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Fantasy Football Target Practice: The 2026 Los Angeles Chargers
Jun 9, 2026Vernon MeighanThe Fantasy Footballers
Getting things ready
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Player mentions
Ladd McConkey
WR · LAC · #waiverwire
...s only] Sep 5, 2025; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) reaches for the pass against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Wat...
Oronde Gadsden
TE · LAC · #general
...yfootballers.com/fantasy/oronde-gadsden-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oronde Gadsden II: The Twin-Engine Seam-Stretchers <li style="font-weight:...
Omarion Hampton
RB · LAC · #general
...asyfootballers.com/fantasy/omarion-hampton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Omarion Hampton : The Dynamic Wide-Zone Engine ...
Tre' Harris
WR · LAC · #general
...t 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre' Harris (9) reacts after making a touchdown catch against the Minnesota Vikings du...
KeAndre Lambert-Smith
WR · LAC · #depthchartchange
...tballers.com/fantasy/keandre-lambert-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KeAndre Lambert-Smith are lingering on the depth chart. If Harris cannot transition from a u...
Brenen Thompson
WR · LAC · #general
Article text
The 2025 Chargers were on the “struggle bus” after early OL losses of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. The offense then prioritized protecting Justin Herbert by adopting a run-heavy approach, but he still got beaten up. Jim Harbaugh’s squad eventually sputtered to a halt, resulting in a bottom-half passing unit (18th) and a dead-last run-blocking unit per PFF (37.7 grade). The Chargers made a massive personnel move during the offseason by firing Greg Roman and replacing him with Mike McDaniel, who was once seen as a mad scientist for engineering the offensive attack. His motion-heavy scheme has the promise of creating space for the team’s plentiful weapons to manifest explosive outcomes. For a QB of Justin Herbert ‘s caliber, this is an oasis in the desert. Our focus is the passing game and the distribution of targets, including 122 vacant ones, primarily in the intermediate areas of the field. With two star tackles returning to the fold, it is easy to dream of nothing but positive regression for this unit. The question for 2026 is simple: How will McDaniel distribute this target pie, and can these pass-catchers actually command elite volume, or will a diluted distribution cap their fantasy ceiling? 1. The Macro View: Projecting the 2026 Passing Game Under Mike McDaniel’s direction, this offense should look wildly different. We can expect every skill-position player to benefit from this highly efficient passing design that marries play-action concepts with a chess-like manipulation of opposing defenses through heavy pre-snap motion. My projection for the 2026 Chargers’ passing offense is as follows: Pass Attempts: 602 Completions: 400 Passing Yards: 4,635 Passing TDs: 29 602 attempts would put the Chargers around the top-5 teams for passing attempts, and this may feel lofty. However, the efficiency boost from McDaniel’s wide-zone play-action sequencing—which isolates linebackers and opens massive horizontal and vertical windows in the middle of the field—should elevate the per-target value of every weapon in this offense while keeping the offense on the field for more opportunities. This breakdown of potential targets will include an optimistic view and a critical one. The optimism is how I really feel, but the critical view is how the upside could fall apart. Let’s look at the intersection between the Chargers’ infrastructure and each player’s capability to project a future look at the passing game. 2. The Targets: Individual Player Breakdowns 2026 Projected Passing Pie: 602 Pass Attempts Ladd McConkey : The Slot/Flanker Alpha Expected Scheme Fit: Slot/Z “Chess Piece” 2026 Projection: 135 Tgts | 22.5% Tgt Share | 91 Recs | 1,201 Rec Yds | 7 TDs | 252 FPts McConkey’s sophomore slump was surely disappointing, given the expectations built on his rookie campaign. His efficiency cratered, and I blame three specific things: the OL, McConkey’s usage, and Keenan Allen . In 2025, his receptions dropped from 82 to 66, his yardage collapsed by 31.3% (from 1,149 to 789), and his Yards Per Route Run (YPRR) fell off a cliff from 2.59 to 1.40. His catchable target rate also dropped to 67.0% due to constant pressure in Herbert’s face. Metric 2024 2025 Difference Receptions 82 66 -16 Receiving Yards 1149 789 -360 TDs 7 6 -1 YPRR 2.59 1.4 -1.19 EPA Per Target 0.577 0.068 -0.509 Explosive Play Rate 13.4% 7.5% -5.9% Catchable Target Rate 79.5% 67.0% -12.5% The Optimism: McConkey’s technical route-running capability still demands special defensive attention; h…