Palmer's stock on the rise?

Per Gilbert Manzano of the Los Angeles Daily News, Bolts WR Josh Palmer has “proved” he’s “destined to be a top playmaker for [Justin] Herbert in 2022.” We’d call that phrasing a bit aggressive. Still, Palmer came out of the draft as a winner, as L.A. opted against adding a WR. Following a 33-353-4 line as a rookie, the 22-year-old is an enticing late-round flier in deep formats.

The Chargers ran Josh Palmer as their 3rd WR in Tuesday's opening practice of mandatory minicamp, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. That puts him ahead of Jalen Guyton, who spent 2021 beating the then-rookie in playing time. Guyton was also reportedly working as a punt-team gunner Tuesday for the 1st time since joining the team. That could be another signal of a lighter offensive role for Guyton. Palmer has stood well ahead of Guyton as the 3rd Chargers WR in ADP throughout draft season. He's a decent option at low-WR6 ADP -- and a good addition to Justin Herbert teams.

The Athletic's Daniel Popper believes rookie Josh Palmer has a "stranglehold" on the Chargers' #3 WR job. "The Chargers found a smart and savvy pro-ready player in Palmer," Popper writes. "Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson provide more speed than Palmer. But I expect Palmer to see more playing time based on his production this summer." The 3rd-round rookie had a nice debut in the preseason opener, catching 6 balls for 36 yards on just 17 snaps. We'll continue to monitor this situation, but Palmer is worth a look at the tail end of fantasy drafts.

The Chargers nabbed Tennessee WR Josh Palmer with the 77th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. The 6’1, 210-pounder clocked a decent 4.51-second 40 time at his Pro Day but disappointed with a 34-inch vertical. That was a surprise because Palmer shows plenty of contested-catch ability on tape. He also has some of the stickiest hands in this year’s WR class, with only 4 drops on 164 career targets (2.4% drop rate). Palmer never reached even 500 receiving yards in any of his 4 college seasons, though. And even as a senior last year, he accounted for a modest 23% of Tennessee’s receiving yardage. Palmer will compete with Tyron Johnson and Jalen Guyton for snaps behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this year. Williams is set to become a free agent next offseason, though, so there could be opportunity for Palmer.