Tag: Chargers fantasy football

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler set up for monster fantasy season in 2021

Draft Chargers running back Austin Ekeler and reap the rewards of success.

The Chargers offseason brought with it a multitude of changes, some of which could bring a positive impact to those who play fantasy football.

Among the players who should have owners licking their chops is running back Austin Ekeler.

Ekeler enters his fifth season with new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi calling the shot. One things about Lombardi is that he has historically gotten his running backs involved more than any other coach in the league.

During his time with the Saints, Lombardi utilized backs like Reggie Bush and Darren Sproles, but the most notable was Alvin Kamara, who recorded at least 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns three times in his first four seasons.

It just so happens that Ekeler has a very similar skill set to Kamara, considering the two are ultra-refined runners and deadly pass-catchers, both out of the backfield and in the slot.

In each of his seasons, Ekeler has put up big numbers. He put up 933 yards from scrimmage while missing six games during the 2020 season, but had 1,550 during an injury-free 2019 campaign.

Ekeler shouldn’t have to worry about touches being taken because there’s still no clear cut No. 2 and 3 option, with Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III fighting for those spots.

In addition, Ekeler will be playing behind the best offensive line he’s had since coming into the league.

Heading into Year 5, should he stay healthy, Ekeler could be looking at his best campaign to date.

If I’m drafting, the multi-dimensional Ekeler is going to be selected with my early second-round selection in both standard and points per receptions (PPR) formats, and I am confident that he can finish as a top-5 running back when all is said and done.

Projection: 815 Rush Yds | 4 Rush Tds | 88 Rec | 801 Rec Yds | 7 Rec Tds

Way-too-early stat predictions for Chargers’ top skill players

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez predicts how Los Angeles’ top skill players will fare under new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

In new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system, the Chargers boast a good-looking crop of skill players that are primed for success.

With that being said, I project what each of their seasons might look like in 2021, starting with the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, quarterback Justin Herbert.

Owning Chargers WR Tyron Johnson in fantasy leagues could pay dividends

Chargers wide receiver Tyron Johnson could be a sneaky good pickup.

Fantasy football drafts are still months away, but many are doing early homework on players in hopes of constructing a championship caliber roster.

The Chargers have a couple intriguing options in quarterback Justin Herbert, running back Austin Ekeler and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but WR Tyron Johnson could be a sneaky option to store away.

After not playing in his first season, Johnson, the undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State, established himself as a reliable pass-catching option behind Williams and Allen in Year 2.

In 12 games, Johnson amassed 20 receptions for 398 yards (19.9 yards per reception) and three touchdowns, with zero drops. Four of his first five receptions in the NFL went for 50 yards or more.

When Herbert threw the ball to Johnson, he yielded a 156.7 passer rating, just a hair shy of a perfect mark, according to Pro Football Focus.

Heading into the 2021 season, Johnson will be a part of a position group that returns Jalen Guyton, who had 28 catches for 511 yards and three scores last year, along with the addition of Josh Palmer, the team’s third-round selection.

Johnson has the leg up on Guyton because his hands are more superior and he’s a better route-runner and he simply has more experience than Palmer. Therefore, that could lead to extended playing time.

The bottom line is that Johnson has the opportunity to become one of Herbert’s top targets this season because he has earned his trust and he does well in both the intermediate and deep parts of the field, where the signal-caller is pinpoint precise.

In a way, Johnson reminds me of former Saints’ Brandin Cooks, who offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi spent a few seasons with. Johnson and Cooks are solid route runners, they have speed to take the top off a defense and they have reliable hands.

Will Johnson be used in a similar fashion? Only time will tell, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Lombardi attempts to utilize him in that same way.

Fantasy Football: Initial projection for Chargers WR Josh Palmer in 2021

ESPN’s Mike Clay gives an early outlook for Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer.

The Chargers brought in another weapon for quarterback Justin Herbert with the selection of former Tennessee wide receiver Josh Palmer in the third-round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Palmer will be joining a crowded wideout group that features Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but he still presents excellent value in his rookie season, enough that he’s worth taking in your fantasy football leagues.

ESPN’s Mike Clay reacted to the first three rounds from a fantasy football perspective, where he made some initial projections and analysis for all skill players that were taken.

For Palmer, Clay’s initial projection sees him receive 37 targets for 23 receptions, 274 yards, two touchdowns in 2021.

He’s not a threat to Keenan Allen or Mike Williams in the short term, but could overtake Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson for No. 3 duties very quickly. That would make him a fantasy sleeper considering how good Justin Herbert looked as a rookie. Palmer will be a fine later flier in deeper leagues.

