January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver
Keandre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. Lambert-Smith exited in the second quarter and was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded to out. He finishes the Bolts' regular-season finale with five targets, two catches, and 24 receiving yards. He also fielded two kicks for a total of 45 return yards. The rookie out of Auburn was having the best game of his young career, as he had entered this week with just three catches on seven targets.
Derius Davis and
Tre' Harris should run more routes in his absence, while
Jaret Patterson will handle kick-return duties.
--Andersen PickardSource: Los Angeles Chargers
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver
Keandre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) is considered questionable to return for Sunday's Week 18 matchup versus the Denver Broncos. Lambert-Smith appears to have suffered the injury after making an 18-yard catch late in the second quarter. It's the final game of the regular season, and the Chargers aren't playing for anything, so it wouldn't be shocking to see them hold out Lambert-Smith for the rest of the game. Before exiting, he hauled in two of his five targets for 24 yards. With him on the sideline,
Derius Davis and
Tre' Harris are likely to see more targets from backup quarterback
Trey Lance.
--Andy WebbSource: Los Angeles Chargers
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James (coach's decision) and defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu (coach's decision) are inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. Both players are healthy scratches after they didn't carry an injury designation into this weekend. The Bolts are resting several key starters on both sides of the play since they're guaranteed to finish with the fifth, sixth, or seventh seed in the AFC. James finishes his regular season with 94 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, and one forced fumble through 16 games. With Elijah Molden (hamstring) also inactive, RJ Mickens and Tony Jefferson should earn more defensive snaps in James' absence. Meanwhile, Tuipulotu finishes with 45 tackles, 13 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery over 16 contests. Bud Dupree, Odafe Oweh, and Kyle Kennard will work to fill his void on Sunday.
--Andersen PickardSource: Kris Rhim
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Hassan Haskins (concussion) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction after practicing in full on Friday. Haskins has appeared in just two games since Week 7, but he could carve out an increased role as
Kimani Vidal's backup on Sunday with
Omarion Hampton (ankle) inactive. With that being said, there's some uncertainty about how the Chargers will fare with
Trey Lance quarterbacking the offense against a strong Broncos defense. If the Bolts struggle to move the ball on Sunday, Haskins won't be able to carve out standalone fantasy value in his role behind Vidal. He can be avoided in most leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: Kris Rhim
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction after logging back-to-back full practices. The 24-year-old returns from a one-game absence and is expected to lead Los Angeles' backfield with rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) sidelined. With that being said, we expect fellow running back
Hassan Haskins to carve out a role, too. There's some uncertainty about how the Chargers will fare with
Trey Lance quarterbacking the offense against a strong Broncos defense. If the Bolts struggle to move the ball on Sunday, we could see Vidal drop to the low-end RB3/flex tier.
--Andersen PickardSource: Kris Rhim
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback
Trey Lance will make his first start of the season during Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. The former first-round pick is starting in place of
Justin Herbert (coach's decision) as the Chargers look to keep their No. 1 quarterback healthy for the upcoming playoff stretch. Turning to Lance puts Los Angeles as a 14-point underdog, and they could still finish anywhere between the No. 5 and No. 7 seed in the AFC. The young quarterback has flashed upside in the past, and perhaps the Chargers still hope that he can live up to his first-round draft stock. However, the odds are stacked against him this week. For starters, the Broncos have an elite defense anchored by Patrick Surtain II and Nik Bonitto. Denver has allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards and eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. Furthermore, Lance is playing behind an offensive line that PFF ranked second-worst heading into Week 18. Every Chargers offensive lineman finished with a PFF grade below 70 last week. This is not the right time to start Lance in fantasy football. Managers should avoid him in all leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 3, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) is listed as questionable for the regular season finale against the Denver Broncos, but is trending in the right direction to play after practicing in full on Thursday and Friday. Vidal missed last week's game against the Texans, but he will likely take over as the lead back to finish the regular season with
Omarion Hampton (ankle) ruled out. The outlook for the second-year back and the Chargers offense isn't as favorable with backup QB
Trey Lance starting in place of
Justin Herbert (rest), but it could lead to a more run-heavy game plan. With fellow running back
Hassan Haskins (concussion) also questionable, Vidal could be in line for a big workload, assuming he plays. It's a tough matchup, however, as the Broncos have allowed the fewest PPR points per game to running backs this season, making Vidal more of volume based RB2 option in Week 18.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
January 2, 2026
The Los Angeles Chargers could use some of their regular starters in a backup role in Week 18. This team isn't playing for much with a playoff spot locked up ahead of the regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos. Head coach Jim Harbaugh doesn't want to risk any injuries to his starters, so he's considering using them in a backup role. This strategy would decrease the workload on his starters, but would still give them some reps ahead of the postseason. Fantasy managers who have any Chargers' starters on their roster would be wise to leave them on their benches. Quarterback
Justin Herbert is expected to be active, but is not expected to play at all.
