Joshua Palmer DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (calf/elbow) returned to the field for a Week 4 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was targeted four times, making three catches for 36 yards. Palmer missed the Week 3 loss to the Steelers and started off Week 4 with a limited practice before being able to practice in full twice at the end of the week, entering the game without an injury designation. He ended up tied for third on the team in targets but second in catches and yards. It was a mostly slow game for the Chargers offense once again, and despite plenty of preseason hype around Palmer as potentially being quarterback Justin Herbert's go-to guy in the passing game, Palmer will go into the Chargers bye week with a total of seven catches for 70 yards. A healthier Herbert after the bye week could start throwing more, but for now Palmer needs to remain on most fantasy benches until he shows something different.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (calf, elbow) has been cleared to play in Week 4 against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs after he missed the Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Palmer was limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday before being a full-go on both Thursday and Friday. Fellow wideout Derius Davis (hamstring) is questionable for the weekend. There was a lot of hype around Palmer in training camp as quarterback Justin Herbert's go-to guy this year, but he disappointed the first two weeks with four catches for only 34 yards before getting hurt and missing last week's game. It's good news for the Bolts that Palmer is returning, but with Herbert trying to play through a high-ankle sprain, we wouldn't recommend throwing Palmer back into your starting lineups this week as a flex play against a Chiefs defense that has allowed the 21st-most half-PPR fantasy points to receivers through the season's first three weeks.

After being limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (calf, elbow) returned to a full practice on Thursday. Palmer did not practice all of last week before missing the Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now that the 25-year-old is back to practicing in full, he should be ready to return in Week 4 against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs as long as he doesn't have a setback on Friday. Most fantasy managers won't want to trust Palmer in a WR4/flex spot if he comes back this weekend, though, especially with quarterback Justin Herbert's (ankle) availability up in the air. In the first two weeks of the season in 2024, Palmer caught just four of six targets for 34 yards and no touchdowns. Palmer's return will take targets away from rookie Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (elbow, calf) is officially inactive for Week 3 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the wrong direction after missing practice on Friday. The 25-year-old entered this season as the Chargers' WR1 but has been relatively underwhelming, catching just four passes for 34 yards through two games. In his absence, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston should fetch more targets from Justin Herbert. McConkey is the overall WR41 in fantasy football so far while Johnston is the WR24. Both players have low-end WR3/FLEX appeal this week, with Johnston possessing more big-play upside.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (elbow, calf) didn't practice on Friday. That's three straight absences for the wideout, who is now considered questionable for Sunday's meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 24-year-old was in line to be the top wideout in Los Angeles entering the 2024-25 campaign. However, he's caught just four of his six targets for 34 yards in the Bolts' first two contests. With that in mind, Palmer isn't an ideal fantasy option in any fantasy format for Week 3 if he's active. That's not expected to change anytime soon, especially with Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey playing as well as anyone could hope.