The Los Angeles Chargers are having a rough week in the wide receiving ranks. The Chargers announced both WR Keenan Allen and WR Mike Williams are on the Covid/Reserve list and could be held out for Week 14 vs. the New York Giants.
Update, Friday — Williams continues to test negative this week and the thought is he will be able to play Sunday vs. the Giants. We don’t have an update on Allen, so we’ll keep an eye out there. If Allen sits and Williams plays, Guyton and Cook still hold some value as streamers.
Coach Brandon Staley confirmed to reporters Williams is a close contact of Allen’s. So Williams is considered day-to-day and could play Sunday. Allen was placed in protocols earlier in the week and has a shot at playing vs. the Giants. There were some reports saying the belief was Williams is unvaccinated, which could play a factor. An unvaccinated close contact has to isolate at least 5 days, and with Staley indicating the close contact came on Monday, that indicates Williams has a chance at playing if he is activated by this coming Saturday.
Fantasy football waiver wire advice: Chargers WRs
Jalen Guyton (1% on Yahoo)
Guyton makes the most sense if you have Mike Will or Allen. Guyton makes sense if you just need a wide receiver or want to block another team from having him. He could end up being the No. 1 wideout for the Chargers and has a ton of upside.
Guyton is coming off 4-90-1 in Week 13 vs. the Bengals, good for 18.9 fantasy points in PPR. He played 34 snaps against Cincy, third-most among wide receivers for LAC behind Allen and Williams. Guyton has never had a ton of volume in terms of snaps and targets. That could change Sunday. If so, the ceiling is pretty high. Guyton has mostly been a big-play wideout through three seasons.
Joshua Palmer (1% on Yahoo)
Palmer is the sleeper waiver option as the WR2 for the Chargers if both Williams and Allen are out. Let’s say Allen ends up playing, chances are Guyton starts and Palmer plays 3-wide sets. Palmer only has one TD this season and doesn’t have a game with more than 30 receiving yards or four targets. His volume likely goes up but he lacks the big-play upside like Guyton. Palmer wouldn’t be a bad deep-league add for a FLEX play in PPR if he gets around 4-5 catches.
Jared Cook (49% on Yahoo)
Cook is the sneaky add if you need a tight end streamer this week. He could see the biggest uptick in snaps and targets of any receiver for the Chargers. Cook played more snaps than Guyton last week (35) and has 59 targets this season. Cook likely becomes the top receiving target in the red zone not named Austin Ekeler. Cook feels like a strong add and has a solid floor if both the top WRs are out.
Donald Parham Jr. (1% on Yahoo)
The other sleeper in this group is Parham, who could see more snaps and is a red zone target for QB Justin Herbert. Chances are Cook will just see more of the work at TE, but the Chargers could get creative. Parham is a risky add and play as a starting TE. If you’re in a deeper league, you may not have much of a choice if Cook isn’t available. Parham would be a TD-dependent play in PPR.
The Verdict
Add Guyton and Cook if you can. Both of them will be strong plays if Williams and Allen are out. Palmer has the edge over Parham. Palmer could end up being a sneaky DFS play rather than season-long.