Team news: Los Angeles Chargers | Page 1

Ladd McConkey (shoulder) is back at Chargers practice today.

Related Players: Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, Derius Davis

McConkey looks like he will suit up, which puts him in a great spot as a fantasy WR2 against the Baltimore Ravens' secondary.

Mike McCarthy moving away from running back by committee concept, declaring Rico Dowdle the No. 1 RB. “Rico needs to touch the ball,” he said.

Related Players: Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn, Dalvin Cook, Hunter Luepke

This is great and all, but the Cooper Rush-led offense looked beyond miserable last week, and it's hard to see how it's going to get much better moving forward. Consider Dowdle a high-floor/low-ceiling RB3 in Week 11.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott will be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Falcons due to disciplinary reasons.

Elliott will not even travel with the team to Atlanta. The Cowboys elevated Dalvin Cook from the practice squad to help fill out the depth chart. With Elliott out, Rico Dowdle is in line for an increase in work, though it is a tough matchup against one of the better run defenses in the league this season in Atlanta. Dowdle is an RB3/Flex while Cook is a deeper-league option and maybe a bit of a desperation play.

"He definitely needs to touch the ball more, without a doubt." - Mike McCarthy on Rico Dowdle.

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott was the only other RB to touch the ball, running 8 times for 17 yards in Week 6. Dowdle ran just 5 times but gained 25 yards. Dowdle was more involved in the passing game since the Cowboys fell behind early, and he caught 5 balls for 30 yards. Dowdle did touch the ball 22 times in Week 5 against the Steelers to Elliott's 6 rushes, so the Cowboys do seem to be trending away from the committee in favor of Dowdle, which was reported a couple weeks ago. The game script probably played a factor in Week 6. The Cowboys have a bye in Week 7 and come back to a game at San Francisco in Week 8 on Sunday night, so it's possible we see a more obvious use of Dowdle with any adjustments coming off the bye week.

The running back situation has been as confounding as it has been disappointing. The Cowboys are starting to drift away from a pure committee approach, in the sense that Rico Dowdle’s snap counts and rush attempts are noticeably greater than Ezekiel Elliott or Deuce Vaughn’s.

Related players: Dalvin Cook

The story said Elliott's value is more leadership and pass protection, and it has not been in the form of purely running the football. The story added injuries on the defense may affect when Cook is able to join the roster, but the story added Cook's time could be coming soon. For now, it looks like Dowdle is at least trending in the right direction despite the team's struggles running the ball.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert (ankle) is expected to start Sunday against the Chiefs.

Herbert started Week 3 but seemed to re-aggravate the injury, leading to Taylor Heinicke entering the game. Herbert went through the week without any setbacks. Certainly there’s some caution after last week but Herbert does sound like he’s in a better position than he was entering last week’s game. Proceed with caution and consider another option if you have one, just in case.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who aggravated his high-ankle sprain against the Steelers and exited the game, had X-Rays that were negative after the game, source said.

Related players: Taylor Heinicke

Herbert will continue to be monitored this week but his status is at least up in the air heading into Week 4, a game with the Chiefs. Herbert was seen with a boot after the game, and didn't return after leaving in the third quarter, but it's possible the Chargers were just being cautious with their start QB. We'll know more as the week goes on. Heinicke would get the start if Herbert can't go.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert appeared to have re-aggravated his ankle injury during Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Taylor Heinicke is currently in the game for the Chargers. Herbert just suffered his high-ankle injury last week but was able to practice, though he was heavily taped up while doing so. Herbert was 12//8 for 125 yards and a touchdown before leaving.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert will test his ankle before Sunday's game against the Steelers and there is optimism he will be able to go.

Herbert is listed as questionable after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Panthers. He did practice Friday but his ankle was heavily taped. This would be quite a quick recovery for Herbert. It's probably best to err on the side of caution with Herbert and lean towards him not playing. He's currently our QB28 because of the strong question mark on his playing status. Easton Stick would be in line to start if Herbert is out.

The Chargers have listed QB Justin Herbert (Ankle) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Related Players: Easton Stick, Taylor Heinicke

Herbert has been on the injury report a couple of times as we head into the third game of the season, yet has taken all 51 dropbacks for the 2-0 Chargers. Their offense has been very efficient, though most of that has come through the run game, rendering Herbert un-startable in fantasy, regardless of game-day designation.