The Los Angeles Chargers have invested serious draft capital on building up their offense, and now they’ve brought in a coordinator who they believe can properly weaponize that talent.
Their scoring average fell two full points in 2025 from what they posted in 2024, something that clearly wasn’t viewed as acceptable for a team that believes they are approaching a title window.
The names are ones you know, but should dynasty fantasy football managers expect them to reach new heights in 2026? What about beyond that?
Mike McDaniel’s Impact on Fantasy Statistics
The Miami Dolphins were about as ordinary as possible under McDaniel’s time in town. Across his four seasons, they were 35-33 with two playoff appearances.
But have you ever noticed that sprinters don’t run for distance?
They have a single skill that is great when isolated, but if you take them out of their comfort zone, the responsibilities change and they, largely, aren’t as impactful.
Sound familiar?
Impact: https://t.co/XOVcUdHlve pic.twitter.com/bjXVvbbUYq
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) January 21, 2026
McDaniel’s stock rose after cutting his teeth as an offensive mind (he held five different roles across six different teams in two different professional leagues), and Miami was sold.
To keep with the analogy above, they saw his 40-yard dash time and assumed he was a thoroughbred built to run all day.
Given the mediocrity of the Dolphins, it became clear that he’s a gifted sprinter and that it’s best to fully lean into his strengths as opposed to trying to grow a weakness. The offensive side of the ball can be a young man’s game, and with this being his age-43 season, he’s the perfect blend of experience and youth.
Over the past two seasons, De’Von Achane (the 84th overall pick in 2023) has averaged the fifth-most PPR points among running backs, and now he’s in charge of molding Omarion Hampton (22nd overall pick last April).
In his first season with the Dolphins, McDaniel was tasked with taking an SEC receiver, born in November, weighing 185 pounds to the next level. Jaylen Waddle was WR12 that season (15.3 PPG), and all of those same boxes present themselves by way of Ladd McConkey for this new venture.
The Chargers lost three straight to end last season (the final two weeks of the regular season and the Wild Card defeat in New England) and managed just 22 points across those 12 quarters. There’s a lot to like on this roster, and the thought process here is that offensive stability will make them a true threat in the AFC as soon as 2026.
Dynasty Rankings for Justin Herbert, Omarion Hampton, and Ladd McConkey
This is exactly the type of offense you want to build around. There is youth across the board (every skill position and now at OC), and that introduces exponential growth as a possibility: there’s no guarantee that they all hit their stride at the same time, but the ages line up in such a way that the trajectory of this unit should be viewed with as much optimism as any in the league.
I currently have Justin Herbert ranked as my QB8 for startup dynasty purposes. He may not have the raw rushing upside to keep up with Jalen Hurts or Jaxson Dart, nor does he project as a Joe Burrow/Dak Prescott type with passing efficiency, but if he can build on what we’ve seen through six seasons, the versatility gives him a high-end ceiling.
It wasn’t always clear this season as to who his WR1 was, but moving forward, McConkey certainly projects as such. I like him as a low-end WR2, over the young WR losing McDaniel in Jaylen Waddle in addition to players like DeVonta Smith and DK Metcalf.
Couple thoughts while pulling some Ladd McConkey clips…
1. He was COOKING guys in man coverage all year. 4th league-wide in yds/route run.
2. Absolutely has what it takes to be a 3-level threat. pic.twitter.com/hSG2aG2L9E
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 19, 2025
He’s a versatile receiver with a clear path to volume in an offense that we expect to be more creative. Sure, his 2025 was a step backward from an impressive first impression, but I suspect that in 12 months, we are viewing that as a blip and nothing more: if that’s true, you’ll get a nice discount if this summer is Year 1 of your dynasty league.
There is no discount, however, to be had on Omarion Hampton. For me, his role in this offense is unquestioned, and as a versatile weapon that proved lethal in space as a rookie, you could justify taking him late in the first round if you really wanted to.
At the very least, he’s a second-round pick who could be 2025 Travis Etienne (1,399 yards and 13 TDs) in this upcoming season. Whether or not you want to spend early on a running back is a different discussion, but if you are going to go that route, Hampton’s case is easy to make now that McDaniel is in the door.