--Andy WebbSource: Daniel Popper
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver
Keenan Allen has recorded 74 catches for 741 yards and four touchdowns on 109 targets in 16 games in 2025 in his return to the team. The six-time Pro Bowler has been a trustworthy aerial weapon for quarterback
Justin Herbert, but the 33-year-old is limping to the finish line and had just one catch on three targets for 17 yards in last week's loss to the Houston Texans. It was the first time since the 2020 season that Allen was limited to just one catch. Allen has not found the end zone in a game since Oct. 19 and has cleared the 50-yard mark just once in the last nine contests. In the first seven games of the season, Allen went over 50 receiving yards five times while scoring all four of his TDs. The veteran pass-catcher has run out of momentum and makes for a poor fantasy lineup option in Week 18 against the Broncos with backup quarterback
Trey Lance running things.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Hassan Haskins (concussion) is listed as questionable ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Haskins was able to finish the week with a full practice session, which is good news. He still needs to get fully cleared by the league before he's eligible to play. Rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) has already been ruled out for this game.
Kimani Vidal (neck) is listed as questionable as well for Sunday's regular-season finale, so the Bolts' backfield is in flux. The Chargers have little incentive to play their starters, so it wouldn't be shocking if some practice-squad players saw increased looks. Haskins is unlikely to be an appealing fantasy option, even if he's active and Vidal is out. Remember, backup quarterback
Trey Lance is running the offense against one of the best defenses in the league.
--Andy WebbSource: Los Angeles Chargers
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) is officially listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. Vidal is trending in the right direction after getting in two straight full practice sessions to end the week. There seems to be a decent chance that he'll return from his one-game absence this weekend. He'd likely take over as the lead back with rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) ruled out for this game. Fellow back
Hassan Haskins (concussion) carries a questionable tag into this game as well. Backup quarterback
Trey Lance is starting, which could lead to a run-heavy game plan for this offense. Vidal could be looking at a 20-plus carry game, assuming he's able to suit up. Without Vidal or Haskins, the Chargers would likely lean on
Jaret Patterson or
Amar Johnson. The Chargers' backfield is a situation to avoid in a game where the offense is expected to have a tough time moving the ball with a backup QB.
--Andy WebbSource: Los Angeles Chargers
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback
Justin Herbert (hand) was removed from the Week 18 injury report on Friday, but he will not play in the regular-season finale against the division-rival Denver Broncos on Sunday, according to Eric Smith of Chargers.com. Herbert was limited in practice on Wednesday before being held out on Thursday and Friday. The Chargers announced early in the week that they would be resting Herbert with a playoff spot already locked up. Backup
Trey Lance will make his first start of the year in a bad matchup against a team trying to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye. Despite a suspect offensive line protecting him, Herbert enters Week 18 action as the QB7 in overall fantasy points. In 16 regular-season games, he threw for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Herbert added 498 rushing yards and two TDs on the ground.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chargers.com - Eric Smith
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back
Omarion Hampton (ankle) has been ruled out for Week 18's regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Hampton missed all three days of practice this week and is set to miss the eighth game of his rookie campaign. The 2025 first-round pick spent time on Injured Reserve earlier in the year with a fractured ankle, and it seems that the Chargers are just being cautious with a playoff spot already locked up. Hampton finishes the season with 124 carries for 545 yards and four touchdowns to go with 32 receptions (35 targets) for 192 yards and one touchdown as a receiver. Second-year back
Kimani Vidal (neck) was a full participant in practice on Thursday and Friday, so he should be expected to lead the backfield in Week 18 versus the Broncos if he's active. Both Vidal and
Hassan Haskins (concussion) are considered questionable to play.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Adam Schefter
January 2, 2026
Across 16 games this season, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver
Ladd McConkey has recorded 66 catches for 789 yards and six touchdowns on 106 targets. Over the second half of the season, the 24-year-old has seen his role in the Chargers' offense minimized. Across six games since Week 10, McConkey has not recorded more than six targets, four receptions, or 43 receiving yards in any contest. While McConkey remains one of his team's top wideouts, he's not an every-down player. Over his last nine games, McConkey has played more than 76% of the Chargers' offensive snaps just twice. In Week 18, Los Angeles will rest quarterback
Justin Herbert in preparation for the AFC playoffs, leaving McConkey to catch passes from backup signal-caller
Trey Lance. McConkey himself could see a reduced snap share, and he's facing a tough defense in the Denver Broncos. Fantasy managers can view McConkey as a low-end WR3/flex option in Week 18.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 1, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) upgraded to a full practice session on Thursday. Vidal started the week with a limited showing in practice on Wednesday. A full session on Thursday suggests that he's ready to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday in Denver against the division-rival Broncos. Meanwhile, rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) has yet to practice this week, and
Hassan Haskins has been limited as he works his way through the NFL's concussion protocol. L.A.'s backfield is in flux entering the weekend, but if Hampton is held out, Vidal figures to be the team's lead back in Week 18. The 24-year-old would receive a volume boost, but expectations would need to be tempered in an offense led by backup quarterback
Trey Lance against a stout Denver defense. Fantasy managers need to check back on Friday for more clarity on this backfield.
--Keith HernandezSource: Los Angeles Chargers
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