Last season, the Eagles were the top rushing team in the NFL, leading to a league low in passing attempts (448). As a result, Philadelphia's top wideouts had a lot fewer targets (261), which is highlighted by the graph below.
In the first year with a new offensive coaching staff under Jim Harbaugh’s direction, the Chargers had a more balanced offense. They ran the ball 47.6% of the time. The Chargers downgraded Justin Herbert’s passing opportunity to 29.6 passes per game last season, making him an upside game manager.
Los Angeles also comes off a three-year low in wide receiver catches (206), receiving yards (2,793), and targets (323), but their wideouts made bigger plays (13.6 yards per catch) with a bump in scoring (19).
AJ Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles threw the ball 81 more times to their wide receivers in 2022, giving Brown a significantly better opportunity than I expected. He finished with career-highs in catches (88), receiving yards (1,496), and targets (145) while scoring 11 touchdowns and gaining an impressive 17.0 yards per catch.
Brown gained 20 or more yards on 26.1% of his catches. His best output came in five games (10/155, 6/156/3, 8/119/2, 9/181, and 6/103). He averaged 8.5 targets (a 23.1% increase) for his final year in Tennessee.
After two dull games (7/79 and 4/29) in 2024, Brown turned into an absolute beast over the next seven weeks (9/131, 9/175/2, 6/127, 7/131, 10/137/1, 8/130/2, and 7/66/1). He averaged 16.0 yards per catch and 25.96 fantasy points in PPR formats over this span.
His connection with Jalen Hurts wasn’t the same over his final eight matchups, leading to only four viable showings (5/37/1, 8/114, 9/94, and 6/80). Brown was only on the field for 12 snaps in Week 18 while sitting out the Eagles’ playoff game with a knee issue. He finished fifth in wide receiver scoring (291.60 fantasy points) in PPR formats.
After finishing as a top 6 wideout in back-to-back years, Brown missed three games early in the season with a hamstring issue. He opened 2024 with five catches for 119 yards and one touchdown on 10 targets, followed up by two productive games (6/116/1 and 5/89/1). Over his final 10 matchups, Brown played well in four games (5/109, 6/109/1, 8/110/1, and 8/97/1), with a floor of double-digit fantasy points in four other contests (5/84, 5/65/ 5/66, and 3/36/1).
Philadelphia rested Brown in Week 18. In the postseason, his only winning day (6/96/1) came in a high-scoring affair against the Commanders. He played through a knee injury over the final two months.
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles addressed their offseason losses at wide receiver by drafting McConkey with their second selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. He came to the NFL with plus speed (4.39 40-yard dash) while being undersized (6’0” and 185 lbs.). His early edge comes from his route running and understanding of the open field at all levels of a defense. He projects as a slot receiver with a high floor in catches. McConkey isn’t quite there yet in his release vs. physical defenders due to his need to get stronger.
Over three seasons at Georgia, he caught 119 passes for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns, with some chances in the run game (13/216/4). McConkey missed six games in 2023 due to back and ankle issues. He gained more than 100 yards receiving in only two (5/135/1 and 6/135/1) of his 39 games in college.
The Chargers featured McConkey in a secondary role over his first six games, leading to 24 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns on 39 targets. He had five catches or more in 10 of his final 11 matches, highlighted by five games (6/111/2, 6/123, 9/117, 8/94/2, and 9/197/1), with the last outcome coming in the postseason.
McConkey averaged 19.19 fantasy points in PPR formats over this snap, which would have been worthy of the second-best ranking at wide receiver if repeated for all 17 games. He missed Week 14 with a knee issue while ending the season with a minor toe injury.
Heading into the last third of July, Ladd McConkey is the 10th-ranked wide receiver in PPR formats, one spot ahead of AJ Brown. The debate between these two players is a battle of consistency versus explosiveness.
The Verdict: AJ Brown Vs. Ladd McConkey
Game flow by the Eagles invites some down days for Brown due to fewer targets. He’ll make bigger plays, but his scoring upside tends to be crushed by Philadelphia rushing the ball in for touchdowns once they reach the end zone. For Brown to move up the wide receiver rankings, Jalen Hurts must throw the ball over 500 times like he did in 2023 (538). Some of this requires better pass blocking.
The Chargers should continue to run this year, but McConkey is the clear top receiving option for Los Angeles. His late-season success in 2024 points to a 100+ catch season, and he gained 14.0 yards per catch in his rookie campaign (14.2 in college). Justin Herbert has three high-volume passing seasons on his resume (595, 672, and 699), which demonstrates his passing potential if the game score dictates.
In this comparison, Ladd McConkey is my choice. He should have many more double-digit target games while offering a reasonable scoring floor. In addition, McConkey has a chance to have a top five wide receiver opportunity (targets) while Brown falls more in the mid-tier WR2 range. He makes up for this shortfall by making big plays and scoring.
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