Vidal finished his rookie campaign with 43 carries for 155 yards and an additional five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown across 10 games. The 2024 sixth-round pick was considered a possible deep sleeper entering the year given the uncertain availability of oft-injured backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but the imported Ravens duo were relatively healthy throughout the year, relegating Vidal to a healthy inactive at portions of the season. Even when the rookie had opportunities to flourish due to various injuries to the aforementioned duo, Vidal only saw six or more carries twice throughout the season and played just over 21 offensive snaps twice throughout the entire campaign. The Chargers clearly prioritize multiple rotational backs and depth given the offensive emphasis of the position, but it's unclear if Vidal will be a part of the team's larger goals despite Dobbins entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and Edwards due a $3 million bonus entering his age-30 season.
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Vidal finished his rookie campaign with 43 carries for 155 yards and an additional five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown across 10 games. The 2024 sixth-round pick was considered a possible deep sleeper entering the year given the uncertain availability of oft-injured backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but the imported Ravens duo were relatively healthy throughout the year, relegating Vidal to a healthy inactive at portions of the season. Even when the rookie had opportunities to flourish due to various injuries to the aforementioned duo, Vidal only saw six or more carries twice throughout the season and played just over 21 offensive snaps twice throughout the entire campaign. The Chargers clearly prioritize multiple rotational backs and depth given the offensive emphasis of the position, but it's unclear if Vidal will be a part of the team's larger goals despite Dobbins entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and Edwards due a $3 million bonus entering his age-30 season.
Vidal is inactive for Saturday's wild-card matchup against the Texans. With J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards both healthy for the postseason contest, Vidal will revert back to his status as a healthy inactive like he did Weeks 10-12. Hassan Haskins will operate as the team's third back given his utility as a special teams player.
Vidal went without a carry or target while playing one of the Chargers' 75 snaps on offense in Sunday's 34-20 win over the Raiders. Though the Chargers were without Gus Edwards (ankle) for a second consecutive game, starting running back J.K. Dobbins (65 percent snap share) took on more playing time in his second game back from injured reserve, while Hassan Haskins (36 percent share) settled in as the clear No. 2 back. That left little work left over for Vidal, who finished the regular season with 43 carries for 155 yards and no touchdowns to go with five catches for 62 yards and a score on nine targets over his 10 appearances. If Edwards is available for Saturday's wild-card game in Houston, Vidal could find himself on the inactive list for the first time since Week 12.
Vidal tallied five carries for 24 yards in the 40-7 win over the Patriots on Saturday. Vidal played just nine offensive snaps with J.K. Dobbins (knee) returning to the active lineup after a four-week absence. Meanwhile Hassan Haskins operated in the power-back capacity in replace of the injured Gus Edwards (ankle) as Haskins played 28 snaps while Dobbins saw 42 in the game that quickly evolved into a blowout by the third quarter. Vidal has flashed some explosiveness in his rookie season, but the committee approach will likely relegate the 23-year-old to a mere depth piece entering the playoffs.
Vidal carried the ball five times for 24 yards in the 34-27 win over the Broncos on Thursday. It was Gus Edwards' time to shine Thursday, as the bruising back helped the team complete a feverish second-half rally, finishing with 14 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns. This very much felt like the Chargers acknowledging Edwards was the hot hand Thursday, as game script wouldn't necessarily suggest the power back being a focal point. As such, Vidal was simply an afterthought. The rookie did rip off a 19-yard run, his longest of the season, but otherwise was just used sparingly. Given the wide degree of variance week to week from this platoon backfield, it's hard to assume Vidal will be a fantasy factor Week 17 against the Patriots.
Vidal rushed three times for nine yards and caught two of three targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 40-17 loss to the Buccaneers. Vidal played the majority of snaps at running back for Los Angeles, handling 35 offensive snaps while veteran Gus Edward played just 14 snaps. Despite his increase in snap share, the rookie struggled to get much going, as the running game stalled against Tampa Bay's defense throughout the contest. Things won't get easier in Vidal's next game against a formidable Broncos defense. The 23-year-old will remain difficult to trust for fantasy purposes in Week 16.
Vidal registered eight carries for 34 yards in the 19-17 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. He did not catch his lone target. Vidal saw his workload bump up from Week 13, but Gus Edwards still ended up with the team lead in carries (10 for 36). More crucially, Edwards got the team's only touchdown on the ground and was the focal point in the red zone, which is to be expected given the bruising back's running style. J.K. Dobbins (knee) was averaging over three targets a game in his five prior contests before going on injured reserve, so it's been interesting to see that neither Vidal nor Edwards have been a factor as a pass catcher, each seeing just one target over the past two weeks. That could change next week against a Buccaneers pass defense that has struggled mightily this season.
Vidal registered just four for 20 yards in the 17-13 win over the Falcons on Sunday. It's hard to get very excited about this performance given the expectation was Vidal would see a substantial uptick in work with J.K. Dobbins (knee) on injured reserve, but to add some perspective, the Falcons turned the ball over four times and sported a nearly 12-minute advantage in the time-of-possession battle. Vidal's four touches were fewer than Gus Edwards' seven (including one reception for one yard), but neither back really got rolling in a disjointed overall offensive performance by the Chargers. Hassan Haskins, who played ahead of Vidal in last in the Week 12 loss, had just one carry in which he fumbled the ball, so at the very least the rookie should be considered the No. 2 back moving forward.
Vidal may help fill the shoes of J.K. Dobbins, who is expected to miss time after suffering a knee sprain in Monday's 30-23 loss to the Ravens, NFL.com's Bobby Kownack reports. Vidal played in four games earlier this season, averaging 4.5 carries for 11.0 yards (2.4 YPC) and 0.75 catches for 12.3 yards. He took his first NFL touch for a 38-yard receiving TD on a wheel route but then didn't do much thereafter was became a healthy scratch again once Gus Edwards returned from injured reserve. Edwards figures to take over as the lead runner, with Vidal and Haskins in backup roles. Vidal could be the pass-catching back in that arrangement, as Edwards and Haskins both are listed above 225 pounds and known for size/power more so than quickness or receiving ability.