The Los Angeles Chargers will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15. 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 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Justin Herbert, QB
Justin Herbert has dropped back on 121 third downs — none of his 104 passes on those plays have been intercepted (eight touchdowns). This highlights, to me, how valuable he is for the Chargers, even if his fantasy numbers aren’t jumping off the screen.
With Los Angeles overachieving based on expectations, you’d assume that their shot caller has more than five top-15 finishes and better than a QB7 peak.
Josh Allen and Joe Burrow need to put up elite fantasy numbers for their teams to succeed — that’s simply not true for Herbert, and I don’t see that changing over the final month.
Gus Edwards, RB
Gus Edwards had just 10 carries over the weekend against the Chiefs, but a short TD plunge allowed him to save an otherwise forgettable day (36 rushing yards).
Due to a lack of versatility, there’s simply not many paths for Edwards to return RB2 value outside of multiple short scores. His role is safer than a player like Travis Etienne Jr. or Jaylen Warren, but with those two involved in the pass game, I’d rather Flex them this week and moving forward.
J.K. Dobbins, RB
J.K. Dobbins’ fantasy season is over as a knee injury has once again landed him on injured reserve. There’s a chance he is a factor in Los Angeles’ playoff games, and maybe that makes him a sleeper in postseason fantasy formats, but as we come down the stretch, there’s no use in holding Dobbins. Take a flier on a handcuff back or a deep shot receiver that you can slide in if need be over Dobbins.
Kimani Vidal, RB
Kimani Vidal played 52.6% of the snaps on Sunday night, his first game with a snap share over 27%. The field time is good to see, but he still hasn’t recorded more than eight touches in a game this season. That means he can’t be trusted.
Vidal, of course, deserves to be rostered. This is an offense with plenty of potential and plenty of backfield uncertainty. I was encouraged by him running 15 routes against the Chiefs as I believe that is his path to the Flex conversation — Gus Edwards lacks versatility, and we know Jim Harbaugh wants his fate in the hands of Justin Herbert.
Joshua Palmer, WR
This time of year, I get a lot of “I need upside, don’t care about downside … who can I plug-and-play” sort of questions. I get it and I love it. The ability to be real with your expectations of your team is critical when it comes to succeeding at a high level in this game of ours.
I also love these questions because you’re taking all of the faults of a downside out of my hands and allowing me to only look like the hero. By framing the question like that, you’re expecting disaster and looking for me to swoop in.
The answer this week is going to be Joshua Palmer.
He’s been on the field for over 74% of Los Angeles’ offensive snaps in three of his past four games, and his vertical role opens up the door to a WR2 finish. This season, Tampa Bay has a below-average defense when defending deep passes in terms of passer rating, touchdown rate, and interception percentage.
Air yards leaders, Week 14:
- Amari Cooper: 247 yards
- DeAndre Hopkins: 180 yards
- Jordan Addison: 168 yards
- Ja’Marr Chase: 151 yards
- Malik Nabers: 140 yards
- Tyreek Hill: 139 yards
- Palmer: 134 yards
My guess is that you didn’t wake up today and expect to see Palmer’s name on a list like that. There is an obvious risk that comes with this profile (one touchdown catch over the past 365 days), but if you’re throwing caution to the wind, Palmer’s Week 14 best-case scenario ranks among the top 25 at the position.
Let’s see if we can get you a win as a significant underdog!
Ladd McConkey, WR
Ladd McConkey finally sat out last week. The rookie has been battling through a shoulder injury for a month now, and a knee injury late in Week 13 is ultimately what resulted in last week’s DNP.
McConkey was a true game-time decision, which has me putting him on the positive side of questionable as we turn the page to Week 14. The Bolts have lost two of three games after their 7-3 start, but their standing as a Wild Card team isn’t in much danger, so you’ll need to monitor this situation.
There is the possibility that LA rests its clear-cut top offensive playmaker. But if McConkey plays, you play him. He’s proven the ability to win routes in a hurry, and that is the type of skill set that can beat a Bucs defense that creates pressure at the fourth-highest rate when blitzing.
Case in point: Tampa Bay allows the second-most yards per slot target. McConkey is a must-start option at this point in the season and could be the top fantasy WR from the 2024 draft class in 2025 redrafts.
Quentin Johnston, WR
Quentin Johnston has scored seven times in his past 10 games. That’s great, but it’s dangerous to bank on.
Johnston is averaging 26.4 receiving yards over his past five games and has hauled in just 7 of 22 targets (31.8%) over his past 14 quarters. The inefficiencies are partly on him, partly on Justin Herbert, and partly on a 13.6-yard aDOT. Who gets the biggest piece of blame pie can be debated, but with none of them likely to change in the short term, it doesn’t matter for our purposes.
Ladd McConkey sat last week, and Johnston’s role didn’t expand in a significant way. He wasn’t trusted with the slot role at all, and his route diet was within the acceptable range of outcomes for a normal week.
The Buccaneers are a top-10 defense when it comes to slowing deep passes in both completion percentage and yards per attempt. There’s a time and place to roll the dice on Johnston, but this is neither.
Will Dissly, TE
Will Dissly was shut out in Week 13 against the Falcons and left late in the first half over the weekend with a shoulder injury, leaving fantasy managers with very little to show for investing in him after a strong usage month.
I’m fine with moving on. The idea of betting on a good quarterback with an uncertain target hierarchy was sound, but nothing in this profile is impressive enough to overlook the current health concerns.
