Fantasy Football Player Notes
2020 Draft Rankings
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29.
Austin Ekeler
RB - (at KC)
After seeing Ekeler's contract extension this offseason, it seemed a little light for a workhorse, leading many to believe they'd draft a running back early on. They waited until the fourth round to select UCLA's Joshua Kelley, who's a bigger complementary back. The Chargers offense isn't likely going to be as high scoring as it was with Philip Rivers under center, but Ekeler remains the top dog in the backfield. Still, don't just anticipate this offense is going to be as potent, or that he'll have as many scoring opportunities, which is why he's best-suited as a high-end RB2 than an RB1.
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56.
Keenan Allen
WR - (at KC)
Many have underrated Allen for a long time, though it may be time for the tables to turn, as I'm somewhat down on the top-tier route runner. With Tyrod Taylor and/or Justin Herbert under center, the Chargers are not going to be throwing the ball a whole lot. There were nearly 600 targets to go around last year, which could be cut down to around the 500 mark, and that would severely impact Allen's targets. Not just that, but his efficiency is likely to come down with the decline in quarterback play. His talent should help get him into WR2 territory, but I think the days of him being a WR1 are in the rearview mirror.
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80.
Hunter Henry
TE - (at KC)
There are a lot of questions surrounding the Chargers offense as we head into 2020, and the quarterback position is atop the list. No matter who is under center, they're not going to be throwing the ball a lot. Tyrod Taylor has never attempted more than 436 attempts in a season, and Justin Herbert is a rookie who'll go through growing pains. We already saw Henry being somewhat scaled back in this offense last year, as he failed to top 45 yards in each of the last five games. For a guy who's never topped 652 yards in a season and getting a downgrade at quarterback, he has a high draft price, and is likely not going to live up to expectations.
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92.
Mike Williams
WR - (at KC)
If there's one thing I know, it's that Mike Williams is going to miss Philip Rivers throwing him the ball in tight one-on-one situations. Rivers was intercepted an amazing eight times while targeting Williams, which led all wide receivers, and he saw just 90 targets. Tyrod Taylor isn't someone who takes a lot of risks, and if Justin Herbert is put under center, they won't be throwing a whole lot with a rookie quarterback. Williams is a very risky fantasy selection in 2020.
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158.
Justin Jackson
RB - (at KC)
We all watched Raheem Mostert take off during the 2019 season, right? He had tremendous numbers when on the field in his earlier years, just like Jackson, who's averaged 5.14 yards per carry over his career to this point. Jackson is going to be fighting for playing time with fourth-round rookie Joshua Kelley this year trying to earn that Melvin Gordon role. It seems likely that the Chargers want Kelley in that role, but is Jackson good enough for them to change their course? It's a situation to monitor, as this will be a run-heavy team.
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190.
Joshua Kelley
RB - (at KC)
We figured the Chargers might add a running back to replace Melvin Gordon, and it appears Kelley is that guy, though some are torn on whether it's him or Justin Jackson to get the bigger workload. Knowing they invested a fourth-round pick on Kelley, it seems likely that he'll get the first crack at the job. Realistically, it could be a three-headed backfield between them. This won't be the same offense it was with Philip Rivers and we're likely to lose some overall potential from a fantasy perspective. But for now, we should assume that Kelley is the handcuff to Ekeler, even though they're completely different players.
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212.
Los Angeles Chargers
DST - (at KC)
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223.
Tyrod Taylor
QB - (at KC)
Taylor certainly has the potential to be a viable quarterback option in deeper two-quarterback leagues with a soft early schedule, especially with an improved Chargers offensive line. The problem for Taylor is that Los Angeles is almost certainly going to lean on its strong defense and rely on its running game, which isn't a recipe for fantasy production from a quarterback. Even if he does hold off Justin Herbert for the full season, his likely low pass volume should hold his fantasy value in check.
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232.
Michael Badgley
K - (at KC)
Badgley missed the first eight games of the season with a groin injury, but was reliable once he returned. He didn't miss a single field goal from within 45 yards, though he struggled from distance a bit. On a team that should play conservatively and rely on their defense, Badgley should see enough opportunities to warrant consideration in most fantasy leagues.
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317.
Justin Herbert
QB - (at KC)
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429.
K.J. Hill
WR - (at KC)
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447.
Joe Reed
WR - (at KC)
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520.
Darius Jennings
WR - (at KC)
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549.
Virgil Green
TE - (at KC)
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