Chargers injury report: Team will be without veteran player at perceived weak spot

Travis Wakeman

Chargers injury report: Team will be without veteran player at perceived weak spot image

The Los Angeles Chargers have released their final injury report ahead of their Week 1 clash with the Las Vegas Raiders and one of their key free-agent additions this offseason will miss the game.

Veteran wide receiver D.J. Chark will miss the game due to a hip injury. That is hardly a surprise as he has been unable to practice with the team. That said, wide receiver is considered by many to be the Achilles heel of this Chargers team. 

The Chargers kept seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster. With Chark, the team will go into the game with Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Simi Fehoko, Derius Davis and Brenden Rice, though Rice may be a healthy scratch. 

Chark was signed during the offseason to provide veteran depth for a shallow group and though it seems crazy, teams may actually dare Justin Herbert, who is dealing with a plantar fascia injury, to throw the ball. McConkey is a trendy pick as a sleeper candidate to have a big year, but the team will need someone like Palmer or Johnston to make plays while Chark is out. 

Chargers-Raiders injury report

ChargersPositionInjuryGame Status
D.J. CharkWRHipOUT
Asante Samuel, Jr. CBShoulderQuestionable
Tarheeb StillCBHipQuestionable

Chark is the only player officially ruled out, but it's worth monitoring the status of the team's No. 1 cornerback, Asante Samuel. If he is unable to go, Kristian Fulton will be pressed into that role and he will see a lot of Davante Adams, one of the best receivers in the league. 

 

RaidersPositionInjuryGame Status
Tommy EichenbergLBKneeQuestionable
Malcolm KoonceDEKneeOUT
Jackson Powers-JohnsonGIllnessOUT
Decamerion RichardsonCBHamstringOUT

The Raiders' game plan will not change based on this injury report. First-round pick Brock Bowers, considered to be one of the best tight end prospects in the last decade is set to make his NFL debut despite logging some limited practices this week. He was a full-go on Friday and stands as one of the best offensive options for Vegas. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.