Ladd McConkey Battles Against The System For Fantasy Value
The Los Angeles Chargers drafted Ladd McConkey with the 34th pick overall in the second round of the NFL Draft. Ladd might have the coolest name in this draft class, but besides that, he is an elite route runner who showed his skill at Georgia with 119 receptions, 1687 yards (14.2 yards per reception), and 14 touchdowns.
His production was hindered in his last year because of a sprained back. He walks into a wide-open situation with the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (176 targets). The only competition on the depth chart is Joshua Palmer, QJ, DJ Chark, and Brendan Rice, none of which have proven themselves as a WR1 option.
Ladd is also paired with Justin Herbert long-term, which is awesome, but the downside is that Harbaugh and Greg Roman's offenses (4 seasons in SF 2011-2014) ranked no higher than 29th in pass attempts and no higher than 27th in pass rate. The highest finish for a wide receiver in these years was Michael Crabtree at WR17.
McConkey has a chance to emerge as Herbert's top receiving option, but his ceiling is capped with Harbaugh and Roman calling the shots. His rookie draft ADP is between 1.08-2.01, which is completely reasonable when you add up the draft capital, depth chart, and QB situation. The only reason he shouldn't go higher is due to the system that Harbaugh will be running.
Our consensus projections for McConkey in the 2024 season would be: 85 receptions, 948 yards, 6 touchdowns through the air and 4 carries for 30 yards and 0 rushing touchdowns.
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