Ladd McConkey
vs Malik Nabers

“Jason thinks Ladd McConkey ’s injury was the final straw for the Chargers’ offense through their first two games but expects them to “bounce forward,” but not all the way back. Andy is more pessimistic about their rest-of-season outlook. The Chargers are the second team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games by double digits with both coming at home against teams that had a sub-.200 win pct the previous season.”

“McConkey played only 45.2% of the snaps last week and saw an 11.1% target share while dealing with a rib injury, which helps explain why we are getting him at just 6.34% pOwn. Add on the Chargers are the NFL’s biggest letdown in 2026, and there is reason for concern. The matchup is the reason to buy the dip, as BUF has allowed the sixth-most yards per target and eighth-most fantasy points per target to slot WRs.”

“Through two games, Ladd McConkey has been underwhelming. Yes, his rib injury is part of the entire equation, but the entire Chargers offense has been a rollercoaster so far. Last week, despite having a 45.2% snap share, he had a 67.7% route share.”

“The reason McConkey was limited to only 18 routes was that he left the game early after getting lit up. His absence tanked the offense. Looking into what really went wrong for the Chargers, and when McConkey went out things fell off a cliff On/Off McConkey splits per @NextGenStats On: 8.9 Yards per pass Off: 3.9 Yards per pass On: 0.12 EPA/Play Off: -0.61 EPA/Play Whole different offense — Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 14, 2026 Quentin Johnston corralled two of his six targets for 17 scoreless yards on 27 routes, tying with Tre’ Harris for the team lead in routes.”

“Hampton was Andy’s start of the week, and Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey are must-starts against the Cardinals’ defense.”

“He’s the No. 1 receiver for Justin Herbert , and now Mike McDaniel is the offensive coordinator for the team. Last season, when Keenan Allen wasn’t on the field, Ladd McConkey led the Chargers in target share at 20%.”

“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.”

“He is coming off his best game of the season, but let’s be honest with ourselves here: going into the week, you would have loved to be fielding offers for Nabers with the situation the Giants’ offense was facing and the different injuries Nabers was dealing with as well. Now he has his big game, and lets not revert back to holding again, lets take our blessing and sell, sell, sell. I would look to grab someone like a Tetairoa McMillan who just had a monster game, but could easily fool owners into a sell-high situation himself.”

“Here’s the thing: Malik Nabers is not back to full health yet. He’s near the bottom of the league in separation score this season and is sitting behind Isaiah Likely in target share. With every passing week, Nabers should be inching closer to his old self.”

“As a result of Winston getting back to slinging it, Malik Nabers had six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, and Isaiah Likely had seven receptions for 66 scoreless yards on 12 targets. Winston’s showing provides gamers with hope for Nabers and Likely. That said, it may be best to use this as a selling window for Nabers.”

“Winston was trying to keep it simple by going to his first read at the seventh-highest rate, and even though Malik Nabers was the first read on 37% of plays, it counted for nothing because of the poor weather and the crowded area the ball was thrown into. We have to face the fact that this could be another lost season for Nabers, who hasn’t yet reached 10 half-PPR points in any game. The Cardinals’ pass defense ranks 30th in EPA allowed and has given up the 12th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to wide receivers.”

“If you drafted Nabers expecting a weekly WR1, there is plenty of reason to panic. I’m not selling him for scraps, and I’m not outright dropping him, but he’s fallen into risky FLEX territory. On the plus side, the Giants have three favorable matchups coming up.”

“Nabers was targeted on four occasions in the loss , missing a handful of snaps due to – what later turned out to be – a dislocated shoulder…and this is what concerns me way more than who happens to be throwing the former first-round pick the ball for the rest of the year. With Dart out, you could be forgiven for proclaiming this an already lost season for John Harbaugh’s men – so would it be crazy to suggest they may just shut down their star WR to save any more damage being done for little to no gain?”

“Stack Idea: Dart + Nabers + Kyren + Mevis Malik Nabers $13,500 Nabers is my lower-owned CPT alternative, as I currently have him at just under 10%. He caught six passes for 69 yards in his return last week, and his projected CPT ownership is less than half Dart’s. I want some lineups where the Giants’ biggest receiving performance belongs to Nabers, with Dart collecting the passing points in FLEX.”

“Nabers ran a route on 24 of those 36 snaps and quickly commanded nine targets.”