WR Ladd McConkey Fantasy 2024
The Los Angeles Chargers drafted Georgia WR Ladd McConkey with the second pick of the second round (34th overall) in this year’s draft. Many were surprised when the Chargers chose to pass on an elite wide receiver like Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze at No. 5 in favor of Notre Dame OT Joe Alt. It ended up being a pretty shrewd move because they were able to get the best offensive tackle in the draft to bulk up the protection for veteran QB Justin Herbert and still land one of the better wide receivers in this draft class. The exact role McConkey will have in the Chargers offense is still unclear, but with a wide receiver depth chart that includes Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, and the recently acquired D.J. Chark, there is certainly room for someone to rise above the fray and emerge as Herbert’s go-to target. What that looks like in his first season is anybody’s guess, but some signs point to his potential in 2024 and beyond. Let’s take a look at how McConkey may develop as an NFL receiver and whether that development will be worth a fantasy football investment.
Fantasy Value
McConkey isn’t a big receiver, but he’s fast and an extremely gifted route-runner and could be a difficult matchup for opposing defenders. With an uncanny way of getting open McConkey will likely start his career in the slot. He has great hands in traffic and it shouldn’t take him long to become a reliable safety valve for Justin Herbert, giving him some added value in PPR formats. While there aren’t a lot of concerns surrounding McConkey’s ability to adapt to the NFL speed, there are concerns about the type of offense Jim Harbaugh will want to run. Historically, Harbaugh likes to run the ball, a lot, so it’s possible the Chargers’ passing game may not be as high volume as in the past. This would limit the opportunities for all the pass catchers, but if McConkey can solidify himself as the No. 1 guy in this offense then he should still see enough volume to produce a safe floor in redraft formats. There are only a handful of rookies I would be willing to draft in the early rounds. McConkey is not one of them, but once we get into the middle-to-late rounds McConkey becomes a low risk/high reward option with a decent amount of upside.
Dynasty Value
McConkey will slot into a second-tier rookie wide receivers, including players like Indianapolis WR Brian Thomas Jr. and Kansas City WR Xavier Worthy. But he just might be the safest selection out of that group. Wide receivers with his skill set tend to do well in the NFL, and even if they don’t ever reach the elite, game-changing type of production, they often develop into a consistent, solid, low-end WR2. McConkey is no exception. He has the added benefit of being a potential PPR machine, a la Diontae Johnson. As long as his route-running translates and he shows the same ability to get open that he did in college he should be rewarded with plenty of targets. McConkey will also be linked to one of the best young quarterbacks in the league for the foreseeable future which only helps his value. The Chargers could eventually add a bigger, better receiver who profiles as more of a WR1, which would hurt McConkey’s ceiling. Still, until that happens, it’s reasonable to be excited about McConkey’s future.
Conclusion
Ladd McConkey has all the tools to carve out a nice role in the Chargers offense en route to a solid career. In 1QB dynasty league rookie drafts he should be among the top-6 wide receivers taken and drafted toward the end of the first round. If it’s a PPR league I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sneak into the middle of the first. In 2QB/Superflex formats he could fall into the top of the second round. The major draw to McConkey, other than talent and opportunity, is that he comes with a high floor that we rarely see from rookies. His combination of speed and route-running should be enough to force Herbert to look his way often, even in his rookie year, with the only noticeable downside being his physical limitations and lack of elite college production. This means that we have no way of knowing what type of ceiling McConkey’s game lends itself to, but if he can return high-end flex/low-end WR2 value in 2024 he will be worth the draft pick no matter the format.
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