Thursday Night Football this week may only feature a few viable names, but every fantasy football decision matters in a big way this time of year!
The Los Angeles Chargers fantasy preview dives into the value of their primary weapons with Justin Herbert sidelined, while the Las Vegas Raiders fantasy outlook is centered around their receiving corps.
TNF Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
- Spread: Raiders -3
- Total: 34
- Chargers implied points: 15.5
- Raiders implied points: 18.5
Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers
Word came out Tuesday afternoon that Justin Herbert opted for finger surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Tough break for a promising young talent and an even tougher blow for fantasy managers invested in this offense.
I’ve posted content this week breaking down the Week 15 QB streamers as well as a fantasy playoff outlook for Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers
It was good to see Austin Ekeler bounce back against the Denver Broncos — 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown — but this offense has scored 23 total points over their past three games and will be turning to Easton Stick for the remainder of the season.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Moving to Stick is a downgrade, and while Ekeler has slipped outside of my top-10 RBs this week, I’m still playing him in all formats due to his versatility. He has seen at least six targets in six of his past nine games, a level of involvement that I think is sustainable.
While I think his floor is enough to land him in lineups, the ceiling isn’t that of a week-winner. He’s averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry and just 3.5% of his touches have finished in the end zone (down from 6.5% in his previous two seasons), a rate that figures to decline even further with Stick playing QB.
Joshua Kelley, RB, Chargers
There were whispers entering Week 14 that Joshua Kelley’s number may be called more given Ekeler’s efficiency woes, but nothing came of it as he handled just three carries for six yards against Denver.
There are a handful of handcuff/backup running backs that are worth rostering at this point — Jordan Mason, Rico Dowdle, and Chase Brown to name a few — but Kelley is not on that list.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders
A late knee injury has Josh Jacobs’ status in question for the 5-8 Raiders, and with the soon-to-be-26-year-old RB on a one-year expiring contract, how motivated do we think he will be to push himself to the finish line?
He was struggling against the Minnesota Vikings before his injury — 13 carries for 34 yards — reinforcing a low floor that we’ve seen pop up at times this season. If you think the Raiders end up winning this game and we get a clean bill of health before kickoff, Jacobs should be viewed as an RB2 as he has a RB13 average positional finish in Vegas’ past four wins.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah are the secondary options who will fill the void if Jacobs is ruled out. In that instance, White projects as the favorite to get the early-down work while Abdullah figures to hold the edge in the passing game — but how valuable is a split role in the 28th-ranked scoring offense?
Should Jacobs sit, I’ll have Abdullah just over White, but neither will end up in my top 30 at the position against a Chargers run defense that has quietly improved over the past month.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers
Welcome to the “we are great receivers but don’t have much help under center” club, Mr. Keenan Allen! We meet weekly and throw a party — it’s the only consistently above-average thing being thrown the participants’ way weekly, so we go all out.
Ja’Marr Chase has the gumbo connection, DeAndre Hopkins has us covered with barbecue, and Garrett Wilson likes to bring his black-and-white cookies, even though he ends up eating the majority of them.
Adam Thielen is big on supplying mimosas and bloody marys, so there’s never a lack of drinks to power through these rough weekends. Can we count on you for some of that Los Angeles Cobb salad?
Even against a defense that is fifth-worst in terms of completion percentage, Allen would have been no better than a low-end WR2 this week. The veteran receiver had a 50% catch rate last week after hauling in 73.9% of his looks this season.
With him being ruled OUT for this game, this pass game takes another hit and any increase in value gained from an extra target or two is offset about a lowered team expectation when it comes to the ability to move the ball.
Joshua Palmer, WR, Chargers
The window was opened last week for Joshua Palmer — who had 7+ targets in each of his past four healthy games — to return from injured reserve, and now he is gearing up to return for an offense with little hope.
Palmer is a nice player and should walk right into the WR2 role in this offense given the lack of consistent development from Quentin Johnston, but after you adjust this offense for Stick playing QB and hand out targets to Ekeler, Allen, and the tight end position, what’s left?
Palmer move inside of my top 50 receivers this week following the Allen news and is my favorite Charger receiver, but that doesn’t make him worth your while this week. Quentin Johnston hauled in a 57-yard pass last week (he hadn’t had that many yards in an entire game prior), but his inability to earn targets on a consistent basis is my primary concern. I don’t mind the idea of rostering him to see if his usage spikes over the final month, but you’re adding and praying as opposed to rostering him with any realistic expectations.
Davante Adams, WR, Raiders
Seven catches for 53 yards isn’t a big game by any means, but in a game in which your team gets shut out, Davante Adams delivered something of a best-case scenario last week against the Vikings.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Adams has seen 40 targets over his past four games with a trio of 30-yard catches over that run. It’s unlikely that he will produce at the level over the final month that you wanted from him this summer when you drafted him highly, but things are moving in the right direction, and he gets a team that easily ranks in the bottom quarter of the league in yards-per-pass.
You’re playing Adams, even if the ceiling isn’t all that high. View our free PFN Start/Sit Optimizer though to see exactly whether or not you should start Adams over the other options you have on your roster.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Raiders
I’m encouraged by his 85% catch rate over his past four games, but with the volume trending down, and the quality of looks also being a major question, Jakobi Meyers has fallen outside of my top 30 (he’s finished outside of the top 35 in three of those four games).
A handful of catches is a reasonable projection, and that can be enough to slide him into your Flex spot if you’re desperate, but with limited scoring equity as a secondary target in an offense that has cleared 21 points once this season — there’s more risk than reward in this profile.
Gerald Everett and Donald Parham Jr., TE, Chargers
Week 14 was the Gerald Everett show in terms of playing time (a 46-15 edge in snaps and 34-12 in routes) and that is encouraging. At different points this season, the TE situation for the Chargers has been an even split where Donald Parham’s role in the red zone made him the preferred fantasy option.
After seeing this usage, Everett is the Los Angeles TE I’m most comfortable streaming, but you can do better. He’s my TE19 this week, ranking behind Hunter Henry and Tyler Conklin, two widely available options.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
