3 Chargers who are under the most pressure in Week 1 vs Raiders

The LA Chargers open the 2024 season with a rivalry game against the Las Vegas Raiders that is bound to be emotionally charged. Every Chargers-Raiders game has an extra ounce of emotion but this game is even bigger as it serves as Jim Harbaugh's return to the NFL.

There are going to be a lot of curious fans watching this game who want to see what Harbaugh's return to the league looks like. If that was not enough pressure, there are certain players on the Chargers roster who head into the contest with extra weight.

3 Chargers who are under the most pressure in Week 1 vs Raiders

1. Joshua Palmer

Joshua Palmer is the de facto top receiver on the depth chart after the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Palmer, who has shown flashes of being great, has not proven yet in his NFL career that he can consistently hold this mantle. Week 1 will be a good test to see if he has made any strides.

As if that was not enough, there is added pressure on Palmer with DJ Chark Jr. being ruled out of the contest. Chark is projected to play a key role in the Chargers' offense as the team's primary X receiver. With Chark out of action, Palmer has to slide into a role that might not be best suited for him to succeed.

Nobody expects Palmer to be the next version of Allen for this Chargers' offense but he is going to have to take a step up if the team wants to reach the playoffs in 2024.

2. Joe Alt

Talk about a welcome to the NFL. The fifth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is instantly going to get tested as he faces one of the best edge-rushers in the entire sport, Maxx Crosby.

The Chargers were high enough on Alt in the draft process for the team to select him over wide receiver Malik Nabers and Alt showed why throughout training camp and the preseason. Alt looked exactly as advertised even after the switch from left tackle to right tackle.

A bad showing in Week 1 against one of the best edge-rushers in the sport is nothing to be ashamed of but a great showing can be huge for the rest of the season. It will be a confidence builder for Alt, who would prove he can hang with pretty much anyone in the NFL.

Plus, if the Chargers are going to win this game then the team has to slow Crosby down. Stopping him is impossible, but slowing him down can happen with a strong debut from Alt.

3. Kristian Fulton

Kristian Fulton was statistically one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL last season so fans were a bit concerned when he was the only cornerback the Chargers added via free agency this spring.

To the team's credit, Fulton looked good in camp and it appeared as if defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was getting the most out of the fifth-year corner. The pedigree is certainly there as a former second-round pick but Fulton never pieced it together.

Week 1 will prove if this strong play was a mirage or if Fulton really turned some kind of corner with the Bolts. Fulton will get his fair share of matchups against Davante Adams, which is never easy, and if he can just tread water it will be a win for the Bolts.

However, as Chargers fans know all too well from J.C. Jackson, bad cornerback play can single-handedly lose a game early in the season. Hopefully, history does not repeat itself with Fulton.