San Diego Chargers defensive team

July 29, 2010 @ 16:25:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

San Diego Chargers | defensive team/special teams

2010 Projected NFL/Fantasy Football Statistics

Score Allwd	Off Pts Allwd	Tot Def TD	Tot Spec Tm TD	Fum TD	Int TD	Int	Fum Rec	Pass TD Allwd	Rush TD Allwd	Def Scks
314	292	2	1	0	1	19	10	20	12	44

Pros: Larry English has the talent to emerge as a solid outside rush linebacker (especially if Shawne Merriman suffers a letdown), and they're solid at most positions on D. They'll play a quarter of their games against the hapless Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. They don't give up a ton of points (21.7 per game, 18th most), and they improved their sacks totals from '08 to '09 after a full offseason with defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. As a bonus, Darren Sproles can spring a long one in the return game at any time. 

Cons: Pressure is still not where it should be. They managed just 28 sacks in '08 (tied for 22nd) and only 35 last year (tied for 13th). They haven't been much better picking off the ball, ranking in the bottom third in each of the last two years. Merriman hasn't said when he will get back on the field after missing most of OTAs. Nose tackle Jamal Williams (Broncos) and cornerback Antonio Cromartie (Jets) are both gone; replacement corner Antoine Cason doesn't translate well to man-to-man coverage schemes.

Fantasy tip: There isn't anything special about this defense. Fantasy owners agree. San Diego is being drafted in the 19th round, on average, as a borderline No. 1. Let them reside on someone else's roster (or more likely the waiver wire) on draft day.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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