{"id":132280,"date":"2025-05-14T18:53:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/fantasy-football-whats-the-ideal-draft-position-for-ladd-mcconkey-in-2025\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T18:53:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:53:35","slug":"fantasy-football-whats-the-ideal-draft-position-for-ladd-mcconkey-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/fantasy-football-whats-the-ideal-draft-position-for-ladd-mcconkey-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football: What\u2019s the ideal draft position for Ladd McConkey in 2025?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re prepping for your **fantasy football** draft this year, you\u2019ve probably started hearing a lot of buzz around **Ladd McConkey** coming off his excellent rookie season. On the latest **Yahoo Fantasy Forecast**, Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski couldn\u2019t contain their excitement for McConkey\u2019s outlook with the **Los Angeles Chargers** in 2025 \u2014 and for good reason. But the burning question is: Where should you draft him?<\/p>\n

Subscribe to <\/em>Yahoo Fantasy Forecast<\/em><\/strong> on <\/em><\/em><\/a>, <\/em><\/em><\/a>, <\/em><\/em><\/a> or <\/em><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Ladd McConkey: Hype or Value?<\/h2>\n

McConkey\u2019s rookie tape and underlying numbers turned plenty of heads, but it\u2019s not just about his skills \u2014 as both Harmon and Pianowski highlighted, it\u2019s about the perfect combination of **talent**, **opportunity**, and **team context**.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Pianowski didn’t mince words:<\/p>\n

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“Ladd McConkey is a great second-round pick. Anywhere you can get him. I’m going to have Ladd McConkey shares. If I overpay for them, I don’t care. He’s going to catch 115 passes this year. You’re going to regret [missing out]. It’s going to pain you. If you were between McConkey and somebody else and you took somebody else, you’re going to regret that. Please get this guy this year.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We’re talking must-draft territory.<\/p>\n

Why All the Love for McConkey?<\/h2>\n

There are a few core reasons McConkey stands out:<\/p>\n

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  1. \n
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    High-Volume Role<\/strong>: Even as a rookie, McConkey wasn’t just a starter, but quickly became the<\/em> go-to guy in a shallow receiving corps. The Chargers handed the reins to McConkey to the tune of 112 targets, and that total should only go up in his sophomore season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n
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    Team Situation<\/strong>: As discussed on the podcast, Justin Herbert is healthy and poised for a big year. The Chargers\u2019 offensive line has questions, but their high pass rate down the stretch last season was a positive sign for target volume.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n
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    Player on the Rise<\/strong>: Pianowski’s praise included advocating for McConkey over A.J. Brown<\/em> in some formats:
    “If you come down to A.J. Brown versus Ladd McConkey, I want you to take Ladd McConkey every time. So I’m [planting] my flag, there it is.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n
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    Rookie Precedent<\/strong>: Harmon compared McConkey’s Reception Perception data to the likes of **CeeDee Lamb**, **Michael Thomas**, and **Tyreek Hill** as rookies. That\u2019s elite company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What About the Risks?<\/h2>\n

    No player comes without question marks. McConkey\u2019s raw numbers in college were held back by **Georgia\u2019s conservative offense**, but both analysts are confident that was a product of his environment, not a lack of ability. With the Chargers, there\u2019s little established competition for targets \u2014 and with Herbert as his quarterback, everything is lining up.<\/p>\n

    So \u2026 Where Should You Draft McConkey<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n

    Pianowski was adamant McConkey should be a second-round pick<\/strong> in full-PPR leagues, even calling him a \u201cno-brainer\u201d over established stars if you\u2019re on the fence.<\/p>\n

    Advertisement<\/p>\n

    If general consensus and ADP puts McConkey closer to the third round, do not hesitate.<\/em> Take him in the late second or early third; you\u2019ll beat the rush and snag a true difference-maker with **top-10 potential**. He projects as the clear top target for his team and could return low-end fantasy WR1 production.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re drafting in **half-PPR**, he\u2019s still a firm Round 3 pick based on projected volume and role. In **standard scoring**, bump him to later in the third round or early fourth as touchdowns are less of his profile, but the floor remains high.<\/p>\n

    Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Pianowski said it best: “Please get this guy this year.”<\/p>\n

    So don\u2019t be afraid to reach for McConkey \u2014 trust the tape, the role, and the hype. When your league mates are cursing themselves midseason for passing him up, you\u2019ll be glad you listened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Sport News-3<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    (This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.) If you\u2019re prepping for your **fantasy football** draft this year, you\u2019ve probably started hearing a lot of buzz around **Ladd McConkey** coming off his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":108662,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[22028,5335,1546,17247,34381,34382,27,9889],"class_list":["post-132280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-draft","tag-fantasy","tag-football","tag-ideal","tag-ladd","tag-mcconkey","tag-position","tag-whats"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}