Our read
Written Oct 17, from his facts through last season
Five weeks into 2026, Derius Davis has three targets, one catch and one week above zero, the 1.6 in week 4 of 2026. There is no trend hiding under that. Last season he averaged 0.3 points a game over 11 weeks, sat at an 11.1% snap share and a 0.9% target share, and never touched the ball inside the red zone. He cleared the position's weekly median in zero of those 11 games. He is now sixth among Chargers receivers, behind Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris, and the target pecking order has not moved.
The numbers behind him say this is not a waiting situation. Among players in his spot, a 1.7% target share has come with an average dip of 1.1 points a game the next season, and a room this crowded has cost that group another 0.9 on average. His yards per target fell from 8.9 in 2024 to 5 in 2025, so even his one deep-shot job has faded. The top of this room is the problem too: in 2025, Keenan Allen took 22% of the targets and Ladd McConkey took 21%, 43% between them. Jim Harbaugh is back and Mike McDaniel takes over the play calling, but a new voice does not create targets for the sixth man. We had him for 23 points across 13 expected games, about 1.8 a week, and he is running 0.3 through five weeks.
The availability record is fine, 15 of 17 in 2024 and all 17 in 2023, with weeks 4 to 6 and 15 to 17 of 2025 missed, so this is purely a role problem. We would drop him before his bye in week 7 of 2026.