The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 3 matchup between the Chargers and Broncos.
Find a breakdown of every Week 3 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Denver | Rank | @ | LA Chargers | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 | Spread | -2.5 | ||
| 21.75 | Implied Total | 24.25 | ||
| 24.0 | 9 | Points/Gm | 23.5 | 11 |
| 20.5 | 14 | Points All./Gm | 15.0 | 3 |
| 62.5 | 15 | Plays/Gm | 58.5 | 20 |
| 61.0 | 14 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 61.5 | 15 |
| 5.1 | 19 | Off. Yards/Play | 6.1 | 6 |
| 5 | 10 | Def. Yards/Play | 4.6 | 7 |
| 43.20% | 15 | Rush% | 43.59% | 14 |
| 56.80% | 18 | Pass% | 56.41% | 19 |
| 43.44% | 19 | Opp. Rush % | 29.27% | 2 |
| 56.56% | 14 | Opp. Pass % | 70.73% | 31 |
- The Chargers averaged 2.59 points per drive in two games against Denver last season. Denver allowed a league-low 1.61 points per drive on the season.
- The 7.1 yards per play allowed by Denver in Week 2 was their most in a game since Week 9 of the 2024 season.
- Denver has a 50.7% pressure rate, the highest in the NFL.
- The Chargers are averaging 6.1 yards per play, sixth in the league.
- Los Angeles has a 68.4% dropback rate in neutral game situations, fourth in the league.
- Chargers running backs have failed to gain yardage on 31.3% of their runs, 29th in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Justin Herbert: Herbert ended Week 2 as the QB16 (18.8 points).
Week 2 ended as a high-scoring quarterback week, and the Raiders did not provide enough pushback Monday night for a shootout.
Herbert still threw for 9.0 yards per pass attempt and added 31 rushing yards, but he was credited with a lost fumble on an exchange with Omarion Hampton.
The Chargers also remained a pass-first team.
They threw the ball 13% more than expected in Week 2, 19% over expectation on first downs.
This is a passing team, which could also be attributed to the fact that they cannot run the ball even when they have tried.
This matchup is not as glowing as last week, but Herbert was good the last time these teams played, and there is more potential for back and forth than on Monday night.
The last time these teams played (also in Los Angeles), the game was 34-27 with both teams posting over 350 yards of offense.
He ended that week as the QB8 (22.2 points), throwing for 9.2 Y/A and 2 touchdowns.
Herbert was hot that game, averaging 10.7 Y/A when pressured and 16.2 Y/A against the blitz.
Even if there is a wide range of outcomes for Herbert here based on the quality of the Denver defense, he is a QB1.
As good as their defense is, and we respect it, Denver has played in some shootouts the past two years.
We saw Jameis Winston and Joe Burrow have back-and-forth games against this defense outside of the last time these teams played.
We also saw it last weekend.
Denver is coming off allowing 29 points on the road in Indianapolis with 316 yards passing and 22.8 fantasy points for Daniel Jones.
Bo Nix: Nix was a mixed bag on Sunday, but he still managed to deliver a solid fantasy line, closing the week as the QB12 (20.2 points).
He completed 73.3% of his passes but averaged only 6.9 yards per pass attempt.
Nix has thrown for 176 and 206 yards through two weeks.
He also threw an interception, his third of the season.
3 of his passes went for touchdowns, however.
He also added 20 rushing yards, erasing his turnover in many leagues.
Nix is averaging only 5.1 air yards per pass attempt, ahead of only Aaron Rodgers through two games.
On throws 10 or more yards downfield so far, Nix is 5 of 14 (35.7%) with 3 interceptions.
The Chargers have been excellent at defending those throws, allowing passers to complete a league-low 26.2% (5 of 19) with 2 interceptions.
This is also an equally challenging matchup for Nix, if not more so, as it is for Herbert.
The Chargers are allowing the fewest passing points per attempt through two games (0.189), allowing 5.3 yards per pass attempt (2nd), a 58.5% completion rate (5th), and a league-low 1.2% touchdown rate.
That said, there is reason to be interested in the upside for this game as highlighted above.
Nix was the QB10 (20.7 points) and QB12 (21.0 points) in the two matchups between these teams as a rookie.
He only threw for 6.5 and 6.6 yards per pass attempt in those matchups, but Nix threw multiple touchdowns in each while tacking on 18 and 21 yards rushing.
This game offers plenty of variance should both defenses be at their best, but I don’t want to ignore the potential upside outcome, which puts Nix in the back-end QB1 range.
Running Back
To continue reading this article
and gain access to The Worksheet as well as all of Rich's regular fantasy content, click below to learn more about our Fantasy Package.
Learn More
More Week 3 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Dolphins @ Bills | Thursday Night Football |
| Packers @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Vikings | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Eagles | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ Bears | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Giants | Sunday Night Football |
| Lions @ Ravens | Monday Night Football |
