Fantasy Football News

The Chargers have downgraded WR Mike Williams from questionable to out for Saturday night's game against the Jaguars, because of the back injury he suffered in Week 18 against the Broncos. That boosts the outlook for Chargers WRs Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter, who have each moved up our WR rankings for the week. HC Brandon Staley has taken a lot of flak this week for the way he handled starters in a game his team didn't need. But he at least did coaches everywhere a service by clearly reminding everyone why you rest key players in those situations. We'll see about Williams' status for Round 2, if the Chargers advance.

Chargers WR DeAndre Carter (illness) is active for today’s game vs. the Falcons. He was added to the injury report on Friday and listed as questionable, but Carter should be ready to operate as Los Angeles’ #2 WR today with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen out.

Chargers WR Keenan Allen (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Falcons. He suffered a setback with that hamstring while training over the bye week and didn't practice at all this week. Allen said he's not returning until he's back to 100%, so consider him iffy for Week 10. WR Mike Williams (ankle) is also out for Sunday's game, while WR DeAndre Carter was added to the injury report on Friday and is listed as questionable with an illness. We'll see if he's able to suit up come Sunday. Josh Palmer should lead Chargers WRs in targets against Atlanta's 31st-ranked WR defense. Los Angeles' other healthy WRs are Michael Bandy and Jason Moore. WRs Joe Reed, John Hightower and Keelan Doss are on the practice squad. RB Austin Ekeler and TE Gerald Everett also project for strong volume this weekend.

The Chargers expect WR Mike Williams to miss a "minimum" of 4 weeks with his high-ankle sprain, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. That's a typical timeline for this injury. Williams gets a Week 8 bye but figures to miss at least the next 3 games vs. the Falcons, 49ers and Chiefs. We'd still try to keep him stashed on fantasy benches as a late-season asset. Williams' absence will leave Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter as Los Angeles' top 3 WRs.

Chargers WR Mike Williams drew 13 targets in Sunday's win over the Browns. That marked a 38.2% share of Justin Herbert pass attempts. He turned them into 10 catches for 134 yards. Williams' numbers topped his nearest teammates by 7 targets, 6 receptions and 101 yards. WR Keenan Allen remained out with his hamstring injury. That left WR Joshua Palmer to rank 2nd with 6 targets. DeAndre Carter slipped back to 3rd in playing time among Chargers wideouts and drew only 2 looks.

Chargers WR Joshua Palmer (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns. He managed limited practices all week. We'll check his status Sunday morning. If Palmer's good to go, then Keenan Allen's continued absence -- he'll miss a 3rd straight game with his hamstring injury -- leaves room for plenty of upside. If Palmer can't go or is limited, then DeAndre Carter will be worth a look in deep leagues and DFS formats.