Ladd McConkey vs Kyren Williams

“But with Roman replaced by Mike McDaniel, we should expect McConkey to finish closer to his rookie season, when he averaged 2.6 YPRR.”

“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.”

“Kyren Williams remains one of the most reliable running backs in fantasy football. He had 1,252 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season.”

“The Rams have one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL, and Williams handled 63% of the red zone rushing attempts last year. Williams has been an RB1 for three years running, and yet he is in a tier with guys who are RB2’s.”

“The expectation was that Corum would eat into Kyren Williams ‘ workload with the potential to eventually take over the backfield”

“In 2025, however, Williams started to see his role reduced with backfield mate Blake Corum earning more touches. In 2023 and 2024, Kyren Williams had Opportunity Shares of 78.4% and 82.8%.”

“If we do see some natural regression and balance in passing-to-rushing scores, Kyren Williams should be the bet to benefit. Williams played 69.2% of the snaps in the red zone and out-touched Blake Corum 58 to 26 in that area.”

“Kyren Williams slotted behind Omarion Hampton and only barely ahead of Jeremiyah Love is, frankly, scandalous. Williams is entering his age-26 season, so he certainly isn’t cooked.”

“Round 3: Kyren Williams (RB – LAR) Kyren Williams was the counter-pick, a player who’s kept sliding further down draft boards each offseason despite finishing as a top-10 running back in fantasy points per game last year. Much of the hesitation traces back to a well-known backfield split with a rookie teammate, but the full-season split was closer to 65-35 in Williams’ favor, not the even split many assume.”

“You can likely snag him in the fifth or even sixth round. There, you are landing a player who has finished as the RB10, RB10, and RB2 in fantasy points per game since 2023. If you're still on the fence, know that Williams gets one of the five easiest schedules for running backs.”

“Kyren Williams catches a lot of flak, but much of it seems unwarranted. All the guy does is produce. He has three straight seasons of at least 1,100 rushing yards, 30-plus receptions, and 13 touchdowns. And yet, he's sitting all the way down at RB22 in dynasty rankings.”

“For the fourth straight season, there is a clear runway for Kyren to have another top 10 finish along with 10-plus touchdowns.”

“Corum only had one game above 40 percent of the snaps. Even with this stretch, Williams remained the lead back and was heavily relied on in the playoffs.”

“In points per game, he was two slots lower at RB11, averaging 15.5 points per outing. Williams does add a bit of production in the pass-catching game, which is a plus because Blake Corum doesn't catch the ball. However, when it comes to running the ball, Corum looked like the better option many times.”