Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Ladd McConkey

Saturday, June 21, 8:13 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is not "in a great place" with the team regarding a new deal, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. The wideout is entering the last season of a three-year, $68.2 million contract he signed in 2022. Most assumed this situation would have been sorted out by now. However, that doesn't appear to be the case. McLaurin certainly deserves a pay increase, considering he had a career-high 13 touchdowns last season while adding 82 grabs for 1,096 yards. This will be a hot topic of discussion for fantasy managers moving ahead. Currently, McLaurin is expected to be on the field come Week 1, although that could change depending on how things go during training camp. Without question, 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels hopes he'll be out there. If not, Daniels will need to move even quicker to build chemistry with new receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., who was traded from the 49ers back in March.

Monday, June 23, 6:52 PM

The additions to the Los Angeles Chargers' offense this year should make second-year wide receiver Ladd McConkey even more dangerous, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. The different is that last year the offense was stunted because they lacked vertical threats. This year, the Chargers have options that can attack defenses vertically from various alignments, which will open up short and intermediate areas for McConkey. Rookie wideout Tre' Harris and rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden both have the ability to make plays down the field for the Bolts and take attention away from McConkey. McConkey was a fantasy stud in his first year in the NFL with 82 catches on 112 targets for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season games (14 starts). The Chargers will remain a run-first offense, but McConkey should still be in play as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy.