Fantasy Philip has made you cry Rivers
I have received a lot of questions lately regarding San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, whose 2011 season has not gone as fantasy owners had expected.
The Chargers are 4-2 and snapped their trend of early-season failure this year, but something doesn't seem right about Rivers' play. There are many paths of speculation that include Rivers potentially hiding an injury to personal issues interfering with his on-field play. Whatever it may be, I will not guess as to the hypothetical possibilities.
Our friends at FanDuel.com have set up a fun salary cap fantasy football challenge where you can take me on this weekend. It is free to play and all you have to do is finish higher than me to land $5 in your bankroll. Turn your free entry into $150 ... and more! There is $500 worth of prizes being dished out to the top teams. Do you have what it takes? Try to beat me in Week 8!
I have not seen anything stand out to me with his mechanics, but Rivers has looked tentative, at times, and has seemed to struggle to see the field. Many contributing factors are considered to be impacting his play.
- The loss of Darren Sproles was more far-reaching than most people anticipated. For as good as Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert have been, neither player has the experience or explosive that Sproles brought to the passing game.
- The carousel of injuries among the wide receivers and star tight end Antonio Gates has hurt. I don't give a lot of credence to this, as Rivers excelled with inferior talent last year.
- San Diego's offensive line has been so-so this year, allowing 14 sacks in six games, which puts Rivers on pace for 37 takedowns. He was sacked 38 times last year, though.
- Rivers looks like he is pressing too hard ... forcing the ball too much, which has led to more turnovers than touchdowns.
One statement you often hear is that the Chargers' offense has emphasized the run more than in recent years. The Chargers have rushed the ball 44.8 percent of the time through six games. That is a lower percentage of rushing attempts than any of the season-long figures from 2008 to 2010 from this offense. They have enjoyed more per-play success, however.
Table: Philip Rivers' 2011 season statistics
|
Wk
|
Opponent
|
Comp
|
Att
|
Comp%
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
TD
|
INT
|
Sck
|
Fum lost
|
|
1
|
33
|
48
|
68.8
|
335
|
7.0
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
--
|
|
|
2
|
29
|
40
|
72.5
|
378
|
9.5
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
|
|
3
|
24
|
38
|
63.2
|
266
|
7.0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
|
|
4
|
21
|
31
|
67.7
|
307
|
9.9
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
--
|
|
|
5
|
18
|
29
|
62.1
|
250
|
8.6
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
1
|
|
|
6
|
Bye week
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
7
|
16
|
32
|
50.0
|
179
|
5.6
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
--
|
He, in general, is still driving the ball downfield, although Rivers' two games with 7.0 yards per attempt are low by this offense's standards. He is completing an acceptable 64.7 percent of his passes on the year.
A sore chest could be part of his problems. Rivers is a gamer and won't complain about injuries, but you have to consider that it may be affecting him on game days. After all, he lied for several days about his torn anterior cruciate ligament several years ago to prevent the defense from focusing on his limb.
|
Time to jump ship? |
Rivers' wife recently gave birth, which could have played a factor in his poor play this year, but we may never really know for sure. If this is the case, it is a fixable issue. The same goes for a potential minor injury. His demeanor has been reserved and unlike the Rivers we have grown accustom to. Could he have something weighing heavily on his mind? It is very possible, but we don't know for sure, so we cannot run with it.
Looking ahead, San Diego's schedule has some favorable fantasy matchups for the struggling quarterback. The upcoming slate of games also comes with several touch matchups and a lot of crisscrossing travels, as well as tough matchups on short weeks.
|
Wk
|
Opponent |
Time (ET)
|
|
8
|
at Kansas City Chiefs |
8:30 PM
|
|
9
|
vs. Green Bay Packers |
4:15 PM
|
|
10
|
vs. Oakland Raiders |
8:20 PM
|
|
11
|
at Chicago Bears |
4:15 PM
|
|
12
|
vs. Denver Broncos |
4:15 PM
|
|
13
|
at Jacksonville Jaguars |
8:30 PM
|
|
14
|
vs. Buffalo Bills |
4:15 PM
|
|
15
|
vs. Baltimore Ravens |
8:20 PM
|
|
16
|
at Detroit Lions |
4:05 PM
|
|
17
|
at Oakland Raiders |
4:15 PM
|
I would like to say that Rivers will overcome his struggles and turn it around, but I cannot confidently say that. He is likely going to be a matchup play the rest of the season. If you are reliant on him, it is time to pursue a trade as your fantasy deadline may be approaching.
-
Dallasman1956
-
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5FADMQS6CTZZKEV4IAZ5WQ66UY Toykykid
-
Mark
-
oliv9768
-
Mark
-
Kristian Svindland
