Team Previews - Los Angeles Chargers

Projected Starting Lineup QB: Philip Rivers RB: Melvin Gordon WR: Keenan Allen WR: Tyrell Williams WR: Mike Williams TE: Virgil Green

LT: Russell Okung LG: Dan Feeney C: Mike Pouncey RG: Forrest Lamp RT: Joe Barksdale

Chargers Offensive Profile Under Ken Whisenhunt 2013, 2016-2017 Pass Attempts Rank: 22nd, 15th, 8th 2013, 2016-2017 Rush Attempts Rank: 6th, 22nd, 15th 2013, 2016-2017 Play Volume Rank: 12th, 17th, 14th 2013, 2016-2017 Yards Per Play Rank: 5th, 13th, 4th Unaccounted for Air Yards from 2017 (Rank): 1,066 (18th) Unaccounted for Carries from 2017 (Rank): 49 (23rd)

Ken Whisenhunt's average offensive production as an Offensive Coordinator in the NFL. (5 Seasons)

Passing: ATT COMP PCT YDS AVG YDS/G LONG TD TD% INT INT% SACK YDSL RATE

522 327 62.4 4006 7.9 245 73 27 5.26 16 3.12 33 186 92

Rushing: ATT YDS AVG LONG 20+ TD YDS/G FUM FUML 1DN

464 1857 3.96 68 11 13 116 8 3 100

Receiving: REC TAR YDS AVG TD LONG 20+ YDS/G FUM FUML YAC 1DN

327 522 4109 12.7 27 73 54 257 4 3 1609 202

Quarterback-

Philip Rivers enters his 15th season as one of the most consistent and reliable fantasy quarterbacks. With Ken Whisenhunt as his offensive coordinator, Rivers averages 4,460 yards passing and 31 touchdowns (3 seasons). He has finished as a top-15 quarterback in nine of the last ten years. The Chargers have a lot of offensive weapons both at running back in Melvin Gordon and at receiver with Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and 1st round pick last season Mike Williams. The volume will be there as Rivers has attempted more than 570 pass attempts in four straight seasons. His ceiling is probably capped at QB10 this year with the torn ACL of one of the best tight ends in the game Hunter Henry. Rivers is exactly who I am looking for at the end of the draft if I miss on my top targets as you will get top-12 QB performances week in week out. Wide Receivers-

One of the best PPR receivers in the league, Keenan Allen hopes to top his career year last season. Allen caught 102 of 159 targets for 1,393 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first full 16 game NFL season. With the release of Antonio Gates and injury to Hunter Henry, Allen looks to surpass his league leading red-zone targets (24) from last year. He is Rivers favorite target and should see a slight uptick in targets with the Henry injury. I am extremely high on Allen and look to grab him in the mid-second round of my drafts.

Mike Williams looks to bounce back after an injury plagued rookie season in Los Angeles. Selected 7th overall, Williams is a big bodied receiver (6'4/220) that should see a ton of red-zone targets with Hunter Henry sidelined this season. With Allen running (37.8%) of his routes out of the slot, both Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams will offer deep ball options on the outside.

Tyrell Williams had a disappointing season after what many thought was a breakout 2016 season. His numbers fell from 69 catches to just 43, 1,059 yards to 728 and 7 touchdowns to 4 last season. Rivers will need Tyrell to bounce back and provide as a deep threat allowing Allen to work the middle of the field. If I was going to roster a Williams in this offense, I would pick Mike with his red-zone upside instead of Tyrell. The speedster Travis Benjamin looks to be the field stretcher for this Charger offense, as he only plays 57.1% of the snaps. Benjamin finished 25th in yards per target 8.7 (16.7ypr). While he is great in deep-ball, he simply doesn't see enough volume to be relied upon in fantasy football. Tight End-

At the moment Antonio Gates has yet to be resigned and the Chargers will be relying upon Virgil Green to handle most of the snaps at tight end. With a career high of 22 receptions in his seven year career, it doesn't make you too excited about his potential. The volume will for sure make this a career year for Green, but this is a situation you can monitor the first few weeks of the season and snag him on waivers if he becomes a main receiving threat. Running Back-

If you haven't noticed Melvin Gordon's involvement in the passing game rises like Amazon's stock price (33 > 41 > 58). Philip Rivers has attempted 1380 passes to running backs since 2007 or (25.1%) of his throws which is the second highest rate in the NFL. Expect Gordon's 58 receptions to continue its upward trend especially with the loss of Hunter Henry. Gordon has not been the most effective runner averaging 3.8 yards an attempt in his NFL career. With 24 total touchdowns in the last two seasons, Gordon has made up for his inefficiency on the ground, finishing as a top-eight running back in back to back years. The offensive line which was decimated by injuries last year should be improved with the singing of Mike Pouncey and return of 2nd round pick Forrest Lamp. He is one of the few true workhorse running backs (Bell, Gurley, Barkely, Johnson, McCoy, Hunt, Elliott) and is a lock to finish top-ten at his position. I am looking to grab Gordon in the early parts of the second round. The Chargers went out and found themselves a Danny Woodhead clone in Austin Ekeler. At (5'8/200) Ekeler will assist in the passing down roles. The Chargers also went out and drafted Justin Jackson out of Northwestern who will try to win over the backup tailback role for early rushing down work. Both are nice prospects that have upside, Ekeler will have games in which he steals the thunder away from Mr. 3.9 himself. 2018 Vegas Win Total The Chargers’ Win Total opened at 9. One of the most heavily bet on sharp teams in recent years, talent hasn't been the issue. The coaching decisions along with just miserable injury luck has led for several disappointing seasons in Los Angeles. The injury bug has already hit with Hunter Henry and Jason Verrett both lost for the season with torn ACL's. The offense should be one of the top-12 in the league and the defense returns a lot of talent as well. This is a pass-rushing league and the Chargers have two greats in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. They will have to contend with the difficult NFC West and hard-hitting AFC North. I think Rivers has one more good year and think this team challenges to win the division, give me the over 9 wins.