Is Ladd McConkey Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Raiders vs. Chargers in NFL Week 2)

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey was one of the few bright spots for the team in Week 1, catching five passes for 82 yards and a score on seven targets.

However, he suffered a rib injury on a big hit from Mack Wilson late in the game, and it cost him a ton of practice time in the lead up to Week 2. Officially, the Chargers have listed McConkey as questionable for the team’s home date with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon after he returned to practice in a limited fashion on Friday.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, McConkey is pushing to play in this matchup.

#Chargers WR Ladd McConkey, dealing with a cracked rib, practiced Friday and has improved more steadily than anticipated. The team did not elevate a WR and he’s pushing to play, sources say.

There is optimism that he can go today, barring a setback.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2026

If McConkey is unable to go, Tre Harris, Quentin Johnston and others will be asked to step up in this offense. Justin Herbert looked McConkey’s way quite a bit in Week 1, and the offense (14 points) struggled as a whole even with the former second-round pick on the field.

Last season, McConkey appeared in 16 of the Chargers’ games, but he had a down year compared to his rookie campaign. McConkey finished with 66 catches (on 106 targets) scoring six times. As a rookie, he had 82 catches for 1,149 yards and seven scores.

The Chargers are favored at home in this matchup with the Raiders, and they are in desperate need of a win after dropping their Week 1 matchup as a massive favorite against Arizona.

The betting market has shifted the Chargers to +100 to make the playoffs, a major drop from where they opened the season.

“We had a couple big fallers, Chargers being the biggest,” Ty Gour, Sports Trader at Fanatics Sportsbook, told Sports Illustrated about teams that moved in their power rating after Week 1. “The reason being – there is there's a term I like to use, and it's a pretty popular term as well – just like that was a bankable win against Arizona. It's one they really should have had. And the fact that they didn't, and with the schedule they have, it's going to be really tough for them to get to the 10-win threshold.

“It takes them from a team we've viewed as a playoff team to a team that we view as struggling to get into the playoffs now.”

With McConkey questionable for Week 2, here’s a look at how the SI Betting team is targeting the Chargers in the prop market.

Best Chargers Prop Bet vs. Raiders

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Quentin Johnston Anytime TD (+125)

Johnston has been a touchdown machine for the Chargers the last two seasons, catching eight in 2024 and another eight in 2025.

He should end up in a bigger role if McConkey sits, and the former first-round pick was still targeted six times in Week 1, playing over 78 percent of the team's offensive snaps.

Even though the Raiders defense slowed down the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, I'm not sold on that happening against Justin Herbert and Co., especially since the Chargers really need this win to avoid an 0-2 start.

With the potential that Johnston's target share increases, I think he's worth a look at this price to score on Sunday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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