With Keenan Allen leaving the Chargers' Week 1 win over the Raiders, there's a lot of potential production to be filled. Justin Herbert threw three touchdowns, but it was mostly without Allen and also with Mike Williams barely playing a role.
Palmer has the physical tools to thrive in the NFL, and he's about to get his chance to prove himself. He's the clear No. 3 receiver for the Chargers and has a primetime matchup this week to prove his credentials.
Los Angeles plays the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football this week, which means Allen is even less likely to play given the short week. Fantasy managers will have an even shorter window to potentially snag Palmer before he blows up.
Our fantasy football experts lay out how they're approaching Palmer on the waiver wire this week and whether they're buying stock for the rest of the season.
Sean Koerner: Palmer will become a low-end WR3 if Keenan Allen can’t suit up this week.
If you are desperate for a short-term solution at WR, Palmer is your guy. He offers long-term upside as the clear WR3 for the Chargers (finally) after Jalen Guyton only played four snaps in Week 1. DeAndre Carter came in after the Keenan Allen injury, so it looks like he will only get significant playing time if one of the 3 starters ever misses time.
Gerald Everett would jump up to TE7 in my Week 2 rankings if Keenan Allen and Donald Parham are out this week. If you are looking for the player offering the most value due to the Keenan Allen injury, it might be Everett.
Chris Raybon: Palmer is a low-priority bench stash.
Palmer’s usage spiked to 74% routes run in Week 1, but he continued to struggle to draw targets, finishing with just three, which equates to a lowly 12% target rate per route. This was an issue for Palmer last season, when he was targeted on only 15% of his routes. It was also disconcerting to see presumed WR5 DeAndre Carter get inserted for the injured Keenan Allen and go 3/64/1 on 14 routes.
I would add Palmer not because Allen is hurt, but because his numbers have the potential to spike as a starter in this offense. Until we see something in the way of consistent production out of him, though, he can’t be trusted.
