Tonight's game pits two head coaches who are currently on the proverbial hot seat against one another. The San Diego Chargers (3-4) look to get back to their winning ways following a disastrous 7-6 loss to the lowly Cleveland Browns on Sunday. San Diego has now scored a total of six points in its last six quarters. A loss here would put the Chargers at 3-5 and continue rumors about Norv Turner's eventual demise.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs have to be considered one of the worst teams in the National Football League through the first six weeks of the season. They are 1-6 and have failed to compete in a majority of their losses. Kansas City has lost its six games by a combined 91 points (15.2 AVG). That just isn't going to get it done with the talent that this team possesses. It goes without saying that head coach Romeo Crennel is also on the hot seat. Another embarrassing loss, this time on national television, could spell and end to his short tenure in Kansas City.
Brady Quinn, who Crennel named the Chiefs' starting quarterback prior to their loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, suffered a concussion and left the game. He has been ruled out for tonight's game, meaning that Matt Cassel will be under center once again. The simple fact that Kansas City had more "confidence" in Quinn than Cassel should tell you where it stands on the latter. Meanwhile, Ricky Stanzi will be active as the No. 2 quarterback. I would be the least bit surprised if Crennel gave Cassel a quick hook in lieu of the young quarterback. After all, he is going to have to pull out all stops to keep his job.
On that note, Jamaal Charles ran the ball a total of five times against the Oakland Raiders lat week. That just isn't acceptable considering that it was a close game through the first three quarters or so. You simply cannot take your best offensive player out of the game in situations like that. For his part, Crennel seemed to have no answer as to why Charles touched the ball so little.
Could it be that Baltimore Ravens offensive coordiantor Cam Cameron made his presence known at Arrowhead? While that is a toungue-and-cheek statement, it does leave you wondering if Kansas City's coaching staff actually has any idea what it is doing at this point in the season.
All things equal, Charles is a must start tonight against San Diego's defense. When Charles touches the ball at least 20 times this season he has been mighty productive. The Texas product has averaged 187 total yards and nearly two touchdowns in the three games that he has at least that many attempts. Charles went for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs Week 4 loss to San Diego.
It goes without saying that the only quarterback worthy of a start here is Philip Rivers, but I would be extremely concerned about his performance over the course of the last two weeks. The former Pro Bowl quarterback has thrown two touchdowns compared to four interceptions and compiled just 400 passing yards during that span. He goes up against a Kansas City pass defense that is actually pretty damn good at 11th overall in the NFL. Don't expect Rivers to put up top-tier QB1 numbers tonight.
In the past, Ryan Mathews has been placed in Norv Turner's dog house for his inability to actually hold on to the football. The enigmatic young running back fumbled once again last week against Cleveland and now has more fumbles (two) than touchdowns (one) this season. Definitely not the ratio fantasy owners or the Chargers are looking for. In fact, Mathews is averaging a fumble for every 38 times he rushes the ball in his career. The best running backs in the game just don't put it on the ground at that level.
With that said, San Diego is pretty much out of options right now. Jackie Battle has produced 19 yards on nine rushes over the last three games since a darn good performance against these very same Kansas City Chiefs back in Week 4. Meanwhile, Ronnie Brown seems to be nothing more than a receiving threat at this point in his career. San Diego utilizes him in passing situations over 80 percent of the time. This is is represeented by the 27 receptions and just 18 rushes he has compiled thus far this season.
In reality, Mathews is the best that San Diego has at this point and will see the ball between 20 and 25 times tonight against a Kansas City rush defense that ranks 23rd in the league. In essence, it likely that Mathews will actually produce RB1 numbers tonight.
Back to Brown for a second. He could definitely be a coup in PPR leagues. The veteran running back has compiled 15 receptions over the course of the last three games. While defenses might start zoning in on him when he is on the field, and probably should be, you might get some solid PPR production out of the FLEX position from him.
Dwayne Bowe and Malcom Floyd are solid starts here. I am not indicating that either will produce WR1 numbers because that is unlikely to happen. Instead, they should be solid secondary fantasy receivers this week. Bowe has racked up 72 targets, which ranks him fifth in the NFL on average. He will likely be targeted often tonight, no matter who plays quarterback for the majority of the game. The bad news is that Bowe has only come up with catches on a little over half of his targets, showing us exactly how bad the quarterback situation is in Kansas City. As always, you have to take that into account.
Floyd, on the other hand, has only been targeted 45 times in seven games. He is currently the Chargers No. 1 wide receiver, but needs to see the ball more often in order to be considered a true top-tier fantasy wide receiver. Though, Floyd has produced 29 receptions and 451 yards on those limited targets.
Eddie Royal is listed as doubtful and Robert Meachem, who continues to struggle, is a game time decision for the San Diego Chargers. Neither should even be considered at this point.
In terms of Kansas City, Dexter McCluster could be considered a solid FLEX option. He is coming off a six reception performance and one touchdown performance against Oakland last week. If utilized correctly, the dynamic player could actually make a dramatic impact in the Chiefs' offense. That being said, they just haven't used him correctly thus far this season.
Overall, there are a myriad of different fantasy options in this game. All leave you with a tremendous risk because of a combination of horrible coaching and lackluster play recently. Buyer beware in all cases.
Projected Statistics
Matt Cassel: 20/36, 240 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions
Philip Rivers: 22/34, 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception
Ryan Mathews: 21 rushes, 80 yards and one touchdown
Jamaal Charles: 17 rushes, 90 yards, five receptions, 50 yards and one touchdown
Dwayne Bowe: Five receptions, 70 yards and one touchdown
Malcom Floyd: Four receptions, 78 yards and one touchdown
Dexter McCluster: Three rushes, 15 yards, four receptions, 35 yards and a touchdown