Chargers at Colts: 5 best fantasy options
The San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are both capable of putting plenty of points on the board. It could be a big game for fantasy owners.
Anytime the Indianapolis Colts play, there’s a strong temptation to load up your fantasy team with offensive performers from their opposition that week.
There’s no exception to that rule this Sunday as the San Diego Chargers invade Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday afternoon. And considering quarterback Philip Rivers and his teammates have put a combined 65 points on the board in two weeks, resisting the temptation of gorging your lineup with performers from this club would be pretty difficult.
But the Colts have done this share of scoring this season as well. So how difficult was it to limit the choices to five top fantasy selections in this matchup? It’s not easy being us.
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Yes, veteran Frank Gore is the starter when it comes to the running back position for the Indianapolis Colts. And the NFL’s 13th-leading rusher in history leads the club this season with 103 yards on 27 carries. But we are playing a hunch here and relying on some fresh and younger legs in the process.
Running back Robert Turbin bounced around the league in 2015 and earlier this year, opted to sign with Chuck Pagano’s squad. The workload to date has been minimal: Four carries for 14 yards and one touchdown (scored last week at Denver) and two receptions for 15 yards.
But we are forecasting a bigger role for the one-time Seattle Seahawks’ performer, who once upon a time looked to be the heir apparent to Marshawn Lynch. At least for this week, he will wind up the Colts’ leading rusher in this contest and find the end zone at least one time on the afternoon.
5. Robert Turbin
Yes, veteran Frank Gore is the starter when it comes to the running back position for the Indianapolis Colts. And the NFL’s 13th-leading rusher in history leads the club this season with 103 yards on 27 carries. But we are playing a hunch here and relying on some fresh and younger legs in the process.
Running back Robert Turbin bounced around the league in 2015 and earlier this year, opted to sign with Chuck Pagano’s squad. The workload to date has been minimal: Four carries for 14 yards and one touchdown (scored last week at Denver) and two receptions for 15 yards.
But we are forecasting a bigger role for the one-time Seattle Seahawks performer, who once upon a time looked to be the heir apparent to Marshawn Lynch. At least for this week, he will wind up the Colts’ leading rusher in this contest and find the end zone at least one time on the afternoon.
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4. Andrew Luck
It’s been a pretty interesting two weeks for the strong-armed signal-caller. But what should we expect this week?
Andrew Luck was awfully good opening weekend against the Detroit Lions and kind of awful last Sunday versus the Denver Broncos.
Regardless, the Indianapolis Colts are 0-2 for the third consecutive season and the fifth-year quarterback looks like he’ll be carrying the offense once again. The running game has yet to make a dent (although keep an eye on Robert Turbin this week) and the defense, decimated by injuries at cornerback, appears to be in for yet another long year.
In the 39-35 loss to the Lions, Luck threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns and played turnover-free football. In last week’s 34-20 setback to the defending Super Bowl champions, the talented field general totaled a mere 197 yards through the air. And while he did connect with running back Frank Gore on a seven-yard scoring toss, the quarterback was sacked five times and had an interception (Aqib Talib) and a lost fumble (Shane Ray) returned for touchdowns in the 14-point defeat.
That won’t stop the 27-year-old quarterback from raring back and pitching, especially if the team falls behind. The San Diego Chargers’ defensive unit won’t present the same problems that the Broncos did, so it seems inevitable that Luck will put up big numbers once again.
Whether or not it results in a winning effort is a totally different story. Fantasy owners are just hoping the savvy but mistake-prone quarterback (71 turnovers in 57 regular-season contests) can avoid the miscues.
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3. Melvin Gordon
Two games into his second season, the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft has put his forgettable rookie campaign in the rear view mirror.
San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon has totaled 38 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns in the first two weeks of 2016 is pretty encouraging, to say the least. He hasn’t been much of a factor in the passing game to date (3 receptions for 18 yards) but that figures to change now that versatile performer Danny Woodhead is out for the rest of the season.
But we have to go back one year to show how far the former University of Wisconsin standout has come. Despite totaling a team-high 641 yards rushing during his rookie campaign (in 13 games) and adding 33 catches for 192 yards, Gordon failed to reach the end zone all season. To make matters worse, the young running back fumbled six times and lost four of those miscues.
While it’s obviously very early, only the Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders have totaled more yards per game on the ground than Mike McCoy’s club (entering Week 3). Last season, only the Detroit Lions gained FEWER yards rushing than the Chargers. It appears that the Bolts have gotten what they wanted when they traded up in the first round of the 2015 draft.
Now Gordon and company take aim at an Indianapolis defensive unit that may be hurting in the secondary but continues to have issues stopping the run. It has seemingly been a problem for this club for too many years to count. Two games into this season, only three teams in the NFL have surrendered more rushing yards than the Colts. Look for Gordon to do his damage early.
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2. Philip Rivers
They don’t come much more reliable than San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. Dating back to the start of the 2006 season, the fourth overall pick in the ’04 draft has started 162 consecutive regular-season contests for the Bolts.
And while key performers continue to fall around him, the resilient competitor continues to drive his team. While the winning has been less frequent in recent seasons, Rivers has continued to put up impressive numbers. And in the world of fantasy football, that’s all that really counts.
With running back Danny Woodhead now out for the season (joining veteran wideouts Stevie Johnson and Keenan Allen), the 13-year pro continues to find more ways to distribute the ball. In two games this season, Rivers has thrown for 200-plus yards each week and has combined for five touchdowns compared to zero interceptions.
Now with wideouts Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams and running back Melvin Gordon at his disposal, Rivers looks to take advantage of an Indianapolis Colts defense that does not strike a lot of fear into opponents. The Chargers’ signal-caller may also look to rookie tight end Hunter Henry (veteran Antonio Gates is listed as doubtful) in this matchup with Indy’s 3-4 unit.
Like his counterpart with the Colts in Andrew Luck, Rivers should put up substantial numbers in this contest – win or lose. We like the Chargers’ quarterback slightly more this week as his team could wind up playing from behind in this road tilt.
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1. T.Y. Hilton
It’s check-in time for the Indianapolis Colts’ top offensive playmaker.
In each of his first four NFL seasons, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has scored at least five touchdowns. Last season, the two-time Pro Bowler totaled 69 catches for 1,124 yards and five scores. It marked the fourth time in as many years that the explosive performer has amassed 50 or more receptions and 1,000-plus yards through the air.
This year, Hilton is off to a solid start but has yet to reach the end zone. He leads the Colts with 10 catches, good for 120 yards, and is seven grabs away from 300 career receptions. Look for him to get to that mark and burn the San Diego secondary for at least two touchdowns.
It’s early, but only three teams in the league have given up more yards through the air than the Bolts. Admittedly, a bunch of that came in last week’s rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars but don’t forget this was a team that also managed to squander a 24-3 third-quarter lead in Week 1 at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers will have to deal with a winless team playing at home and if necessary, Hilton and quarterback Andrew Luck may have to take matters into their own hands…and arm.
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This has the potential to be a fun game but don’t be surprised if the Chargers run into a desperate buzz saw. We have Melvin Gordon and Philip Rivers on our list of Top 5 plays, with the former doing his damage early and the latter piling up yards but not necessarily a plethora of touchdowns. Should be an intriguing clash at Lucas Oil Stadium.