Fantasy football managers who started Ladd McConkey on Sunday got an injury update they probably would have appreciated a little earlier. Preferably, while they could still do something about it.
The Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver was suddenly listed as questionable with a back injury after Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans had started. Then came the particularly frustrating news: According to multiple reports, McConkey experienced back spasms during pregame warmups.
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Pregame. As in, before the game.
The Chargers’ announcement was posted at 4:17 p.m. ET, roughly 12 minutes after the game started.
McConkey wasn’t on the team’s Friday injury report, and he wasn’t among the players declared inactive Sunday. Managers who checked those updates had no warning there that a back problem might interfere with his afternoon.
By the time the questionable designation arrived, managers whose lineups had locked could only wait for another update and hope for the best.
Judging by the reaction on social media, they weren’t particularly interested in being patient.
One social media user argued that managers counting on McConkey had every reason to be upset that his “back spasms weren’t communicated to the public before kickoff.”
Another called for an investigation into the Chargers’ handling of the injury information. Others were simply fed up with having McConkey in their lineups.
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One frustrated fantasy manager complained that McConkey “has ruined my fantasy week 60% of the time this year.”
Those were among the responses we can actually print on this website.
To be fair, if you were counting on McConkey to win your fantasy matchup, your team is probably already in trouble (mine included). The Chargers’ offense has been a complete dumpster fire, and McConkey hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard.
Los Angeles entered Sunday 0-7 and without an offensive touchdown in its past nine quarters. McConkey had just 17 catches for 286 yards and one touchdown in six appearances, having already missed a game due to injury.
His four catches for 86 yards against the Rams the previous week had at least given managers some reason to feel better about putting him back in their lineups. However, 54 of those yards came on a fluky deflected Hail Mary at the end of the first half.
Even a questionable designation before the game would have given managers with another available receiver a choice. McConkey did not have a target in the first half against the Texans.
It’s fair to ask when the Chargers first knew McConkey’s back might keep him out and why that information didn’t reach the public sooner. The timing of the announcement deserves an explanation, regardless of how much McConkey ultimately plays.
The American Gaming Association put its forecast for legal NFL betting at $29.5 billion this season, counting wagers at regulated U.S. commercial sportsbooks.
People placing those bets, trading through prediction markets and paying to enter fantasy contests are all making decisions with real money. Timely, accurate injury information is a basic requirement, and the NFL needs to make sure its teams provide it while people can still act on it.
Finding out after kickoff that a player was hurt before the game is infuriating. For a league with billions of dollars riding on its games, it’s also unacceptable.