Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Chargers RB Isaiah Spiller is a healthy scratch for today's opener vs. the Dolphins. It's confirmation that Joshua Kelley is the No. 2 RB behind Austin Ekeler.

Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins suffered an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Texans. He went back to the locker room with trainers and is officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (hamstring) has been ruled out for this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. He at least returned to a limited practice on Friday, which bodes well for his Week 2 availability.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. That doesn't bode well for his chances of playing in this weekend's opener vs. the Falcons. WRs Terrace Marshall (back) and Adam Thielen (ankle) were limited on Wednesday but should be ready come Sunday. Rookie Jonathan Mingo is Carolina's healthiest WR and should be in for a significant role out of the gate.

Garrett Downing of the Ravens' official website expects RB J.K. Dobbins to be heavily involved in new OC Todd Monken's offense. "We've seen throughout training camp that the RBs are catching a lot of passes," Downing says. "I think that bodes really well for J.K. Dobbins. He has nice hands out of the backfield. ... I expect him to have a big role in that regard in this offense." Dobbins has totaled just 25 catches in 23 NFL games. But he wasn't asked to do much in the passing game in previous OC Greg Roman's offense. That'll change under Monken. And remember that Dobbins caught 71 balls in three college seasons.

The trade of K Dustin Hopkins to Cleveland leaves Cameron Dicker as the Chargers' K. He drilled 21 of 22 FG tries as a rookie last year (19 for the Chargers, two for the Eagles) and is a strong fantasy option on a high-scoring offense.

Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins said Thursday that he's back to 100% after his 2021 multi-ligament knee injury. "I do think that healthy, I can be one of the top backs in the league," Dobbins said. "That flashes sometimes, but I just got to prove it and I am going to prove it one day. One day it will happen." Dobbins sure looked healthy -- and like one of the best backs in the league -- when he averaged 6.6 yards per carry over the final five games of last season (including playoffs). If he can avoid injury this year, Dobbins will return big value from his fifth-round ADP.

The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes that Chargers WR Josh Palmer "appears" to be ahead of WR Quentin Johnston on the depth chart. "Palmer has been earning more first-team reps in three-receiver packages alongside Keenan Allen and Mike Williams," Popper adds. "Johnston is still in the very early stages of his development and has struggled with drops. His role early in the season will be geared toward specific concepts that allow him to play fast. Palmer, meanwhile, has the full trust of quarterback Justin Herbert and the coaching staff. He has been a regular playmaker in training camp." We certainly won't be shocked if Palmer out-snaps Johnston in Week 1. But we'd expect the rookie's role to grow throughout the season. Johnston remains an exciting fantasy pick, even though we won't be able to trust him in Week 1 lineups. Palmer, meanwhile, is a fine pick at the very end of best-ball drafts.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark is sidelined with a hamstring injury, according to The Athletic's Joe Person. HC Frank Reich declined to give a timetable for Chark's return but said the team isn't planning any “big moves” at the position. Carolina is also without WRs Terrace Marshall (back), Laviska Shenault (concussion), and Damiere Byrd (hamstring). That's left Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen as the clear top two healthy receivers. We'll see when these other guys are able to get back on the field.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that RB J.K. Dobbins is "100% healthy." He spent the first 2+ weeks of training camp on the PUP list, but this is basically confirmation that his absence was contract-related. With Dobbins evidently resigned to playing out 2023 under his current contract, he's primed to take over as the clear lead back in new OC Todd Monken's offense. Dobbins has been a big value in Round 6 or 7 of recent drafts. We'll see where his ADP moves from here.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Ravens are activating RB J.K. Dobbins off the physically unable to perform list today. There has been no real indication this designation was actually injury related, as Dobbins has been seeking a new contract (along with approximately every other NFL RB). HC John Harbaugh has said he maintained contact with Dobbins throughout the RB's absence and has been awaiting his return. We expect Dobbins to quickly claim the top spot on the depth chart and have not moved him down our RB rankings amid the holdout.

Update: ESPN's Jamison Hensley adds that Dobbins took part in individual drills at Monday's practice.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Tuesday he expects RB J.K. Dobbins to return to the team soon, according to Sarah Ellison of Ravens Vault (and former editor for the team website. Harbaugh said: "Generally speaking, to be a great player you need to put in the time and effort and get with the team and just get right. And he wants to do that in his case, and that's why I expect him back here pretty soon." We've seen Dobbins' ADP slip in recent drafts. That makes him even more attractive if you have a draft before he returns. We haven't moved Dobbins down our RB rankings at all.

