RADIO
The San Diego Chargers have become one of the most fascinating teams to forecast in fantasy this season thanks to Philip Rivers putting up huge numbers on a weekly basis. Things became more interesting after the unfortunate news of star wide receiver Keenan Allen being ruled out of the remainder of the season with a lacerated kidney. San Diego is still going to throw the ball but Allen being gone opens up lots of fantasy value for the other Chargers.
The wide receivers to benefit most will obviously be Stevie Johnson and Malcom Floyd. Both receivers will have different forms of fantasy value. Johnson is way more valuable. Allen was getting a massive number of targets and receptions. This is likely going to become Johnson’s new role on the team as he’s a more consistent player than Floyd.
Johnson also showed chemistry with Rivers in the preseason and first few games of the regular season before injury issues slowed down his season. Floyd is a better deep target and will be more of a low floor/high ceiling play. Against a horrible Chicago Bears defense on Monday, you can safely start both men but Johnson will be the wiser play going forward.
Antonio Gates will once again become the most trusted target of Rivers, as long as he stays on the field. Gates has been dealing with his own injury woes this season but looks to be healthy enough to trust every week. With the tight end position so weak, Gates should be valued only behind Rob Gronkowski. Gates actually leads all tight ends, including Gronk, with almost eleven targets per game. If you’re spending big at the tight end position this weekend, Gates is once again an elite player with even more targets opening up.
The other Chargers tight end Ladarius Green has been effective but is listed as doubtful for the Monday Night Football game against Chicago. Green will likely sit out the game and this will just increase the value of Gates, Johnson and Floyd this week. While he’s less secure and has more health issues, Green could be a sneaky pick up for future games.
For this week, we’re being given a golden opportunity with the mystery of who will step up in San Diego causing Rivers’ weapons to be listed at discounted salaries in daily fantasy. The Bears defense is one of the worst in the NFL and taking the chance on the Chargers stars should provide huge results.
