A rough Sunday for the San Diego Chargers is likely to get officially worse Monday if/when the results of Keenan Allen's MRI show whether he has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. The underdog Chargers were doing so well in Kansas City, jumping out to a 21-3 lead but then just before halftime Allen, a dynamic wide receiver selected in the fourth round of ESPN average live drafts crumbled to the ground without being hit. Fantasy owners have unfortunately become accustomed to this frustration and despite Allen’s importance, his loss can be overcome.
The Chargers ended up losing to the Chiefs in overtime, which is painful enough, and fantasy owners are likely in considerably better position to replace Allen in their lineups. Quarterback Philip Rivers targeted diminutive veteran Travis Benjamin eight times and he caught each of the passes, and he remains available in roughly a third of ESPN standard leagues, a wise pickup moving forward and potential WR2. While nobody on this team seems capable of providing quite what Allen supplied, Benjamin possesses upside. Don’t look for him to threaten 100 receptions, as Allen might have, but he can work from the slot or the outside and break big plays.
Taking a chance on Tyrell Williams, who caught two passes as an undrafted rookie in 2015 and hauled in 38- and 33-yarders Sunday, also seems wise. He’s readily available and should inherit a valuable starting role. Williams is 6-foot-4 and more than 200 pounds, and while he seems a bit raw, the Chargers don’t have many options, even if they look to the waiver wire. Dontrelle Inman is 6-3 and contributed 35 receptions last season, though like Benjamin his role has generally been from the slot. Perhaps we’ll see more of rookie tight end Hunter Henry working in tandem with grizzled veteran Antonio Gates, or maybe the Chargers will simply run the football much more. Rivers was far less effective sans Allen, and it’s fair to say his stock drops further from top-10 season consideration.
There was good news before the Allen injury, as sophomore running back Melvin Gordon scored his first two NFL touchdowns, after somehow neglecting to find the end zone on 184 rushing attempts as a touted rookie. Gordon was obviously going to improve to some degree this year, but it was a bit disturbing for his value how he was used in the second half as the Chiefs were coming back. Danny Woodhead dominated the snaps and touches. Woodhead ended up with more rushing attempts and yards and seven targets. Gordon is simply not a factor in the receiving game. It’s nice to see him emerge as a potential 1,000-yard running back and score touchdowns, but Woodhead isn’t going away. The case can be made for both Gordon and Woodhead as weekly RB2 plays, though.
If you’re looking outside the Chargers for receiving aid this week, there will be no shortage of available choices, and we’ll cover that more in depth at ESPN Fantasy on Tuesday. Using 50 percent owned as a general barometer, and in order of standard fantasy points Sunday, there’s Mike Wallace, Eddie Royal, Davante Adams, Nelson Agholor, Quincy Enunwa, Brandon LaFell, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Seth Roberts, Tajae Sharpe, Cole Beasley and Terrelle Pryor. Each scored six or more standard points. Sharpe and Hogan are the names I’m recommending, then San Diego’s Williams. Sharpe is a rookie but one with a starting job and Marcus Mariota looked his way 11 times Sunday. There’s 75-catch, 1,000-yard upside with little competition in Tennessee. New England’s Hogan scored on a 37-yarder from Jimmy Garappolo early against the Cardinals and also has opportunity. Just wait until Tom Brady returns, too.
I’m tired of relying on older Wallace and Royal, and Adams and Agholor looked so dreadful last season, it’s tough to get excited. They did score touchdowns Sunday. As for Mohamed Sanu and Will Fuller, touchdown makers Sunday, they are each more than 50 percent owned, though barely. I’d go with Fuller over Sanu for the rookie possesses terrific upside, even alongside DeAndre Hopkins in Houston.
Second down: Fantasy owners knew early in the week to avoid Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and Spencer Ware became the most added fantasy option, though he remained active in fewer than 60 percent of fantasy lineups. Ware figured to carve up the Chargers. He just wasn’t supposed to do so through the air. Ware played in 11 games last season and was a productive runner, averaging 5.6 yards per tote and scoring six rushing touchdowns. He caught only six passes all season. On Sunday he topped that with seven, including a 45-yarder, and he had 74 yards after the catch, tied for third-most for a Chiefs player the past three seasons. Ware also scored a rushing touchdown. Charles, on the mend from a torn ACL, could miss several more weeks and the emergence of Ware into borderline RB1 status could push his return back further. Ware scored 25 standard fantasy points Sunday, tying him with Denver’s C.J. Anderson to lead the position entering Monday football. Ware, who remains available in about 20 percent of ESPN leagues, will see his value alter some when Charles returns, but let’s not presume it disappears.
Third down: Three quarterbacks tossed four touchdown passes Sunday, and it’s little surprise the Saints’ Drew Brees and Colts’ Andrew Luck were two of them. Brees had a cushy home matchup with Oakland and took full advantage, topping 400 passing yards along the way. Luck showed no ill effects from last season’s injuries and picked apart the Lions for 385 yards, though as with Brees, his team found a way to lose the game late. Tampa Bay Buccaneers sophomore Jameis Winston emerged victorious and with 25 standard fantasy points. Winston, who finished last season just outside fantasy’s top 10 quarterbacks in standard scoring, had one game with more than two touchdown passes. He looked composed Sunday, avoiding sacks and finding four different fellows for scores, but he also kept WR2 Mike Evans busy enough for fantasy owners. Last season Winston completed only one pass at least 30 yards downfield to Evans, in 15 chances. The duo matched that mark Sunday, a great sign. Winston’s upside is clear but be a bit careful here, as he’s not likely to get a top-10 rankings nod before perhaps Week 7 -- the Bucs face the Cardinals, Rams, Broncos and Panthers the next month -- but try to keep him around for later. The December schedule features two games with the defensively-absent Saints and one in Dallas!
Fourth down: Of course, not all the statistical performances on Sunday were positive. Top running backs Adrian Peterson and Devonta Freeman combined for 71 total yards and seven standard fantasy points, which is obviously far from ideal, but it’s premature to read too much into it. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for a mere 111 passing yards and no scores, and only 12 passers were active in more ESPN standard formats. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Golden Tate disappointed, but at least they scored points. Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant, who boasts excellent career numbers against the division-rival New York Giants, was held to nary a standard fantasy point Sunday on one catch for eight yards, only the fourth time in his career he has been held under 10 receiving yards. Since rookie quarterback Dak Prescott is going to keep on playing until Tony Romo returns from injury, Bryant owners are plenty worried. Bryant, who has struggled in the past with Romo out, was targeted five times, and had a touchdown called back via replay, so it’s not like Prescott ignored him, but the Giants certainly aimed to let anyone other than Bryant beat them, including tight end Jason Witten, who was targeted 14 times, though nothing far downfield. At least Bryant is healthy. Things will improve and this presents a wonderful buying opportunity for one of the top-10 wide receivers in the sport. Oh, and don’t panic on Peterson, Freeman or the others, either. It’s one game.