Darin Gantt of Panthers.com says it's "increasingly clear during camp that the passing game is going to be diverse." He says WR D.J. Chark has "made daily highlights" but adds that Adam Thielen caught a deep TD Saturday and that "several other wideouts were making plays." The fantasy takeaway here is that you shouldn't expect any Panthers WR to dominate target share. "Diverse" here means that QB Bryce Young is spreading the ball around, which makes sense given the WR corps. Fortunately, the ADP for everyone in the corps is low enough that we don't need a target dominator. Thielen remains the leader of the group in our WR rankings. We're not ignoring the recent Chark buzz, though.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley says QB Justin Herbert is having the best training camp he's had in Staley's three seasons with the team. Staley is giving a lot of the credit to new OC Kellen Moore. "He makes the game easy for the quarterback," Staley said of Moore. "He really allows the quarterback to play fast, and what we're really trying to do is get Justin to play fast and be aggressive -- not just, like, in the deep part of the field, which is what everyone wants to focus on. It's that, of course, but it's the way that you command the play before the ball's even [thrown]. And now that you've developed this trust and chemistry with your group on the outside, you can really be on the attack." A big talent with a strong pass-catching corps and upgraded play-caller, Herbert is one of our favorite QB targets in fantasy drafts.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh said he keeps in contact with RB J.K. Dobbins but remains unsure about a potential return. "I don't know. It's a fair question," Harbaugh began. "And there is a point when it becomes a concern because - and he knows - JK and I talked last night. We talk a lot. He wants to be out, and he needs to be out there, just like any player does. Other than that, there's nothing else that I can really add because I don't know when he's gonna come back. But I know I'm gonna be really happy when he does.” Baltimore opens up the preseason on the 12th vs. Philadelphia.

The Athletic's Joseph Person writes that Panthers HC Frank Reich is installing a "tight end-friendly offense that features the position prominently in the passing attack." That's particularly good news for TE Hayden Hurst, who signed a hefty three-year, $21.75 million deal with Carolina in free agency. “I love it," Hurst said of Reich's offense. "This is the opportunity that I’ve always asked for. I prepared this offseason like the ball’s gonna come my way a lot. So I’m in the best shape of my life.” TE26 in ADP, Hurst is one of the best values at the position in fantasy drafts.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh called the current situation with RB J.K. Dobbins "complicated." Dobbins opened training camp on the PUP list after missing time in the spring with an alleged sore hamstring. But it sure seems like his absence from the practice field has more to do with his contract. Dobbins is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is set to make just $1.39 million in 2023. “That’s a J.K. question,” Harbaugh said when asked about the RB's absence. “I wish there was a simple answer. There’s always a lot of things that go into football, but there’s some complexity to it. We’re working through all that, and we’re looking forward to when he’s out there.” We'll keep you updated on the situation. Consider Dobbins a risk/reward pick at his current late-fourth-round ADP.

According to multiple reports, the Chargers have agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million extension with QB Justin Herbert. This move will keep the franchise centerpiece in Los Angeles through the 2029 season, and the $218.7 million in guaranteed money ranks second behind only Browns QB Deshaun Watson among the most lucrative contract in the NFL. Herbert took a bit of a step back in 2022, finishing 9th in Pro Football Focus passing grade. Some of that can be attributed to the fractured rib cartilage he picked up early in the season and the fact that WRs Mike Williams and Keenan Allen didn't play a single complete game together due to their own injuries. We have faith that the Chargers will bounce back in 2023 under new OC Kellen Moore, with Herbert placed highly in our current QB rankings assuming health for all. Next up on the list of young franchise QBs waiting for a long-term deal? Bengals QB Joe Burrow.

Chargers WR Josh Palmer missed offseason practices with an undisclosed injury. He's the Chargers' projected WR4, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, behind Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and rookie Quentin Johnston. (No surprise there.) We’ll keep an eye on Palmer’s participation in training camp, but he’s only worth drafting in deep fantasy formats.

The Ravens placed RB J.K. Dobbins on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Dobbins reported to training camp on Thursday but won’t be ready for the start of team practices. We'll see what news comes out of Baltimore in the coming days. Dobbins, of course, has been plagued by knee trouble since tearing his left LCL, ACL, and meniscus in 2021.