On Friday, multiple reports indicated that the Chargers have parted ways with HC Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco. This news doesn't come as much of a surprise following the team's 63-21 collapse vs. the Raiders on Thursday night. Across nearly three full seasons on the job, Staley finished with a 24-24 record and appeared in just one playoff game. Who will take over as the interim coach is not known as of the time of this writing. Stay tuned for further updates.
Update: The Chargers have named Giff Smith interim HC and JoJo Wooden as interim GM, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smith has been the team's outside LBs coach the past two years and was an NFL defensive line coach for 11 seasons before that. It looks like OC Kellen Moore will remain with the Chargers at least for the rest of this season.
The Chargers ruled out WR Keenan Allen (heel) for Week 15. This marks his first missed game since last season. In his place, the Chargers will rely on Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston at WR. It’s an ugly spot for fill-in QB Easton Stick and the entire offense, especially for a divisional road game on a short week. We’d try to avoid using anyone not named Austin Ekeler in the L.A. offense. As of this writing, the team is implied for only 16 points.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (heel) did not practice on Tuesday. We don't have any other details on the heel issue. We'll see if Allen practices tomorrow and how he's listed on the final injury report for Thursday night's game vs. the Raiders.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the index finger in his right (throwing) hand, according to multiple reports. That leaves fifth-year QB Easton Stick to pilot the offense over the final four games. Stick has been with the Chargers since they drafted him in Round 5 back in 2019, but he had attempted just one regular season pass before Sunday. Stick went a forgettable 13 of 24 passing for 179 yards after taking over against the Broncos, throwing no TDs or INTs but fumbling twice (losing one). His 2023 preseason also proved unimpressive, including a 60.3% completion rate, 5.2 yards per pass attempt, 1 TD, 2 INTs, and a 9.0% sack rate. The QB situation obviously downgrades everyone on the Chargers' offense. WR Keenan Allen should remain usable. Stick targeted Allen on 37.5% of his attempts against Denver. He threw another 20.8% toward RB Austin Ekeler, the only other Chargers offensive piece you should still consider using. WRs Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer and TE Gerald Everett look droppable for other options. Herbert should have plenty of time to recover ahead of the 2024 season.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert fractured his right index finger in Sunday's loss to the Broncos, HC Brandon Staley said afterward. "Given where we are in the season, a fracture could mean his season is over," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted. We should get more details on Herbert's status on Monday, but the 5-8 Chargers have no reason to rush Herbert back. QB Easton Stick will take over for however long Herbert is out. The 2019 fifth-round pick had one regular-season pass attempt before going 13-of-24 for 179 yards in relief of Herbert today. Stick is obviously a significant downgrade for this Chargers offense.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert managed only 212 yards in Sunday's 6-0 win over New England. He went without a passing TD for the second time this season. A few key drops hurt Herbert’s numbers, as the Chargers offense continued to provide little help. The Pats even limited Keenan Allen to 5 catches for 58 yards on 9 targets. Herbert will likely remain a QB1 for upcoming matchups vs. Denver and Vegas, but there’s clearly a low floor here.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (quad) is active for today’s game vs. the Patriots. He only got in a limited practice on Friday but didn’t sound worried about the quad injury. We’re expecting him to play his usual high-volume role today.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (quad) is expected to play vs. the Patriots today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Allen only got in a limited practice on Friday, but there never seemed to be any concern about his availability for this one. He should stay glued into fantasy lineups.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (quad) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Patriots. He only got in a limited practice on Friday but didn’t sound worried about the quad injury. "This is light, honestly,” Allen said Friday. “Thigh contusion is like a solid nick. That’s considered not bad. … I feel great. This late in the season, I couldn't ask to be feeling any better." Allen can stay penciled into Week 13 fantasy lineups. We’ll get the Chargers’ inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (quad) missed practice again on Thursday. The Athletic's Daniel Popper did spot Allen working off to the side of practice. We're still expecting Allen to play vs. the Patriots this weekend, but his status is certainly worth checking back on Friday afternoon.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (quad) did not practice on Wednesday. It's a new injury, but one we're not particularly worried about after Allen's 14-catch performance on a 98% snap rate last week. We'll see if Allen gets back on the practice field tomorrow.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Packers. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported this morning that Allen will play "without restrictions." He remains a must-start.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Chargers WR Keenan Allen (shoulder) is expected to play "without restrictions" vs. the Packrs today. We assume that there's still some risk of re-injury here, but it doesn't sound like Allen will be on any type of snap count. He remains a must-start in season-long fantasy leagues.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (shoulder) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Packers. He told reporters Thursday that he’ll play through his AC joint sprain – and then put in a full practice on Friday. There’s a bit more risk with Allen due to the shoulder injury, but he remains a must-start in fantasy football.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (shoulder) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He told reporters afterward that he has an AC joint sprain in that left shoulder but fully plans on playing vs. the Packers this weekend. We'll update Allen's status again tomorrow.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday. He was able to return to last week's game after hurting the shoulder, catching a 38-yard TD late in the fourth quarter. So we're tentatively expecting Allen to play vs. the Packers this weekend. But HC Brandon Staley wouldn't say for sure that Allen would be available, only saying that he's "hopeful." We'll update his status again tomorrow.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen injured his shoulder in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Lions. He briefly returned but then headed back to the locker room with trainers and is now officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.
Update: Allen returned early in the fourth quarter.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen caught 8 of 9 targets for 77 receiving yards in Monday night’s win over the Jets. The veteran also surpassed the 10,000-yard mark on a long catch in the third quarter, becoming the 51st WR in NFL history to eclipse that milestone. Allen now ranks as the WR5 in PPR points per game (20.6) and seventh among wideouts in receiving yards (720). Unfortunately, the only other Chargers’ pass-catcher to exceed 20 yards in this contest is RB Austin Ekeler. Rookie wideout Quentin Johnston struggled (2-14) but did, however, register a 94.5% route participation rate without teammate Joshua Palmer (knee) active, by far a season-high (68.9% in Week 7 closest). Perhaps Johnston can improve upon these efforts. Unfortunately, the road doesn’t get much easier for the Chargers. Their remaining strength of schedule ranks as the fourth-toughest for WRs in our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Allen should be treated as the only reliable receiver in this offense.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer (knee) is out for Monday night's game vs. the Jets. That will pretty much force the Chargers to put rookie WR Quentin Johnston in an every-down role. Palmer's absence obviously makes Johnston a better Week 9 fantasy bet, but he's still a shaky play against the league's top-ranked WR defense. It'll be WRs Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko behind WRs Keenan Allen and Johnston.
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