The Los Angeles Chargers will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Chargers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Justin Herbert, QB
There are a handful of situations in the NFL this season where the game plan is to have their quarterback produce next to nothing in the way of fantasy numbers.
OK, OK — so maybe that’s not the “plan,” but the less that is asked of Herbert, the better things are going for the Bolts. Case in point: The Chargers are 3-2 without Herbert posting a single top-15 performance.
Rolling the dice on a quarterback, whether in a deep league or a DFS setting, facing the Cardinals will have my attention in most weeks. This, however, isn’t “most weeks.”
J.K. Dobbins, RB
Do you know those movie scenes where the main character is “hot” at the craps table and rolling in the money? If so, then you’re probably familiar with the down-on-his-luck scene that comes 60-90 minutes later.
I can’t help but feel like Dobbins’ managers are approaching the confusing middle ground, between the elation and the bewilderment. Gus Edwards (ankle) was put on injured reserve last week, and Jim Harbaugh put the ball in the belly of his lead back 25 times, eight more than his previous career high. In fact, three of his seven highest carry counts for his career have come this season.
But can he sustain? With another 12 carries, he will have the second-most voluminous season on the ground of his career. With one-third of Dobbins’ carries over the past two contests failing to gain yardage, that down-on-his-luck scene could be closer than we want to believe.
He’s still a low-end RB2 for me in the scope of Week 7, as he’s facing the fourth-worst rush defense in terms of success rate. But be careful in assuming that you can ride this gravy train to the finish line.
Joshua Palmer, WR
Joshua Palmer has dealt with various injuries this season, but the counting numbers for fantasy purposes haven’t been there when he’s been active. The 25-year-old has yet to reach 40 receiving yards in a game in 2024 and has produced under expectations in three of four games.
With a fluid target hierarchy in Los Angeles, there is a path to him offering a week upside in any matchup, but as a part of the 28th-ranked offense in terms of pass rate over expectation, the risk far outweighs the reward in most redraft situations.
Ladd McConkey, WR
A rookie receiver in a run-centric offense isn’t a profile I frequently target. However, with two top-20 finishes on his early-season résumé (Weeks 1 and 3) and a plus matchup, I’m fine with labeling McConkey as a viable PPR Flex play on Monday night.
The Cardinals are the exact opposite of the Chargers, making this a clash of styles that could play out in a variety of ways. If Arizona can dictate the tempo and ramp up the possession count, another top-20 finish could be in store for McConkey.
That would maximize his number of reps against the fourth-worst defense in terms of yards per slot completion (13.2) and pass defense EPA. If not, a fourth finish outside of the top 40 is very possible. With the Cardinals banged up, I lean the latter — that is why he lands as my WR37 for Week 7.
Quentin Johnston, WR
Nothing about the Chargers’ structure gives me hope for Johnston when it comes to sustainable value. The three touchdowns over two weeks were fun in September, but he hasn’t cleared 51 receiving yards in a game this season and has been at least 14.4% below production expectations in the majority of contests.
This is an offense that wants to run to set up the run, and with an uncertain target hierarchy in the passing game, even when Los Angeles decides to take to the air, do we have any confidence that throwing in Johnston’s direction is a priority?
Ladd McConkey is the receiver to gamble on if you’re itching for some Chargers exposure. But if that’s your itch, you might want to schedule an appointment with your doctor rather than work your way through this piece.
In two of the past three weeks, multiple receivers have reached 14.5 PPR points against the Cardinals, but those were two very different offenses in Washington and Green Bay. Johnston checks outside of my top 40 this week, behind matchup-driven players like DeMario Douglas and Xavier Legette.
