Ladd McConkey Week 1 Outlook - Raiders at Chargers

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Wed, Sep 4th 2024, 8:38pm EDT

McConkey is slated to be the team's starting slot receiver. He has the talent to be the team's WR1 this season, but it's still questionable if he will play in two wide receiver sets and how much the Chargers will utilize 11 personnel. I could easily see McConkey being this year's Jayden Reed. A player that has his playing time capped because of the offense that he is in has to rely on touchdown run out and efficiency to hit in his rookie season. McConkey has the raw talent to do it. Last year at Georgia, McConkey was in the 98th percentile in receiving grade and receiving grade versus single coverage. He was also in the 91st percentile or higher in separation percentage and YPRR. He's a dicey flex for Week 1. McConkey will line up against Nate Hobbs (76.8% catch rate and 103.1 passer rating) for most of the game. After Antonio Pierce took over as the head coach, the Raiders allowed the 11th-fewest receiving touchdowns and the 14th-fewest receiving yards to slot receivers.