Chargers WR Mike Williams missed practice for a 3rd straight day Thursday, with the back injury he suffered in the Week 18 loss to the Broncos. He is officially questionable for Saturday's game against the Jaguars and sure doesn't look like a great bet based on his practice schedule. We've seen Williams go later in recent full-playoffs drafting. WR Josh Palmer, however, has not risen at the same time. He looks like an attractive option across playoff fantasy football formats this week.

Chargers WR Mike Williams (back) was listed as a DNP on Wednesday for the 2nd day in a row. HC Brandon Staley shared on Tuesday that the veteran is considered day-to-day and that Williams will practice at some point this week. We'll continue to monitor his name on the injury report in advance of Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Jaguars.

Chargers WR Mike Williams (back) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice report. It'll be important to see if he's able to practice tomorrow ahead of Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Jaguars. We'll keep an eye on this storyline as more information becomes available.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley said Monday that the MRI on WR Mike Williams' injured back showed no fracture or muscle injury, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Staley added that the "indication" given to him is that Williams will be ready for Saturday night's game against the Jaguars. We'll certainly be tracking his status through the week.

Chargers WR Mike Williams was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos due to back spasms, according to ESPN's Lindsey Thiry. X-rays and an MRI on his back came back clean, a source tells Thiry, and Williams is expected to be available for next weekend's Wild Card game vs. the Jaguars. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears, though, that Williams is scheduled for additional testing on Monday. We'll keep you updated on his status.

Chargers WR Mike Williams injured his back in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos and is questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert (left shoulder) practiced fully again on Thursday. This injury to Herbert's non-throwing shoulder seems unlikely to prevent him from playing in Week 18 vs. the Broncos. We'll check in on Herbert again tomorrow just in case.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert (left shoulder) practiced fully on Wednesday. It seems the third-year signal-caller isn't at any risk of sitting out Week 18 vs. the Broncos. We'll be sure to track this on the off chance something changes.

If the Bengals beat the Ravens -- and they're currently 7-point favorites -- in the early slate of games on Sunday, the Chargers will clinch the AFC's #5 seed and have nothing to play for vs. the Broncos in the late slate. And it sure sounds like there's a chance that HC Brandon Staley will rest starters in that case. "Once we find out about that game, then we'll make the appropriate decisions moving forward," Staley said Wednesday. The Chargers are notably 2.5-point underdogs right now, suggesting the oddsmakers are at least baking in some chance of starters not playing. We'll continue to keep an eye on the situation, but guys like QB Justin Herbert, RB Austin Ekeler and WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams carry elevated risk in Week 18 fantasy lineups.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley plans to play starters in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. A win would lock up the AFC's #5 seed for the Chargers, meaning a Round 1 game vs. the Jaguars or Titans. A loss would open the door for the Ravens to take the #5 seed with a win over the Bengals. That'd push the Chargers down to #6 and mean a Round 1 game vs. Cincinnati. “Our approach is definitely going to get shot to win this ballgame and play as well as we can play heading into the playoffs,” Staley said. “I think that there’s certainly an advantage to be in the No. 5-seed, from where I stand, so we’re going to try and get there.” Staley did add that he'd consider sitting banged-up players. But, as of now, we're projecting full playing time for QB Justin Herbert, RB Austin Ekeler and WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for just 212 yards in Sunday's win over the Rams. It was a fairly efficient outing, though, with lower passing volume than usual. Herbert threw just 28 times, his fewest of the season and 14.3 fewer than his per-game average entering the week. Herbert completed 21 (75%) and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt. The 2 TDs marked a big improvement over the previous 4 games, though, doubling his TD total for that span. It was just Herbert's 7th multi-TD game of the year. He'll close out the regular season against a Denver defense that's been toughest in the league on QB scoring.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler ran for 122 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's win over the Rams. Ekeler carried just 10 times for the game, adding 4 catches for 39 yards. The team also mixed in RB Joshua Kelley for 9 carries and RB Larry Rountree for 10. Rountree's use came in the 2nd half, perhaps motivated by a knee issue that limited Ekeler to start the practice week. The Chargers finish the regular season at Denver. Ekeler went for limited yardage -- 83 total on 14 carries and 16 targets -- in the 1st meeting. That came back in Week 6, though, against a much different Broncos defense.

The Chargers plan to activate EDGE Joey Bosa (groin) from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams, HC Brandon Staley told reporters Friday, according to NFL Network's Bridget Condon. Getting Bosa back can certainly only help the defense, but he hasn't played since Week 3. So it'll be tough to trust Bosa in IDP lineups right away. We won't be adding him to the Week 17 IDP rankings.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (knee) fully participated in practice on Friday and doesn't carry an injury tag for Week 17 vs. the Rams. The Chargers have already clinched a playoff berth and don't have a ton to play for this week. As such, we can't really say how much involvement Ekeler or the other key starters will have vs. the Rams. But unless we have reason to believe his work will be limited, fantasy managers can trust Ekeler as a bonafide RB1 as they have all season. Keep your ear to the ground for any whispers to suggest he'll be lightly utilized just in case.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (knee) logged limited participation again on Thursday. A full practice on Friday would inspire hope for the veteran's ability to play in Week 17 vs. the Rams. We'll check back in on this tomorrow in case something changes.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (knee) was listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday. Check back tomorrow for updates regarding his status ahead of Week 17 vs. the Rams.

As expected, Chargers S Derwin James won't be suspended for the hit that got him ejected from Monday night's win over the Colts. The play did put him -- as well as WR Ashton Dulin -- into the concussion protocol, though. So James will have to pass through that before getting back onto the field. We'll see whether he can do so ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for just 235 yards on 24-of-31 passing in Monday night's win at Indianapolis. It was his lowest yardage total since Week 10 (at San Francisco) and his 2nd-fewest attempts of the season. L.A. leaned run over a 2nd half it controlled. Herbert dropped back 22 times vs. 12 designed runs in the 1st half. For the game, he logged just 5 more dropbacks (36) than team run plays (31). We'd bet on a Week 17 rebound in passing volume against a Rams defense that sits 7th in Football Outsiders' run-defense DVOA and 21st against the pass.

Chargers WR Keenan Allen dominated the receiving work in Monday night's win over the Colts. He racked up 11 catches for 104 yards on 14 targets, 45.2% of the team's total pass attempts. WR Mike Williams and RB Austin Ekeler tied for 2nd with 4 targets apiece on a limited passing night. Williams caught all 4 for 76 yards. The Chargers get a home date with the Rams in Week 17, a matchup that has been near-neutral for WR scoring on the year.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler scored both of his team's TDs in Monday night's win over the Colts. He logged his 2nd most carries of the season (18) for 67 yards (3.7 per rush), adding 4 catches for 12 yards among 4 targets. RB Joshua Kelley chimed in 9 carries for 33 yards and a 9-yard reception. Ekeler has now drawn double-digit carries in 4 straight games, the 1st stretch this year that has seen him do so. A Week 17 meeting with the Rams holds a defense that has played the run tougher than the pass, but that has been true of the past 3 opponents as well. Ekeler, of course, shouldn't be a candidate to sit out of your Week 17 fantasy football lineups.