When you look at Palmer’s stat sheet from college, it’s easy to be swayed away from him as a potential target, as he failed to surpass 34 targets and 500 yards.

The reality is that the numbers don’t do the justice to reflect the type of player he is and can be at the next level.

Palmer never produced eye-popping production at Tennessee due to the fact that he played alongside two current NFL wide receivers for two seasons and the team’s ongoing quarterback problems.

Palmer, the 6-foot-1 and 210 pounder, ran mostly vertical routes in the Vol’s offense and rarely got targeted because of it. On top of that, 31% of his targets were uncatchable.

However, when he was targeted with a catchable ball, he shined against some elite college corners, including Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes and Kelvin Joseph.

Palmer was 14-of-14 in catching the “catchable balls” in those matchups, 11 of which went for first downs, four touchdowns, and 16 yards per reception, according to Pro Football Focus.

At the Senior Bowl, defensive backs had no answer for Palmer, defeating them with violent route-running and the speed to create separation. His 81% win rate was the highest of any outside receiver.

Now on a team with a competent quarterback in Herbert, Palmer should definitely be more productive in the NFL than he was in college.

In Year 1, he will be in the mix for snaps with Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson. But given the fact that offensive coordinator Joe Lombard goes through a lot of different personnel packages, Palmer will have his opportunities.

With his ability to separate at all levels of the field, especially vertically, Palmer could quickly become one of Herbert’s go-to targets this upcoming season and beyond.

The bottom line is take Palmer in the later rounds of your upcoming drafts and you could have yourself a diamond in the rough.

Los Angeles Chargers 2020 Fantasy Football Preview

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out what’s new with the L.A. Chargers and what camp battles are expected to take place.

The Chargers begin a new journey in 2020 in a new stadium (SoFi Stadium) in Inglewood, CA.

Here’s a look at what’s new and what camp battles are expected to take place prior to the regular season kicking off.

This content appears in print in the Sports Weekly NFL Fantasy Football Preview.

What’s new?

The Chargers offense will have several new faces this season. With the Philip Rivers era over, Tyrod Taylor is slated to lead Los Angeles into the season, but not without competition. The Bolts selected Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick with hopes he can be groomed into a franchise quarterback. Regardless of who is under center, Chargers will look to deploy more of a run-heavy offense. Austin Ekeler will take on the lead role after Melvin Gordon joined the AFC West rival Denver Broncos. Other key acquisitions on the offensive side of the ball include Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner, who were brought in to revamp a leaky line. On the defensive side, the Chargers brought in Chris Harris Jr., Linval Joseph and first-round pick Kenneth Murray with an eye on slowing down the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs offense.

Camp battles

While it may seem like there will be a battle for the starting quarterback spot between Taylor and Herbert in training camp, the team appears to be confident rolling with Taylor while Herbert develops. There are three other training camp battles to keep an eye on. After the departure of left tackle Russell Okung, the competition will be between Sam Tevi, Trey Pipkins, Storm Norton, Forrest Lamp and Trent Scott. The front-runners are Tevi and Pipkins. Will Los Angeles roll with Tevi’s experience in the starting role or Pipkins’ unlocked potential? Looking to complement Keenan Allen, Mike Williams as the third wide receiver will be Andre Patton, Jason Moore and rookies K.J. Hill and Joe Reed. Ekeler will be the lead back, and the backup competition is between Justin Jackson and fourth-round rookie Joshua Kelley. Jackson has shown to be productive when healthy. Kelley has the skill set and durability to be effective in that role.

Why Chargers TE Hunter Henry could be bound for best season of career in 2020

If Chargers tight end Hunter Henry stays healthy, he could have his best professional season yet.

Chargers tight end Hunter Henry has been on the outside of being considered one of the NFL’s top tight end. It’s primarily because he has struggled to stay healthy consistently, but Henry could be considered among the cream of the crop, if he stays injury-free.

Henry flourished with Philip Rivers distributing the wealth to him, amassing 136 catches, 1,709 receiving yards, 12.6 yards per reception and 17 touchdowns in 41 games.

However, the quarterback change, whether it’s Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert, could lead to higher production than what he managed to do with Rivers under center.

When Taylor was the starter for the Bills from 2015-17, he favored tight end Charles Clay as his primary target, as Clay was targeted 238 times in 41 games.

From those 238 targets, Clay caught 157 of them for 1,638 yards and six touchdowns.

If there is a switch at the quarterback position and the team decides to go with Herbert at some point during the season, Henry could quickly become the rookie’s go-to option.

