raiders. Quentin Johnston and Jalen Guyton will again serve as Los Angeles’ No. 2 and 3 WRs this weekend.

Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Saints. We learned this week that Hurst is dealing with Post Traumatic Amnesia after being concussed back in Week 10. He put in three limited practices this week and is hoping to play again this season. TEs Tommy Tremble (hip) and Stephen Sullivan (shoulder) are listed as questionable. Avoid this situation in Week 14 fantasy lineups.

The Chargers are designating WR Joshua Palmer to return from IR, opening his 21-day practice window. HC Brandon Staley just last week described Palmer's situation by saying "there's still a possibility" that he'd return from IR, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. That suggests we can't assume Palmer will be ready to return from his knee injury and play in Week 14. And it'll be tough to throw him into fantasy lineups right away, unless we get word from Chargers coaches that he's all the way back. Still, we have mentioned Palmer in our waiver wire article each of the past two weeks on this chance of return. If he does make it back to full participation, we'd bet on Palmer re-emerging as the No. 2 wideout in an offense that needs him. Stash Palmer early if you can ... if that makes sense for your roster, of course.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert managed only 212 yards in Sunday's 6-0 win over New England. He went without a passing TD for the second time this season. A few key drops hurt Herbert’s numbers, as the Chargers offense continued to provide little help. The Pats even limited Keenan Allen to 5 catches for 58 yards on 9 targets. Herbert will likely remain a QB1 for upcoming matchups vs. Denver and Vegas, but there’s clearly a low floor here.

Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game against the Bucs. TE Tommy Tremble (hip) is listed as doubtful, which will leave Carolina with TEs Ian Thomas and Stephen Sullivan. Neither is a viable fantasy play.

Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Titans. With Hurst sidelined last week, Tommy Tremble led Carolina TEs with a 68% route rate and caught one of three targets for four yards and a score. He’d be a desperation Week 12 fantasy play.

The Chargers have placed Edge Joey Bosa on IR for the foot injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game. That will keep Bosa out until at least Week 16, and he'll be difficult to trust in fantasy lineups in his first game back. We've already seen an active Bosa play less than 50% of the snaps in three other games before leaving Week 11 early. That all means you can go ahead and drop Bosa for another option in your redraft IDP league. The 28-year-old is probably still worth holding in dynasty ... but he's running out of value in that format as well.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley said Monday that Edge Joey Bosa is dealing with a foot sprain and will likely land on IR, according to multiple reports. That would knock Bosa out through at least Week 15. At best, Bosa would return for the penultimate week of most fantasy football seasons. And you're not likely to play him in his first game back from this injury. We've already seen Bosa play limited snaps while dealing with injuries this year. Bottom line: You should go ahead and dump Bosa for a replacement in redraft leagues this week.

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston drew 6 targets in Sunday's loss to the Packers, tying for second on the team. But he caught just two passes for 21 yards against a Green Bay defense missing multiple secondary starters. The rookie could have turned the whole thing around late but dropped what would have been a 70-yard catch-and-run TD, after he had gotten behind ceoverage. Johnston still has just one game all year in which he has reached 50 yards and no game with more. Sunday's performance came with WR Jalen Guyton and TE Gerald Everett out. He's not worth starting in most fantasy formats, regardless of matchup. We're not giving up on Johnston in dynasty yet, but he's enduring a worrisome debut on that front as well.

Chargers Edge Joey Bosa suffered a foot injury early in Sunday's game against the Packers. He's officially questionable to return but left on a cart with a towel covering his face. That sure doesn't seem to bode well for the severity of the injury. We'll watch for more updates.

Chargers TE Gerald Everett (chest) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Packers. TE Donald Parham (hip) is off the injury report after putting in a full practice on Friday and is a viable Week 11 fantasy spot starter. Parham posted a 4-43-1 line on five targets when Everett missed Week 8. For the season, Parham leads the Chargers and ranks second among all TEs with seven end-zone targets.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Cowboys. Chark has been a full-time player when healthy this season but is averaging just 33 yards per game.

Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. That should mean a boost in playing time for TE Tommy Tremble -- but not enough to make him a recommended fantasy play in this struggling Carolina offense.