Los Angeles Chargers vs Tennessee Titans
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
- Philip Rivers: 24/38, 329 yards, 2 TD
Philip Rivers managed a solid fantasy outing despite the struggles of his offensive line forcing him to frequently throw under pressure. Rivers threw a beautiful pass to Austin Ekeler down the sideline for a touchdown, passed for another touchdown a great play design that allowed Melvin Gordon to get wide open for a short touchdown, and had what would have been the go-ahead touchdown pass to Ekeler called back when he was ruled down at the 1-yard line upon review. Rivers did miss Mike Williams for what should have been a touchdown and struggled to throw downfield at times when there were pass rushers in his face. Overall today was a solid game for Rivers, and he probably deserved a win for his performance. He remains a solid, if sometimes uninspiring, starting quarterback for fantasy teams.
Running Backs
- Melvin Gordon: 16 carries, 32 yards | 3 targets, -2 receiving yards, 1 TD
- Austin Ekeler: 5 carries, 7 yards | 8 targets, 7 receptions, 118 yards, 1 TD
Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler were both featured parts of the offense today, with Gordon handling most of the backfield touches and Ekeler doing a lot of his damage lined up as a receiver. Ekeler caught a 41-yard touchdown on a play where he was split out wide against a linebacker and just ran by the defender, and he came out of the backfield to take a short pass 16 yards to the 1-yard line. It was initially ruled a touchdown, but upon review, he was ruled down just short. The Chargers then turned to Gordon, who appeared to score a short rushing touchdown before that play was also overturned. Gordon got a second crack at punching the ball in, but unfortunately, he was stripped of the ball leading to a Titans recovery and a Chargers loss. The Chargers offensive line struggled to create running lanes for him, but Gordon still looks to be a little rusty from his holdout. He did score a short receiving touchdown, and the Chargers want him to be a featured part of the offense. He is an interesting buy-low candidate via trade, and he is worthy of starting simply due to his volume and touchdown upside. Ekeler’s volume appears to be less secure, but he is still worth at least flex consideration given his usage in the passing game and his ability to break big plays. It’s worth noting that the Chargers have been running a lot of formations where both running backs are on the field, and as Ekeler continues to impress the Chargers should look to keep both players on the field more often going forward.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Keenan Allen: 11 targets, 4 receptions, 61 yards
- Mike Williams: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 47 yards
- Hunter Henry: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 97 yards
- Virgil Green: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
Keenan Allen posted a fourth straight disappointing week, although today it was not for a lack of targets. Allen paced the Chargers with 11 targets but was unable to break free against the Titans secondary. He had one drop, but otherwise, the targets he was seeing were either well defended or off target. Mike Williams was close to a big day, drawing defensive pass interference on one end zone target and getting open only for Philip Rivers to misfire on the throw on another look in the end zone. He’s seeing targets down the field and in the red zone, so the breakout game this season is probably coming sooner rather than later. Both receivers are good buy-low candidates, especially if their owners are scared off by the return of Hunter Henry. Henry looked fully healthy and was a difficult cover for the Titans secondary for most of the day. Henry is easily a top-ten fantasy tight end option every week and can be started confidently.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
- Ryan Tannehill: 23/29, 312 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 5 carries, 7 yards
Ryan Tannehill got his first start after taking over last week for Marcus Mariota and was mostly impressive. There were a few plays where Tannehill held onto the ball too long, one of which led to a strip-sack that the Titans recovered, but otherwise he looked confident in the pocket and accurate as a passer. On his touchdown pass to Corey Davis he fired the ball into a tight window between defenders and Tannehill generally seemed willing to trust his arm and his receivers on plays where there was not a lot of space to fit the ball in. It’s too early to say that Tannehill is definitively better for the Titans, or fantasy teams, than Mariota was but the early signs are good. The Titans want to focus on running the ball, so Tannehill is likely capped as a streaming option at best.
Running Backs
- Derrick Henry: 22 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 18 yards
- Dion Lewis: 1 carry, 2 yards | 1 target, 0 receptions
Derrick Henry looked like his usual self today, handling almost all of the rushing work while contributing very little in the passing game. His touchdown came on a pitch play and was aided by some poor tackling by the Chargers, as Henry was barely touched on an 11-yard run despite running right past three Chargers defenders. Henry’s strong game made the decision to not give him the ball on fourth down with only inches to go a curious one, but the Titans ended up surviving Ryan Tannehill’s failed fourth-down conversion that would have all but iced the game for them. Henry is an easy start in any game the Titans figure to be competitive in, as he is who they have built their offense around. His lack of receiving work gives him a lower floor and ceiling compared to the true bell-cow running backs, but he is still easily at least an RB2 even in PPR leagues.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Corey Davis: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD
- A.J. Brown: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 64 yards | 1 carry, -2 yards
- Adam Humphries: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 40 yards
- Tajae Sharpe: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards, 1 TD
- Jonnu Smith: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 64 yards
The Titans pass-catchers seemed to benefit from the quarterback change at least for this week. Corey Davis made a few tough catches in traffic, including a reception over the middle where he shrugged off his defender before running for a big gain. It’s a small sample size, but he certainly seems more effective with Ryan Tannehill under center. A.J. Brown also made some nice catches in traffic, and Adam Humphries played his usual role as a reliable safety valve. It’s difficult to start any of the three as more than a bye-week fill-in given the Titans preference for running the ball, but this is a situation to monitor if Tannehill can sustain this level of production. Davis would be the preferred option of the three going forward. Delanie Walker was questionable heading into this game and was unable to finish the first half before leaving with an ankle injury. Jonnu Smith played in his place and looked like a dangerous runner after the catch. He would be a starting fantasy tight end if Walker misses time going forward.
- Dan Adams