The Los Angeles Chargers are banged up entering Week 4. While Melvin Gordon might return to the field, Justin Jackson and Mike Williams are going to miss Week 4’s action. Additionally, Travis Benjamin is listed as doubtful, leaving Dontrelle Inman and Geremy Davis as the only healthy wide receivers behind Keenan Allen.
These injuries provide Inman with a clear path to playing time, and the wide receiver faces off against the underwhelming Miami Dolphins. Inman is unowned in just about every fantasy league and could be a good last-minute pickup for a desperate team. Let’s take a look at what you can expect from Inman in Week 4’s action.
Dontrelle Inman Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 4
As previously mentioned, the Los Angeles Chargers have absolutely no depth on offense. Philip Rivers, Austin Ekeler, and Keenan Allen are still studs, but there is no depth behind that trio. Melvin Gordon is back, but he probably won’t play a big role in his season debut. Rivers can’t possibly target Allen on every snap, and Inman is probably going to be the third-best option in the passing attack.
Inman is going to see snaps in place of Williams and Benjamin, but he’s a considerably different player than those two. While Williams and Benjamin offer game-changing big-play potential, Inman is more of a possession receiver. This means he’s going to be very volume dependant, as he doesn’t have the potential to break a game open at a moments notice.
That said, he should get a decent amount of volume. Even though he signed with the Chargers late in August, he should have a decent amount of familiarity with Philip Rivers. Inman played for Rivers and the Chargers from 2014 to 2016, recording 105 receptions for 1,454 yards and seven touchdowns over that timeframe. These two have an established rapport and the coaching staff knows Inman can make plays when his number is called. Chances are, he’ll finish third on the team in targets behind Allen and Austin Ekeler.
The Matchup
Inman faces off against an atrocious Miami Dolphins team, which is both a good and bad thing for his fantasy outlook. On the one hand, the Chargers should win this game in a blowout, so they’ll spend the majority of the second half running out the clock. This obviously isn’t good, as Inman won’t have a full four quarters to compile stats.
However, Iman could receive the volume he needs in the first half alone. The Dolphins are terrible in every facet of the game, and that includes covering wide receivers. Despite the run-heavy game scripts, Miami still allows the ninth-most points to the wide receiver position. Xavien Howard is a solid cornerback, but he’s going to spend the game shadowing Keenan Allen. This leaves Eric Rowe on Dontrelle Inman, and Inman should be able to overcome this matchup. Rowe’s been objectively terrible through the early part of the season, and that probably won’t change in Week 4.
Dontrelle Inman isn’t going to be a WR1 by any means, but he’s certainly worth a flex play in deeper leagues. Inman has an established rapport with Philip Rivers and has a clear path to playing time. The Dolphins can’t stop anything through the air, and Inman should receive a respectable target share. However, the Chargers will probably spend the second half running out the clock, so Inman won’t receive a full games’ worth of targets. Look for him to record roughly five receptions for 55 yards with the possibility of a touchdown.
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