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The fifth-round pick is one of five draft picks who will not be on the opening day roster.

Vidal also caught a screen pass on fourth down, but immediately received a hard hit from Broncos CB Pat Surtain, losing two yards on the play. Chargers RB Jaret Patterson led the backfield with eight rushes for 29 yards and caught 3-of-4 targets for eight yards. Fellow backup RB Hassan Haskins rushed once for three yards. Vidal should operate as RB Omarion Hampton’s primary backup next week against the Patriots.

Gadsden produced a 17-yard gain on a post route on the Chargers’ fifth drive. He showed up again later on by making a nice diving catch on a short out route, picking up six yards on the play. Gadsden is still developing, but shows enough most weeks to remain in play for fantasy purposes against the Patriots next week.

Harris led the receiving corps with 69 offensive snaps but went bizarrely uninvolved until late in the game, earning 5-of-6 targets on the Chargers’ final drive. He picked up 12 yards and a first down on 4th-and-10 from the Broncos’ 34-yard line, before picking up 16 yards on the following play, catching a pass seven yards downfield before churning his legs through contact en route to another first down. A few plays later, Harris ran a fade route from 11 yards out and managed to get his hands on the ball while dragging both feet in the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, he was unable to retain possession as he hit the ground. Harris is a boom-bust FLEX against the Patriots.

The Chargers seemingly built their passing game plans around Allen’s contract incentives. He needed six catches for $750,000 and nine receiving yards for $250,000. Chargers QB Trey Lance targeted him early and often, notably targeting Allen five times on their final drive before halftime. Allen earned nearly all of his targets on quick-hitting routes, though Lance did give him one errant downfield opportunity on the first drive after half. Allen is a WR4/FLEX against the Patriots.

Following a 10-catch, 99-yard performance in Week 1 against the Chargers, Brown was a non-factor in the pass-heavy Kansas City offense this season, totaling 536 yards and four touchdowns over 16 games. As the third or fourth option in the passing offense, Brown was treated as a rotational player even when the Chiefs struggled with wideout absences. After a highly disappointing two-year run with KC, Brown will likely play elsewhere in 2026. He’ll be a free agent this offseason.

Chargers veteran slot WR Keenan Allen functioned as the offensive focal point this afternoon. Unfortunately, for Lance, Allen mostly ran quick-hitting routes that relied on the 33-year-old to pick up yards after the catch. Chargers rookie WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith is to blame for Lance’s interception, tipping a catchable pass into Broncos slot CB Ja’Quan McMillian’s hands for the pick-six. Lance did a great job evading Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto for much of the game, but Bonitto got the better of Lance late in the game by forcing a fumble with a well-aimed punch. Lance connected with WR Derius Davis for a short touchdown late in the game, but it was called back due to an illegal formation penalty. Lance heads back to the bench for the Chargers’ Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Patriots.

A fourth-year UDFA, Austin was a 2022 Combine workout warrior who entered 2025 with 11 career catches. He doubled that this year, but with just 13 total grabs, eight of which came the past two weeks as the Saints dealt with injury issues. Two months shy of his 26th birthday, there is no guarantee Austin is back on next summer’s 53-man roster.

Demercado made the Cardinals’ final roster after training camp as the team’s third-string back. With James Conner and Trey Benson suffering season-ending injuries early in the year, Demercado got his shot in Week 5. Moments before scoring a 72-yard touchdown, Demercado let go of the ball at the goal line for a fumble that ultimately resulted in a touchback. Head coach Jonathan Gannon chewed Demercado out so aggressively after the play that he was fined $100,000 by the league. Even with opportunities up for grabs in the Arizona backfield, Gannon couldn’t bring himself to give Demercado another shot and he was relegated to a backup role for the remainder of the year. He finished the season with 44 carries for 312 yards and 13 grabs for 101 yards plus a touchdown. Demercado is a restricted free agent heading into the offseason, meaning the Cardinals can keep him on a cheap contract if they choose to do so.

The veteran had more than three receptions in just three games this season, totaling 34 catches for 334 yards and two a touchdown. Smith-Schuster operated mostly as a rotational receiver and an intermediate outlet for Patrick Mahomes. The 29-year-old wideout, with 51 catches over the past two seasons, will probably be with another team in 2026. He’s an unrestricted free agent.

McLaughlin also chipped in a 17-yard reception by forcing a missed tackle after securing a checkdown pass from QB Bo Nix before scampering down the right sideline. The rotational back ran very efficiently and even brought the ball into scoring position on the opening drive with a 10-yard gain from the Chargers’ 16-yard line. Fellow Broncos RB Tyler Badie rushed twice for minus-two yards and caught 2-of-2 targets for 28 yards.