Charlie

Kolar

Kolar ran 28 routes on the day while Oronde Gadsden II ran 24 routes and also had five targets from Justin Herbert. The division of pass-catching duties for LA’s tight ends make both players unplayable for fantasy outside the deepest formats.

Kolar tied for the team lead in catches, and finished with the most receiving yards. Unfortunately, 19 of those came on the first play, and were followed by a fumble. Oronde Gadsden didn’t catch his only target and Hayden Rucci had just one catch — for a touchdown, to be fair — so Kolar sadly appears to be the one “reliable” receiving target for the Chargers’ tight end room. That doesn’t mean he’s a great fantasy play for Week 6 against the Chiefs, however. On the contrary.

Kolar has missed a few weeks with a broken forearm after having surgery on it; he appears close to returning. The Chargers are perhaps wondering, looking at their offensive line, if he can play tackle.

Johnston and TE Charlie Kolar (forearm) both remained limited today, though WR Brenen Thompson (quad) downgraded. He did not practice, nor did Ladd McConkey (foot). Tre’ Harris could end up being the Chargers’ No. 1 wide receiver, but he would only be a FLEX against the Broncos.

In addition to Johnston, TE Charlie Kolar (forearm) and WR Brenen Thompson (quad) were also limited. Johnston has played in every game this season, but pops up on the practice report with a chest issue on Wednesday. He is not yet in danger of missing Week 5, barring setbacks later in the week. Neither Thompson nor Kolar have played since Week 2 but both have a chance to return this week against the Broncos. With Ladd McConkey (foot) not practicing, Johnston may have fantasy value as the Chargers’ No. 1 wideout this week.

He did rejoin practice today, making it plausible he’ll be up for the Chargers’ Week 5 game against the Broncos. Second-year receiving TE Oronde Gadsden was unable to seize the moment with Kolar and TE David Njoku (knee) sidelined last week, catching 0-of-3 targets. The once-promising youngster must do something on Sunday if he wishes to remain re-draft-relevant in 12-team formats.

Kolar’s surgery earlier this week reportedly changed his prognosis. Kolar was expected to land on short-term injured reserve and miss at least four games. Apparently, the team expects him back sooner than that. Backup TE Oronde Gadsden is still set to start, given Kolar and TE David Njoku’s (knee) injuries, but Gadsden’s audition window has evidently shrunk. He remains a worthwhile add and can be started by TE-needy fantasy managers in what should be a productive game environment against the Bills this week.

The Chargers will welcome Kolar back in a month barring complications. He was already placed on IR yesterday, but this timetable update shows that he should be ready to return in late October.

We don’t yet know when Kolar could return, but he will have to miss at least the next four games now that he’s on injured reserve. Kolar was seeing a decent workload during the first two weeks of the season, as his 72 snaps led all Chargers tight ends, while his 24 routes run were only one fewer than David Njoku’s 25. With Njoku (fibula) also on injured reserve, Oronde Gadsden could be in line for a significant workload over the next several weeks.

Jim Harbaugh did not have an update on Kolar after the game. Kolar left Week 2 early with a forearm injury and did not return. David Njoku had already exited the game with a knee injury. Assuming both players are out for a while, Oronde Gadsden now finds himself in a position to play an every-down role for the Chargers.