Fantasy Football 2017 Team Preview: Los Angeles Chargers
This is the 2017 fantasy preview of the Los Angeles (weird!) Chargers. In this preview I will provide the Must-Own players, Sleepers, and Longshot players with upside very deep in drafts.
Must-own players are those who should be owned by someone in any league. Handcuff RBs can qualify, as they are often very important to a fantasy team over the full schedule. Sleepers are secondary players that you may find on the waiver wire at some point in the year, or may go undrafted in shallower auction-style leagues. The Longshots are players with microscopic ADP, who are being drafted at the very end of drafts, or more likely not drafted at all.
All ADP data is courtesy of FantasyPros.com.
**I will list all kickers, but I cannot give analysis on them. Sorry :-/
MUST OWNS
Melvin Gordon, RB (ADP: 9): Gordon is a consensus first round pick here, and his production last season is impossible to argue against. He’s the clear lead back in L.A. with meager competition. He scored 10 touchdowns, fell just shy of 1,000 yards rushing despite playing in just 11 games, and even reeled in 41 passes for 419 yards and another two scores. The one stat that gives pause is Gordon’s yards per carry; he only rushed for 3.9 yards per attempt, which was a increase from the 3.5 yard he averaged as a rookie. Gordon is not ripping off huge chunks at a time here, and his points are coming off pure volume. If he continues to accumulate yards by chipping away, rather than making a big impact, then the Chargers may decide to pivot their attack away from him. Touchdowns won’t be a problem for Gordon, but I’m a little wary of his actual talent level. There is some bust potential at ninth overall.
Keenan Allen, WR (ADP: 41): Allen is super talented, but he’s just hurt way to goddam much. Allen only played in eight games in 2015, and followed that up by getting hurt in Week 1 of 2016. 2015 was a sign that he’d broken into elite territory; he scored four touchdowns in his eight games, matching a career high, and was averaging 8.4 receptions a game. He is of course still talented, but who knows how much the injuries have sapped his athleticism? Allen is not only coming off two injury-shortened seasons; he is dealing with increased competition for work. He offers major upside, but being the 17th WR taken seems appropriate.
Tyrell Williams, WR (ADP: 119): Williams was the main benefactor of Allen’s injury last year, shocking everyone and becoming a reliable fantasy starter. He finished the season with 69 catches, 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns. Now, Allen is healthy, but rookie WR Mike Williams may miss significant time, and possibly all of 2017. Once again, the stars align for Williams to be a major fantasy asset. Williams is significantly higher in my personal rankings than he is on FantasyPros, which has him as the 44th WR taken. That’s a crazy steal.
Hunter Henry, TE (ADP: 103): Henry is talented, and picking him 11th among tight ends is far from crazy. The problem is he could potentially be either frustrating, or a total bust. It all depends on fellow TE Antonio Gates, whom I’ll get to in the Sleepers section. Henry was a red zone magnet in 2016, scoring eight touchdowns in 12 starts. Outside of those TDs, however, Henry did very little. He finished the season with 36 catches and fewer than 500 yards. If all he is offering is TDs, then that’s risky as TDs are unpredictable. Talent-wise, however, he’s hard to pass up and worth it after pick No. 100.
SLEEPERS
Philip Rivers, QB (ADP: 115): Rivers finishes as a Top 10 QB just about every year, yet he always finds himself outside the Top 10 QBs drafted. That’s because he rarely gets high up in the Top 10, and last year in particular he started to show cracks in the façade. Rivers chucked a career-high 21 interceptions, and although his average completion was 12.6 yards, his best mark since 2011, he saw his completion percentage drop six points. Rivers is fairly consistent, and he will probably finish better than 15th at his position, but if his upside is 10th then why bother?
Antonio Gates, TE (ADP: 195): Gates is potential Hunter Henry kryptonite. Old man Gates caught 53 passes for 548 yards and seven touchdowns last year. Those numbers are all better than Henry’s, and he’s still here! Gates is old, yes, but his role is to run a few yards, turn around, and receive TD passes directly in his gut from Rivers. I would rather have Henry on account of his youth, but Gates is available very late and will likely be a similar player.
LONGSHOTS
Mike Williams, WR (ADP: 238): Williams was an absolute beast at Clemson, and a big reason for Deshaun Watson’s insane senior season. He’d be ranked much, much higher if not for a back issue that could keep him out all year. Even if he’s available at some point, rookie wide receivers who miss all of training camp usually struggle, especially on a team with viable options ahead of them. For that reason, Williams is unlikely to contribute much this year. However, if he’s healthy, and the injury bug bites this team again, he might put up a Tyrell Williams-esque campaign.
Defense/Special Teams, (ADP: 246): You’re laughing. Maybe you’re right. But the truth is, I see some sick players on this defense that can make fantasy-relevant plays. DEs Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, and the cornerback duo of Jason Verrett and Casey Heyward are not going to be as pliable as past Chargers defenses. They’ll definitely be available with your last pick, so why not?
KICKER
Josh Lambo.