Fantasy Football 2019 Team Previews: Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers

Must Own

Melvin Gordon, RB (ADP: 12): Gordon is unquestionably one of the most complete and useful options in all fantasy, but his ADP is sinking fast because he’s threatening to hold out into the regular season. After Le’Veon Bell’s fantasy nightmare last season, which saw him skip the whole damn 2018 season, no one is excited about playing the same game with Gordon. There are reports that he and the Chargers are so far apart that the Bolts are looking into trading him. While we’d at least get Gordon on the field in that scenario, we’d also be removing him from the environment in which he’s become a fantasy superstar. There’s nothing good about his offseason so far, and if the holdout is still ongoing by the time you’re drafting, I sadly have to recommend not drafting him at all. Should the situation resolve itself before Week 1, and he remains a Charger, feel comfortable drafting him in the Top 5.

Keenan Allen, WR (ADP: 26): Allen’s ADP is perfect, as he’s seemingly gone from an A-list receiver with the potential to be tops at his position to a fantasy stalwart who can give reliable WR1 production with a super high floor. Allen has posted back-to-back 1,100+-yard seasons with six touchdowns. Allen is essentially a lowercase version of Julio Jones; he’ll be targeted a ton, catch a lot of passes, put up big yardage, but struggle to wow you with the touchdowns.

Mike Williams, WR (ADP: 58): Williams is one of the most interesting receivers in fantasy this season, as he could burst into the elite category or become typecast as a boom-or-bust, touchdown-dependent WR2. Last season he became a big play monster, averaging 15.4 yards per catch and, more importantly, scoring 10 touchdowns. It’s exciting to think of what Williams could do with a portion of the targets that left the team with Tyrell Williams, but there’s also downside to Mike Williams’ play style as well. He only caught 43 passes last year, and at a 10-yard per target average, he’s unlikely to be a PPR favorite. As the 24th receiver off the board, he’s being drafted as a WR2; I think he could wind up as a WR1, but he could also wind up as a FLEX-ish type if the touchdowns disappear. In my opinion, Williams is worth the risk and I don’t hate this ADP, but I do wish he was going a bit later.

Hunter Henry, TE (ADP: 65): Henry missed all of 2018 so you’d be forgiven for forgetting about him, but this ADP indicates fantasy owners remember him well. Henry is talented, but he’s proven to be fairly touchdown-dependent in his first two seasons; he’s never averaged more than 41.4 yards per reception or 3.2 receptions per game. His four touchdowns in 2017 showcased the downside of Henry, so I’d pass on him at this ADP. Right now he’s the sixth TE off the board, and I view him as a borderline Top 10 guy at the position.

Austin Ekeler, RB (ADP: 90): Ekeler’s ADP is shooting up as Gordon’s holdout continues, and he’s now the 35th RB off the board. That could still be a steal depending on whether or not the Chargers decide to rid themselves of Gordon altogether and trade him. I’ve said at times last season that there’s Alvin Kamara potential with Ekeler; in limited work he’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his career, and has proven receiving chops. He worked his way to fantasy relevance despite having a bona fide bell cow in his backfield. If Gordon misses regular season games, Ekeler is going to soak up the majority of the work. He is an absolute must-own for those brave enough to draft Gordon, and he’s become a must-own with standalone value due to this holdout.

Defense/Special Teams: The Chargers’ offense gets a lot of attention, but their defense is quietly loaded for improvement, and was sneaky good last season. As offenses explode, the Chargers held opponents to 20 points or fewer nine times, more than half the season. They’ll probably contend for the league lead in sacks with Joey Bosa in line for a full season of work opposite Melvin Ingram. Casey Heyward and S Derwin James are monsters in the secondary, and they added timeless LB Thomas Davis this offseason. Being in a division with the Chiefs is tough, but shouldn’t deter you from looking at the Chargers as a season-long D/ST option that saves you the trouble of constantly streaming.

Fantasy Relevant

Philip Rivers, QB (ADP: 121): Rivers is consistent. Rivers is boring. When you draft Rivers, you are locking in 16 games, 4,000+ yards, and a touchdown total in the low 30s. Rivers’ floor is pretty high, but he offers less than nothing as a rusher, and his floor is essentially his ceiling. He’s going 16th at the position, and that’s about right. If you want to wait until the very end for QB, landing Rivers is fine. Just don’t expect him to be anything more than fine.

Handcuff(s)

Justin Jackson, RB (ADP: 180): Whether or not Jackson has value is entirely dependent on how Gordon’s situation plays out. If Gordon misses time, Jackson will have a fantasy-relevant piece of the Chargers’ workload. Ekeler is a very good player, but he’s never been a lead back and it’s unlikely the Chargers will want to wear him out when Jackson can give quality carries. He was solid when given an opportunity last year, rushing for 206 yards and two scores on 50 total carries. He also caught 15 passes for 135 yards. At this point in time, Jackson is a must-own handcuff since we do not know what Gordon will decide to do. If Gordon does come back before Week 1, you can ignore Jackson until the injury bug bites Gordon or Ekeler.

Deep Sleepers

Travis Benjamin, WR (ADP: 274): Benjamin is a deep-league option who has proven deep threat chops. Benjamin is going to be inconsistent for sure, but he’ll have his moments, especially with Tyrell Williams gone and off his corner. He makes sense late in 14-team leagues or larger, as well as best ball formats.