Fantasy Football News

Former Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel has officially joined the Los Angeles Chargers as the team's new OC. McDaniel was previously linked to L.A. but was still entertaining potential HC openings. We expected this deal to be finalzied after McDaniel withdrew his name from Cleveland's HC search and canceled an interview with the Bills last Friday. McDaniel's hiring looks promising for a Chargers' offense that is stacked with young talent but was ravaged by injuries in 2025.

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.

The Chargers went understandably run heavy in Monday night's OT win over the Eagles. They had QB Justin Herbert just a week removed from surgery for a fracture in his left hand, plus they got rookie RB Omarion Hampton back for the first time since Week 5 (ankle injury). But the final tally of 38 team rushes to just 26 pass attempts obscures the true play breakdown. Herbert ran a season-high 10 times for the game, but that included a season-high eight scrambles vs. just two designed runs. Those designed rushes didn't come until the Chargers' final possession of regulation and then their first of OT. And that fourth-quarter carry was actually designed to go to Vidal. Herbert decided to keep it after seeing a pair of defenders disrupt the blocking.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert (hand) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Eagles. He was limited in practice all week, working with a significant brace on that injured left hand. Herbert, Chargers coaches, and national insiders have all been optimistic about Herbert's chances of starting against Philadelphia. We're fully expecting him to play but would not use him in 1-QB fantasy lineups with the injury and a matchup against the league's sixth-ranked QB defense.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert (hand) won't practice on Wednesday but will participate in the walkthrough, HC Jim Harbaugh said. The team remains uncertain whether Herbert will be able to play vs. the Eagles on Monday night. We don't expect to have a good idea of his availability for that one until the weekend -- and potentially not until Monday. Fantasy owners should not be planning on starting Herbert this week. Between the injury and matchup with Philadelphia's sixth-ranked QB defense, Herbert would be a shaky play even if he suits up.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert had surgery to repair the fracture in his left hand on Monday. “Herbert’s return to play is considered day-to-day, and his status for next Monday’s game against Philadelphia will be determined later in the week," the team said in a statement. We'll keep a close eye on Herbert's status leading up to the Monday nighter. We're tentatively expecting him to play, but he'd be a risky fantasy play with the injury and in the matchup against the Eagles' 10th-ranked QB defense.

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston (hamstring) is "trending toward" missing today's game vs. the Dolphins, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Johnston was limited in practice all week, so this doesn't look like a multi-week injury. But he should be on fantasy benches for Week 6. Johnston has accounted for 22.0% of Chargers targets, 21.7% of catches, 32.0% of receiving yards, and 50.0% of receiving TDs through five weeks, so this is a big loss. Justin Herbert is moving a couple of spots down the Week 6 QB rankings but remains a solid start against a leaky Miami secondary. WRs Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey should see more volume with Johnston out. Rookie WR Tre Harris has been operating as Los Angeles clear No. 4 WR the last four weeks and is the favorite to soak up most of Johnston's snaps today. He'd be a desperation start in season-long leagues but might be worth stashing in you have a bench spot to play with. Harris is also in play for daily tournament lineups.

The Chargers are placing RB Omarion Hampton on IR for the left ankle injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Commanders. That means Hampton will miss at least the next four games. We'll watch for further details on his expected return timeline.

Chargers LT Rashawn Slater was carted off the field with a leg injury on Thursday, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, suffered a ruptured patella tendon, ending his season.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for 284 yards and a pair of TDs in Thursday night's win over the Broncos. The yards were his most since Week 11. Herbert completed 23 of 31 passes (74%) and averaged 9.2 yards per attempt against a quality Denver defense. Most importantly, he looked healthy again after suffering ankle and thigh injuries in Week 14. Herbert was mobile inside the pocket and ran for 28 yards on eight carries.