The Los Angeles Chargers will face the New Orleans Saints in Week 8. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Chargers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Justin Herbert, QB
Per our NFL Week 8 Stats and Insights piece, Herbert became the first QB since Ryan Tannehill (Week 2, 2021) to throw for 345 yards without a touchdown or interception. That’s just a fancy stat to tell you that Herbert had a historically boring fantasy game and that has pretty much been the story of his 2024 season.
This is the most run-centric team in the NFL, and even in a game where they asked their franchise QB to cut it loose, he didn’t produce top-15 numbers. The Saints’ defense is taking on water (26+ points allowed in four straight games), but I expect that to further encourage Jim Harbaugh to attempt to impose his will upon the visitors, not to attack through the air.
Herbert is a talented QB without any path to fantasy upside. In two-QB leagues, I prefer Trevor Lawrence and Drake Maye to him with relative ease.
J.K. Dobbins, RB
Dobbins is healthy, and that’s good to see as we approach the midway point in the season, but his production has fallen off a cliff.
- Weeks 1-2: 27 carries for 266 yards (9.9 YPC)
- Weeks 3-6: 68 carries for 212 yards (3.1 YPC)
Of course, there are two sides to every matchup. As much as Dobbins has struggled, I’d argue that the Saints’ run defense is even more alarming. Javonte Williams scored 26.1 points against them last Thursday, coming on the heels of Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving combining for 52.7 points against them in Week 6.
For the season, New Orleans is allowing the most yards per carry before contact to opposing running backs, a flaw that figures to rear its head at some point in this game given the sheer volume of attempts that they are likely to face.
I think Dobbins provides viable numbers this week, and if I’m right on that, I’d be looking to get out of the Dobbins business.
Ladd McConkey, WR
McConkey entered Week 7 battling a hip injury, but he suited up to face the Cardinals and did what he does. Rookies typically take time when it comes to developing the intricacies of the NFL game, instead relying on their physical gifts — that hasn’t been the case with Los Angeles’ impressive slot receiver.
McConkey has earned at least seven targets in three straight games, making him the most reliable option in this very grounded offense. The 4.7-yard aDOT he posted last week was a career low, and I’d argue that’s good for his fantasy stock. Of course, we’d love to see McConkey stretch the field, but in a conservative offense, the ability to win on shallow routes holds value.
He’s Wan’Dale Robinson, but on a team that I trust to keep more games close and with a more consistent quarterback. McConkey’s skill set isn’t as sexy as the other rookies in this class, but his odds of returning a viable PPR stat line are strong, which is more than we can say about many wide receivers.
Quentin Johnston, WR
Quentin Johnston’s ankle injury cost him Week 7, and for managers holding onto Weeks 2-3, I admire your loyalty. You’re the type of person I want in my bunker of life, but unconditional support like that is going to limit your upside as a fantasy manager more often than not.
This is a run-centric offense with a fluid hierarchy of targets. If I was writing the profile for a stay-away situation, that would be it. Even if you need to target upside and even if Johnston (team-high 13.0-yard aDOT) is deemed to be fully healthy, he’s still not the dart to throw this week against a Saints defense that owns the lowest deep touchdown pass rate of the season.
If you’re swinging for the fences on an all-or-nothing receiver this week, I’d rather take my chances on Cedric Tillman (vs. Ravens) or Jake Bobo (vs. Bills). You can safely cut ties and free yourself of the hassle of trying to project the usage for this passing game.
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers Game Insights
New Orleans Saints
Team: The Saints have lost five straight since starting 2-0. They’re the first team since the 2015 Dallas Cowboys to lose at least five in a row after starting 2-0 (that Cowboys team fell to 2-7 after starting QB Tony Romo was injured in Week 2).
Team: The Saints have won the past 11 games played in Week 8, out-scoring opponents 361-227 (+12.2 PPG) during that run.
QB: In the first two weeks of this season, Derek Carr completed 61.5% of his deep passes with a 113.0 passer rating on such passes. His numbers since (45.4 passer rating and 35% complete) look more like Spencer Rattler than an MVP candidate.
Offense: All the passing game injuries have also killed the running game. Since Week 3, the Saints are averaging 3.1 yards per carry on running back carries, second-worst in the NFL. That includes the third-fewest yards before contact per carry (2.2).
Defense: The Saints have allowed 502 rush yards in the last two games, their most in a two-game span since 1980. For the first time since 2012, New Orleans has given up 200+ rush yards in consecutive games; the last team to allow 200+ rush yards in three straight games was the 2019 Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fantasy: Alvin Kamara has not had a 10-plus-yard carry in three straight games, and over his past four, despite having a pair of rushing touchdowns, the majority (56.9%) of his fantasy points have come as a receiver.
Betting: The Saints have seen 13 of their past 14 games played on extended rest go under the projected total (most recently, Week 5 at Chiefs, a 26-13 loss with a 43.5-point closing total).
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: The average NFL game this season has seen 44.8 points scored – not a single Chargers game has reached 40 points yet.
QB: On Monday night, Justin Herbert became the first QB since Ryan Tannehill (Week 2, 2021) to throw for 345 yards without a touchdown or interception.
Offense: JK Dobbins was the story of the first two weeks this season (27 carries for 266 yards, 9.9 yards per carry), but he has failed to average even 4.0 yards per carry in the four games since, checking in under 3.0 in three of those games.
Defense: Los Angeles allows a score on just 25% of drives this season, the lowest rate in the league and 13 percentage points better than the league average.
Fantasy: The Chargers are amongst the most run-centric offenses, and on Monday night, when they took to the air, the early passes weren’t exactly going to the players on fantasy rosters – Will Dissly and Simi Fehoko saw eight of Justin Herbert’s first 10 targets.
Betting: Seven of Justin Herbert’s last eight home starts have finished under the total, including each of the past four.