During his time at Oregon, Herbert favored the team’s tight end in Jacob Breeland. The two linked up 74 times for 1,225 yards, 16.6 yards per reception and 13 touchdowns in four seasons.

The Chargers are expected to take more of a run-heavy approach, given the fact that they have a mobile quarterback now. That could hinder the looks that Henry does get. Not to mention, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams could take some of his targets away.

Nonetheless, Taylor and Herbert’s favoritism towards tight ends in the past could lead to a bright 2020 campaign for Henry, as he looks to earn a big contract extension (if he isn’t extended prior to the season).

Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor presents sleeper value in fantasy football

Tyrod Taylor is worth the selection in the later rounds of fantasy football.

After 16 seasons with Philip Rivers under center, the Chargers are left in the hands of Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert. At the moment, Taylor’s in the driver’s seat to start and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him enter Week 1 as the starter due to his experience, which would allow Herbert to develop.

Rivers was a top option in fantasy football for more than a decade, but his replacement is capable of making fantasy owners happy this upcoming season.

Taylor has a couple of things going for him. The first thing is his familairty with coach Anthony Lynn’s system. In both 2015 and 2016 when Taylor and Lynn were on the Bills, the 30-year old threw for over 3,000 yards and 37 combined touchdowns as opposed to just 12 interceptions.

On top of that, Taylor rushed for 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns on 199 carries in both those seasons combined.

The other thing that should benefit Taylor is that the team’s offensive skill players are flooded with talent. Keenan Allen (top-10 WR), Mike Williams (high-upside 20-30 WR), Hunter Henry (top-10 TE), and Austin Ekeler (top-10 RB) should all help make life easier on Taylor in 2020.

Taylor isn’t the perfect passer and is unlikely to surpass 4,000 passing yards, but if he has developed more of a downfield passing element as opposed to his play from recent seasons, along with his ability to limit turnovers and the skill players at his disposal then it will help his case.

Even if Taylor ends up being average as a passer, his rushing ability picks up the slack due to how valuable rushing yards are for fantasy scoring. For example, Bills’ Josh Allen finished as a top-10 quarterback in fantasy despite having the worst completion percentage of any starting quarterback.

It goes to show rushing yards/touchdowns are the most valuable thing a quarterback can do in fantasy. Taylor will have plenty of opportunities to flourish in that area as there will be plenty of zone read and other quarterback option runs in the team’s new offensive scheme.

If Taylor performs well this upcoming well, he presents himself as a solid QB2 or a high-end streaming option in all formats.

Chargers WR K.J. Hill listed as one of NFL’s top instant impact rookie candidates

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver K.J. Hill is out to prove the doubters wrong.

The Chargers entered the draft in need of shoring up the wide receiver room. They drafted Joe Reed in the fifth-round. Two rounds later, they snagged K.J. Hill in a surprising fashion.

Throughout the pre-draft process Hill was tabbed as a high-upside mid-round pick, but an underwhelming 40-yard dash time at the combine pushed him down in a deep wide receiver class.

“Every receiver that got picked before me, watching it, seeing it happen. I’m just taking that as fuel and putting that in the back of my head and remembering it every time I’m on the field, and remembering where I got picked and the guys that got picked before me,” Hill said per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Many couldn’t believe that Hill fell to the seventh-round. However, his landing spot is unlikely to represent the type of production he will put together in the NFL, given his impressive collegiate career.

As a matter of fact, he’s more than likely to outproduce where he was taken. But it wouldn’t be surprising if he does so in his rookie season. USA Today’s Nate Davis believes that he will.

You don’t want to expect too much from a Round 7 selection, but Hill’s got a shot to make his mark with the Bolts, who got almost no production from wide receivers last year aside from starters Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Ohio State’s all-time leader with 201 receptions, Hill certainly has the ability to move the chains on third down while working underneath and could be a guy a conservative QB like Tyrod Taylor might look for.

There are two things that Hill is exceptional at: route-running and catching the football. Both of them are required to excel at the NFL level, and Hill demonstrated them at a high level at Ohio State in his four years, which resulted in becoming the school’s all-time reception leader (201).

His lack of speed or reps outside limits him to slot-only duties, which is where Keenan Allen plays. However, Allen has experience on the outside, which would allow Hill to be on the field at the same time without hindering the rest of the alignment.

Hill’s ability to win underneath would give Tyrod Taylor, who does well connecting on shorter routes, a solid option.

Hill enters training camp in competition for the No. 3 job along with Reed, Andre Patton, Darius Jennings, among others. But the former Buckeye’s skillset and mature makeup should help earn him the third spot, if not, significant playing time in Year 1.