By Andrew Doherty
Get ready for a shootout.
The Chargers visit the Chiefs to kick off Week 2 with the highest projected game total at 54.5 and these teams combined for 62, 52, and 59 points in their last three matchups. This isn’t just a showdown between division rivals that are both NFL Super Bowl contenders – it’s also a matchup of two of the league’s elite quarterbacks, so naturally, we’ll be heavily targeting pass catchers in this one. I could gush about these two young superstars all day long, but instead of boring you with that, I’ll get straight into the top plays for the Thursday Night Slate.
Justin Herbert, QB
You can’t go wrong with either quarterback in this matchup, but I lean towards Herbert simply because he’s cheaper. The lower price tag on Herbert offers more flexibility with your build without sacrificing any potential for a monster stat-line. Herbert does feel a little undervalued this week, however, and that may be due to Keenan Allen’s injury. Even without Allen at his disposal, Herbert should continue to be efficient at spreading the ball around like he did last week when nine different Chargers players recorded multiple catches. I could throw more numbers at you to sell you on Herbert in this matchup but do you really need me to tell you how good he is? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Josh Palmer, WR
One of the summer’s most popular deep sleeper targets, Palmer disappointed in Week One. So why am I high on Palmer in Week Two after he posted a meager 3/5/0 receiving line with 1 carry for 4 yards? The answer is simple: No Keenan Allen. Despite waiting until Wednesday to make it official, the Chargers have likely known all week long that Allen wouldn’t be playing. Palmer projects to see a nice uptick in targets as a bigger part of the game plan this week. Palmer played at least 60% of the snaps in 3 games last season, and each time he did he found the endzone. In what promises to be a game with no shortage of scoring and with the Chiefs likely to focus their attention on slowing down Mike Williams, Palmer is a strong bet to continue his streak of finding the endzone when given increased playing time.
Gerald Everett, TE
Not exactly the tight end you were expecting to see in this article, right? Well, hear me out before you go ahead and fire up Travis Kelce instead. Whether or not you think his Week One stat-line of 3/54/1 is a fluke, Everett should also benefit from some added volume without Keenan Allen in the lineup. Everett should often be Herbert’s second read behind Mike Williams in the red zone and with the way Williams dictates coverage, it should create plenty of one on one opportunities for Everett to find pay dirt. You can essentially use all the reasons listed above for playing Josh Palmer for Everett as well. Even if you don’t trust Everett, you should trust in his quarterback to sling multiple touchdowns in this matchup. He makes for a cheap stacking option and contrarian play to Travis Kelce, who’s sure to be heavily owned in Thursday’s slate.
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR
Juju is simply a (potential) volume play here. The Chargers defense is a much tougher matchup in the trenches for the Chiefs than the Cardinals defense they saw last week. Both Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack have repeatedly shown the ability to single handily wreck game plans and dominate opposing linemen – and now you have to stop them both at the same time. With Bosa and Mack bringing pressure off either edge there won’t be nearly as much time for downfield routes to develop as there was last week. Mahomes will buy some time with his legs on a few occasions, but he’ll often need to rely on shorter passes and get rid of the ball quickly. Translation: Juju could be a target monster in this one.
