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McConkey failed to build on his rookie momentum, losing target share to Keenan Allen and sinking in efficiency. But Allen’s gone, and new OC Mike McDaniel creates a better path to volume and per-route production. McConkey projects cleanly as a WR2, and his WR20 ADP sits in a draftable range.
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McConkey racked up 66 catches, 789 yards, and 6 TDs in 16 games.
McConkey finished WR29 in total PPR points but just 35th in points per game. He managed only three top-12 fantasy finishes, with five more inside the top-24 and eight outside the top-36.
McConkey’s 64.8% slot rate and 10.5-yard average depth of target mirrored his rookie season.
But Keenan Allen’s return cut into McConkey’s target ceiling. Across 17 shared games, Allen edged him in targets per game, 6.6 to 6.5, and matched him with 15 red-zone looks. Allen also led 79-69 in first-read targets, per Fantasy Points.
Overall, McConkey’s efficiency dropped compared to 2024:
| 2024 | 2025 | |
| Route Rate | 87% | 89% |
| Targets Per Route | 0.228 | 0.181 |
| Yards Per Route | 2.38 | 1.40 |
| PFF Receiving Grade | 81.2 | 69.1 |
| ESPN Receiver Score | 71 | 58 |
| Expected PPR PPG | 12.6 | 12.0 |
| PPR PPG | 14.9 | 11.3 |
The yards per route figure is especially striking; it ranked 38th out of 40 WRs with 80+ targets through Week 17.
One reason: McConkey’s catchable target rate fell from 81% in 2024 to 71% in 2025, even though all of his NFL games have come with Justin Herbert at QB.
The Chargers landed 12th in total yards but only 20th in scoring. The passing game checked in 13th in attempts, 18th in yards, and 11th in TDs.
That’s a decent profile, especially factoring in the tough conditions around Herbert. OTs Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater combined to miss 28 games and factored heavily in the QB seeing a league-high 43.3% pressure rate.
McConkey missed about two weeks of training camp with a calf injury. He returned for Week 1 but battled calf, biceps, foot, and ankle injuries during the season. The 24-year-old was a healthy scratch for Week 18, when the Chargers rested starters.
As a rookie, McConkey missed one game with a knee injury.
Allen’s departure vacates 122 targets from the 2025 offense.
The setup around McConkey suggests the Chargers believe he’s capable of bouncing back. Quentin Johnston returns in an outside role after posting a career-high 14.0 yards per catch last year, but he finished third-worst in a sample of 52 WRs in targets per route run.
Tre Harris holds promise as a second-year Round 2 pick, but his rookie season offered little reason to think he’ll cut into McConkey’s role after 10.8 yards per catch on 32 receptions across 17 games and a 7.4% target share that ranked fifth on the team.
Oronde Gadsden II, David Njoku, and Charlie Kolar give the Chargers TE depth, but they look more like complementary pieces than real threats to McConkey’s role.
Mike McDaniel enters Year 1 as the Chargers’ play-caller.
McDaniel’s Miami units ranked 10th, seventh, ninth, and 21st in neutral pass rate, not far from the Chargers’ two 14th-place finishes under Greg Roman.
McDaniel’s scheme could also unlock more efficient usage for McConkey. Per Ryan Heath of Fantasy Points, McConkey ran just 9.9% of his routes from sets with fewer than three WRs last year, compared with 46% for Jaylen Waddle in Miami. More work in 1- and 2-WR sets would reduce his target competition.
That mattered in 2025, when the Chargers ranked third in dropback rate with 3+ WRs (81%). Miami, by contrast, finished with the fourth-lowest rate at 53%.
McConkey’s ceiling hinges on two things:
Our current projections place McConkey at WR21 in PPR ceiling, two spots higher than his rank in 3D Value.
McConkey took a clear step back in Year 2, failing to separate from 33-year-old Keenan Allen. There’s a chance he settles in as just the team’s best WR rather than its clear leader, which would mean a smaller target share and more limited production.
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Can Ladd McConkey Regain His 2024 Form?
Can Ladd McConkey Regain His 2024 Form?
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper writes that Chargers WR Ladd McConkey is “poised to return to his 2024 levels of production.” McConkey racked up 82 catches, 1,149 yards, and 7 TDs in 2024, good for a WR18 finish in PPR points per game.
Ladd McConkey Has Missed Time With Hamstring Injury
Ladd McConkey Has Missed Time With Hamstring Injury
Chargers WR Ladd McConkey revealed Tuesday that he's missed time this offseason with a left hamstring injury. He expects to be ready for the start of training camp in late July. "There's no reason to rush it and really push it and then have another setback and then you bleed into training camp," McConkey said.
Chargers Looking For New OC
Chargers Looking For New OC
The Chargers fired OC Greg Roman. The offense was disappointing this season, but an injury-wrecked offensive line was a much bigger culprit than Roman's scheme or play-calling. The Chargers lost LT Rashawn Slater to a season-ending torn patellar tendon in August and then watched RT Joe Alt go down with his own season-ending ankle injury in Week 9. Los Angeles finished bottom two in Pro Football Focus' run- and pass-blocking grades and ESPN's run- and pass-blocking win rates. QB Justin Herbert was pressured on a league-high 43.6% of his dropbacks. We'll see who the Chargers tab to replace Roman. But the offensive line should be much better in 2026 with better health. With Herbert, plus RB Omarion Hampton, WRs Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Tre Harris, and TE Oronde Gadsden, this is a prime bounce-back offense to target in fantasy drafts.
Chargers Resting Justin Herbert for Week 18
Chargers Resting Justin Herbert for Week 18
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh announced Monday that QB Justin Herbert won't play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos. The Chargers sit tied with Houston and Buffalo at 11-5, so there's some potential mobility to their seed with Week 18 results. But Harbaugh has clearly decided that getting Herbert -- and potentially others -- healthier for the playoffs matters more than the difference between the No. 5 and No. 7 seeds.
Ladd McConkey Remains a Problem
Ladd McConkey Remains a Problem
We knew the matchup wasn't good for WR Ladd McConkey, with the Chargers facing the Texans in Week 17. But McConkey drew a season-low two targets despite his team quickly falling behind. He still led the team at 39 routes -- five ahead of his nearest teammate -- but four others drew more targets.
See whether Ladd McConkey is available in your leagues.
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