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The Los Angeles Chargers had a rough season opener, losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals. That loss could haunt them beyond Week 1 because their top wide receiver, Ladd McConkey, was forced from the game with a chest injury and was unable to return.
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He went down after taking a big hit in the middle of the field in the third quarter. We have not yet heard a definitive update on his status moving forward, so we will have to consider him questionable for Week 2.
To make matters worse, there wasn’t any other wide receiver who stepped up for the Chargers. Their second-leading wide receiver in this game was Tre’ Harris with 20 yards. It was actually tight end David Njoku who finished behind McConkey with 58 yards.
Fantasy Impact
WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
If McConkey is forced to miss any time, it will be a brutal loss for fantasy owners. Especially if they drafted him close to the start of the season, after his ADP jumped up when Keenan Allen signed with the Indianapolis Colts rather than the Chargers.
McConkey played well prior to the injury, catching five of seven targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. We fully expected him to lead this team in every statistical category this season, perhaps with the exception of touchdowns, which Quentin Johnston could make a run at.
All we can do now is wait for an official diagnosis on McConkey, which hopefully comes in sooner rather than later. However, you should grab someone on the waiver wire as a backup plan. Unfortunately, that backup plan probably won’t be found on the Chargers.
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QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert didn’t look particularly good with McConkey on the field, but he looked atrocious without him. Per usual, he collapsed when his team needed him most in the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Chargers had four drives in a quarter that began with the Cardinals leading just 16-14.
Los Angeles went three-and-out on the first drive with a blocked punt. On the next drive, Herbert threw a miserable interception. Then on the final two drives, the Chargers turned the ball over on downs, totaling just nine plays.
You should never have been relying on Herbert to be your QB1, but he will be unstartable if McConkey is ruled out for any games. He’s going to be a complete dud without his WR1 and should be viewed as a low-end QB2 at best.
More Fantasy Sports On SI News
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- Fantasy Football Managers May Be Overreacting to Brock Bowers’ Week 2 Return Chances
- Zay Flowers and Ja’Kobi Lane Injury Update and Fantasy Football Outlook: Lamar Jackson’s Value Remains Stable
- Fantasy Football Week 1 Stock Watch: 5 Risers & 5 Fallers with Dalton Kincaid, Isaiah Likely, and Jalen Coker
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Fantasy Football Injury Impact: Ladd McConkey Is Forced From Week 1 And Could Miss Additional Time.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 10:05 AM.