Los Angeles Chargers' most disappointing player through four games is a surprise

After he finished off last season on absolute fire, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey has cooled off considerably to start this season.

McConkey has 174 receiving yards and no touchdowns in four games and is averaging just 43.5 yards per contest, down from 71.8 last season.

When McConkey was on his tear from Week 8 on in 2024, he never posted fewer than 52 receiving yards in any contest. McConkey has done that in three of four games this year.

Adding to his woes, McConkey is coming off his least productive game as a pro after he tallied just one catch for 11 yards.

At this point, it's safe to say McConkey is one of the most disappointing players on the team, if not the most.

There could be a few logical explanations for his slow start.

After playing as well as he did last season, there is no doubt that McConkey is facing more attention from opposing defenses this season.

Adding to that, the Chargers have a much more crowded receivers room as compared to 2024. Keenan Allen and Tre Harris are now in the mix, and Quentin Johnson has been nothing short of great.

Both Allen and Johnston have gotten more targets from Justin Herbert than McConkey with 35 and 37, respectively.

Omarion Hampton is seeing a lot of passing-game work, also, with the rookie having 16 targets thus far, which is already nearly half the amount J.K. Dobbins saw last season (38).

Meanwhile, McConkey has 27, the third-most on the team. Allen and Johnston also have more catches and receiving yards than the second-year wide receiver.

Either McConkey's rookie campaign was a fluke, or he's simply just a victim of the current circumstances in Los Angeles. We tend to believe it's the latter and it's just a matter of time before he bounces back.

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