Ladd McConkey was the ninth receiver selected in the 2024 NFL draft. The Chargers used an early second-round pick to draft McConkey. Here we will look at how his rookie season will go, and its impact on fantasy football.
Ladd McConkey at Georgia
Ladd McConkey played all four years of his colligate career at the University of Georgia. In his freshman year, McConkey did not get to play due to COVID. In 2021 he got his first chance to play for Georgia and had over 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his sophomore season. McConkey had his breakout year in 2022 where he had over 700 yards along with seven touchdowns. McConkey struggled with injuries in 2023, which led to him only playing nine games but he still had 478 receiving yards.
When he declared for the 2024 NFL draft, McConkey was not tagged as a top-tier prospect. At the Senior Bowl, he showed he could be a top prospect. He showed NFL scouts he was one of the best route runners in the 2024 class.
LA Chargers
With the 34th overall pick, the Los Angeles Chargers selected Ladd McConkey. The Chargers lost both of their top weapons, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams. The Chargers also hired Jim Harbaugh to be their head coach in hopes of bringing a new culture to LA. Harbaugh will likely bring more of a run-heavy scheme to the Chargers offense.
With the run-heavy offense, the Chargers shouldn’t need top weapons to throw too but the Chargers currently do not have a number one receiver. Therefore, there is a good chance McConkey could develop into Justin Herbert’s number-one option in 2024.
Rookie Season and FF Outlook
With the Chargers current offense, Ladd McConkey should be primed for a great rookie season. With the new run-heavy offense, I don’t believe that any of the Chargers receivers will be putting up massive numbers in 2024. If I were to predict how many receiving yards he will have in 2024, I would say he will have somewhere between 750 and 1,000 yards. If McConkey has over 1,000 yards I would be very surprised, but with Justin Herbert anything is possible.
Now the question is how Ladd McConkey will affect fantasy football in his rookie season. He is currently listed as the 121st player on Fantasy Pro’s big board. Being 121st means that he is also the 49th wide receiver.
With the unknowns about his workload, McConkey is currently being valued as an 11th-round pick in most fantasy football redrafts. While not too early to be too much of a risk, it’s a great spot to take a shot on McConkey in the hope that he can become the Charger’s WR1 in 2024,
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