Ladd McConkey vs Josh Jacobs

“A top‑12 finish is well within reach, giving him legitimate league‑winning upside in year two.” – Lawrence Iacona ( The Architect’s War Room ) “We could take the more obvious route and say Emeka Egbuka or Ladd McConkey .”

“Full disclosure: I like Ladd McConkey . I also think Justin Herbert is prime for an MVP-caliber season.”

“The second-year WR is being grouped into the “elite” Chargers WR conversation alongside Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston by HC John Harbaugh.”

“20 come from two buckets: Hyper-specified role players (Stefon Diggs, Rashee Rice) Guys with other top 24 or strong ancillary target competition (Both Rams WRs, Jameson Williams, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Quentin Johnston with Ladd McConkey/Keenan Allen) You may notice there’s one guy on this list who fits in neither, and it’s Thundering Herd legend Christian Watson (shout out to NDSU).”

“That leaves a sizable hole in the offense, and McConkey should be the biggest beneficiary of those vacated targets.”

“Ladd McConkey is my bet for Herbert’s pass-catcher who will benefit the most from better health along the offensive line.”

“After working through it, the analyst landed on preferring McConkey over Tate, citing more confidence in McConkey’s current quarterback situation and offensive environment, along with an already-strong rookie season once his playoff performance is factored in.”

“With Allen no longer on the team, this opens up the opportunity for McConkey to emerge as Justin Herbert's clear top receiver and demand an elite target share. There's a clear path to him earning 150+ targets and hauling in 100+ receptions.”

“There's no denying Ladd McConkey was a massive fantasy disappointment last season. He saw a drop from 15.1 PPR points per game as a rookie down to 11.3.”

“Ladd at ADP 34 is a steep price for a role that could be more complicated than the market is admitting. The Chargers added David Njoku, Charlie Kolar, and Alec Ingold, which points to more 12 & 21 personnel, and that matters for a player who ran 64.0% of his routes from the slot.”

“McConkey's CTCH% dropped from 73% to 62% year-over-year, and that drop, combined with a lower YPC, made a substantial difference in his performance. Much of this can be attributed to the offensive line injuries and subsequent pocket pressure that QB Justin Herbert faced much of the season. Herbert was pressured on 45% of McConkey's targets, and his catchable targets dropped by 10 percentage points. Bringing back a fully healthy offensive line and drafting four additional linemen (including the #1 ranked Center in the class) should make a big difference for this offensive unit.”

“Despite a gaffe-riddled rookie year, QJ showed marginal development in his second season, and Ladd McConkey looked like one of the steals of the draft in 2024. Then Allen, who departed for a one-year sabbatical in Chicago in 2024, returned to Los Angeles for his swan song and mucked the whole thing up! Or did he? The narrative in the fantasy football community has been that Keenan Allen NERFed Ladd McConkey's 2025 numbers, but further analysis shows there were several other factors at play.”

“Josh Jacobs (RB – GB) Going as the RB14, 21st overall, Jacobs is projected for 289 carries, 1,161 rushing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns, plus another 36 catches and roughly one receiving touchdown. Health was the story that took some shine off last season, as a knee bruise and thigh injury limited him over the second half.”

“Josh Jacobs was involved in an offseason domestic incident that is reportedly still under investigation, though no charges have been filed.”

“Round 6: Josh Jacobs (RB – GB) I’m a bit skeptical of Josh Jacobs because of his off-the-field issues, but if he’s on the field, he’ll get plenty of carries and catch around 40 passes.”

“1 | Diff: +5 Josh Jacobs has been the RB8 and RB9 in fantasy points per game during his two seasons in Green Bay.”

“31 10 21 James Cook 13 5 8 Josh Jacobs 7 15 -8 Saquon Barkley 2 13 -11 Bucky Irving 10 33 -23 In past years, so many top RBs have gotten hurt that the Zero (or hero) RB draft strategies have become popular.”

“Running Back For the RB1 cutoff, one analyst goes as deep as Josh Jacobs around RB15, while the other draws the line one tier earlier at Derrick Henry.”

“Josh Jacobs (RB – GB) Josh Jacobs finds himself in a similar situation to Saquon Barkley, but for very different reasons. Unlike Barkley, who has a new offensive coordinator and is on a team primed to bounce back from top to bottom, Jacobs finds himself in a very similar situation to last season.”

“The swift decline in Josh Jacobs' market value has everything to do with the legal cloud hanging over him. He was arrested in late May on domestic violence allegations. While he was later released, prosecutors say the investigation is still ongoing.”

“With starting running back Josh Jacobs entering his age-28 stride, and also being the alleged perpetrator of domestic violence, Lloyd may finally get a shot to play meaningful snaps for the Packers.”

“Josh Jacobs might be the biggest value in early fantasy football drafts. Despite finishing as a productive fantasy back last season, Jacobs is currently being drafted outside the top 12 running backs in many formats. The case is simple: Green Bay trusts Jacobs near the goal line, he remains heavily involved as an early-down runner, and his receiving floor is underrated.”

“Josh Jacobs at 299 [college touches] is one of only two other backs who had fewer than 400 college touches and were first-round picks.”

“Josh Jacobs' legal situation makes things a bit cloudy for the upcoming season, but it's never a bad thing to stockpile running backs.”