In the 18th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Los Angeles Chargers.
Key Off Season Acquisitions
The Chargers most significant off season transaction was not a player, but a coach. Sixty-year-old Jim Harbaugh of Toledo, Ohio has been brought in to coach the Chargers and has one task. That is to maximize the overall offensive production of quarterback Justin Herbert of Eugene, Oregon.
Harbaugh was a fine NFL quarterback himself with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, and has a great coaching resume with the San Francisco 49ers and the University of Michigan.
When it comes to player personnel, the Chargers lost two wide receivers in the offseason. They traded Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears, and lost Mike Williams to the New York Jets in free agency.
The Chargers most significant free agency acquisition was tight end Will Dissly of Bozeman, Montana, who signed a three-year deal worth $14 million. Dissly spent the last six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. In 2023, he had 17 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown was for 19 yards from Geno Smith, and came in a 21-20 Seahawks win over the Arizona Cardinals on January 7.
Fantasy Star
Cameron Dicker, the first ever NFL player born in Hong Kong, is sixth among kickers. Yes, it is Dicker the Kicker, and this past year, he made 31 of 33 field goals and all 35 converts.
Projected Finish
The big question for the Chargers this season is who will step up at wide receiver in the absence of Williams and Allen? In what has historically been a position of depth for the Chargers is now a weakness. Los Angeles will now be counting on Canadian and WR1 Josh Palmer of Toronto, Ontario, who had 38 catches for 581 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.
The Chargers may have a little less skill than the Raiders, but they have an elite coach in Harbaugh, and will find a way to finish second in the AFC West.
