Chargers–Bills
Final Score: LAC 16-24 BUF
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert (LAC) vs. BUF: 20/34 Passing, 226 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 4 Carries, 17 Yards
Up 10-0. Up 13-10 into the fourth. Zero and three. Justin Herbert missed fourteen of 34 throws and the only one anybody will remember went deep middle for Marquez Valdes-Scantling with the Chargers still in front. C.J. Gardner-Johnson took it. Buffalo scored 14 points after that. The touchdown was a 1-yarder to Keaton Mitchell on the opening drive, back when this looked like a completely different afternoon. Longest throw of the day was 29 to Tre’ Harris. Everything else stalled out, so Cameron Dicker kicked three times. Two sacks, 226 yards. Last week I said I was near the door. I’m in the hallway with my coat on.
Running Back
Omarion Hampton (LAC) vs. BUF: 15 Carries, 56 Yards | 1 Target
Hampton barely out-snapped Keaton Mitchell, 29-26, but owned the lion’s share of early down snaps and short yardage looks as well. He looked effective at the beginning of the game, but waned as time went on with the Chargers’ trailing for most of the second half and game-script lending itself more to Mitchell in passing situations. This felt game plan specific as the Chargers looked to expose the Bills with outside runs (Mitchell’s specialty) as opposed to pounding the rock up the middle.
Kimani Vidal (LAC) vs. BUF: 1 Carry, 6 Yards | 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Vidal got a total of 15 snaps, most of which came in relief of Mitchell as opposed to situations where Hampton would usually be in the game.
Keaton Mitchell (LAC) vs. BUF: 8 Carries, 52 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, -5 Yards, TD
Mitchell was more involved from the jump, but as I stated above, it felt more game plan specific than anything else. On his first snap of the game, Mitchell caught a push pass from Herbert and took it around the right end for a touchdown, making a pair of defenders miss on his way to the pylon. Mitchell finished with 26 snaps and 11 opportunities, only five fewer than Hampton. That’s been the closest the split of running back opportunity share has been this season from the Chargers.
Alec Ingold (LAC) vs. BUF: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 35 Yards
A blocking back, Ingold slipped out of the backfield for a long completion on a flea-flicker, bailing Justin Herbert out after his protection broke down.
Wide Receiver
Quentin Johnston (LAC) vs. BUF: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
He and Ladd were on the field for the majority of the Chargers’ snaps, but Herbert seemed to throw Johnston more contested catches instead of the patented Mike McDaniel crossing routes in space.
Ladd McConkey (LAC) vs. BUF: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 66 Yards
He’s still a route technician and one of Justin Herbert’s favorite target, but the Bills seemed focused on limiting his touches as they funneled a lot of targets underneath in the short areas where Harris was waiting.
Tre’ Harris (LAC) vs. BUF: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 76 Yards
This might be the first time that Harris has led the team in targets, in spite of being on the field for only 40 snaps. He ran almost as many routes as Johnston and McConkey, but was targeted much more often as the Bills forced the Chargers to settle for the short area passes more often than not.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (LAC) vs. BUF: 1 Target
MVS was targeted on an end zone throw, but Herbert forced the throw into traffic and the safety picked it off in the end zone, under-cutting the route.
Tight End
Oronde Gadsden (LAC) vs. BUF: 3 Targets, 0 Receptions
In case there was any hype for Oronde Gadsden with both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku on injured reserve, a goose egg against the Bills should be enough to convince you to leave him on waivers for now. Gadsden had a tough drop on his first target and will not be a trustworthy fantasy option moving forward, even as a streaming TE, with how rough the Chargers look on offense.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen (BUF) vs. LAC: 16/26 Passing, 204 Yards, 0 TD, 2 INT | 8 Carries, 22 Yards, 2 TD, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Two interceptions. No touchdowns. Four sacks. A lost fumble. Josh Allen won by eight. Buffalo’s first quarter was three drives long and not one of them reached midfield. The best of them died at their own 47 when Cook put the ball on the ground. Both of Allen’s picks went to the same guy, Chargers rookie Genesis Smith, and both were meant for DJ Moore, which is either a coverage problem or a stubbornness problem. Tuli Tuipulotu got the fumble out on a scramble in the fourth. And he still scored twice from a yard out. One tied it at 10 before the half. The other, at 7:35 of the fourth, won it. Go find the 4th-and-6 from the Chargers 43 with 11:15 left, too. He throws a 43-yard strike. Dawson Knox holds somebody. Gone. Sixteen of 26 for 204, and a team that trailed most of the day hung 14 on them in the final quarter. You cannot bench this man.
Running Back
James Cook III (BUF) vs. LAC: 24 Carries, 154 Yards, TD | 1 Target
A bad fumble on his first carry of the day started fantasy managers with a sour taste in their mouth, but that didn’t last too long. James Cook was fantastic throughout the rest of the game, more than making up for his fumble with 6.4 yards per carry and a touchdown score where he evaded a defender in the backfield to find the paint. Of course managers would love for him to be more involved in the passing game like he was in the first two weeks of the season, but with Johnson back healthy, those days may be over.
Ty Johnson (BUF) vs. LAC: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 50 Yards
Johnson was active in the passing game as usual and nearly scored on a long run-after-catch. He was on the receiving end of an incredible Josh Allen escape on a 4th and 7 in the fourth quarter, and was robbed of a touchdown by a holding penalty downfield.
Wide Receiver
Khalil Shakir (BUF) vs. LAC: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Despite leading the Bills in wide receiver snaps, Khalil Shakir finished with just three targets on 21 routes run. He was in the formation quite a bit, but never really made an impact in this one.
DJ Moore (BUF) vs. LAC: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 67 Yards
The Bills’ routes and target leader, Moore was on the field for 42 offensive snaps even though he was marked as questionable coming into the game. Moore continues to ascend as the lead receiver and favorite wide target of Josh Allen, and with Dalton Kincaid taking a big hit early in the game he may have benefitted from the tight end not being 100% the rest of the way.
Keon Coleman (BUF) vs. LAC: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 37 Yards
32 snaps and 16 routes, he was the clear WR3 with Josh Palmer and Greg Dortch behind him in the depth chart.
Tight End
Dalton Kincaid (BUF) vs. LAC: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 38 Yards | Fumble (Lost)
Dawson Knox (BUF) vs. LAC: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Jackson Hawes (BUF) vs. LAC: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
A bit of a crash back down to earth after a meteoric rise in Week 2, Dalton Kincaid still saw the field on 2/3 of snaps, and that’s what matters most for his fantasy prospects this season. His best play of the day was also his worst, as he lost a costly fumble on a catch-and-run where he refused to be tackled. Kincaid should still be a TE1 for next week.
Dalton Kincaid refused to go down, but the Chargers punch out the ball for their 4th turnover of the game. pic.twitter.com/LBbtT9HEdV
— NFL Numbers Guy (@NFLNumbersGuy) September 27, 2026