Breaking News: Ladd McConkey, Why He’s a Bad Fantasy Football Pick This Season
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As the fantasy football season approaches, draft day is just around the corner. As the excitement builds, some players may find themselves slipping further down the draft board than anticipated. One player who may be going undervalued is Ladd McConkey. Despite the buzz surrounding him in the preseason, here’s why he’s not worth the draft pick hype.
Consistency Issues
Ladd McConkey’s production has been far from consistent throughout his college career. In 2022, he posted an impressive 1,054 yards and 5 touchdowns, but only managed to rack up 246 yards in his final three games. Consistency is key in fantasy football, and McConkey’s lack of it makes him a risk.
Route Running Issues
While McConkey has shown flashes of brilliance on the field, his route running abilities have left much to be desired. He struggles to separate from defenders and often relies on physicality to create separation. In today’s NFL, where speed and quickness are valued, McConkey’s limitations may hurt his overall production.
Quarterback Inconsistency
McConkey’s college career has been plagued by inconsistent quarterback play. While he did have a breakout year in 2022, his quarterbacks the previous seasons failed to provide him with stable and consistent target volume. With so many quarterbacks struggling to find their footing in the pros, McConkey’s dependence on them raises concerns.
Injuries
As if the doubts surrounding his production and route running weren’t enough, McConkey has been dealing with injuries throughout his career. A shoulder injury kept him sidelined for several weeks in 2021, and he was dealing with a hamstring issue in the spring. Injuries can quickly derail a player’s entire season, and McConkey’s susceptibility to them is a major red flag.
Conclusion
Ladd McConkey’s lack of consistency, route running issues, quarterback concerns, and injury history make him a fantasy football pick to avoid this season. While he may have had an impressive season in 2022, his potential for regression is significant. Fantasy owners would be wise to explore other options on draft day and steer clear of the McConkey hype.
What do you think about Ladd McConkey’s fantasy potential? Share your thoughts in the comments!
On February 8, 2024, Roman was named as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Reasons I'm not drafting Mcconkey:
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Greg Roman's offenses are rarely WR-friendly. It's clear his offense will be run-heavy so there is little margin for error. In 10 years as an NFL play-caller, Roman's teams have finished at or near the bottom of the league in pass attempts all but once, and they have averaged 19th in passing touchdowns.
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It's possible that the Chargers' top receiver could have fantasy value, even within Roman's system. Here's the bad news: it's neither probable nor is there room for multiple fantasy stars. So Mcconkey would have to beat out Josh Palmer, D.J. Chark Jr and Quentin Johnston for the #1 role as a rookie. In other words, Ladd McConkey MUST be the team's leading receiver, or he's likely to have little to no fantasy value, even in deeper leagues.
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There are a lot of other promising rookies or 2nd year wideouts that have better situations going around the same ADP – Rome Odunze, Xavuer Worthy, Brian Thomas Jr, Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Khalil Shakir.
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Counter points:
1. The Chargers defense is bad. The offense will consistently be in negative game scripts and will not able to run as much as Roman is accustomed to.
2. You’re listing the Chargers WR corps as if it’s an obstacle. QJ and Chark are both awful. Palmer is an average NFL WR. Really not much to overcome tbh.
3. The amount of rookie/2nd year options has no bearing on McConkey. Whether there are zero or 50 1st/2nd year WR options, it has nothing to do with McConkey’s outlook as a WR for Justin Herbert.
idk what ADP you’re looking at but Shakir is well below these guys. But I would prefer McConkey third to Worthy and Odunze.
That being said, I took both Worthy and McConkey in that hopes that at least one would pan out to be a wr2 and I could use them as trade fodder
what about a double keeper league where there are no good players after round 2 left and 17 rounds to go. will you draft him then? its all about context. stop trying to read the minds of nfl executives
Even if they don’t pass a lot the ball literally has to go somewhere. And Herbert is a good QB.