Ladarius Green Not Optimistic About Playing; Trust in Antonio Gates

The San Diego Chargers are struggling to keep their offensive talent on the field to help Philip Rivers. The passing game and quarterback play of Rivers has been tremendous this season but it has resulted in few wins. San Diego will look to improve their record against the Kansas City Chiefs defense. The Chargers will be without wide receiver Keenan Allen for the remainder of the season and both of their tight ends are dealing with significant injury issues heading into the game.

Ladarius Green is listed as questionable due to his ankle injury. Green practiced on Friday for the first time in almost three weeks but he did not seem very confident that he will be able to suit up on Sunday. Green used quotes like “hard to say” and “hoping but I don’t know” regarding his status. Players are usually more optimistic when leaning towards playing so this is not a good sign for his availability this week. Green will be a game-time decision but you can’t start him unless you get confirmation. The game taking place at 4PM may ruin any chances of having a spot open for him in your lineup. The value of Green will be interesting when he does return to the field. Allen’s absence will give the rest of the offensive weapons plenty of opportunities and Green should benefit greatly from it.

San Diego’s reliable tight end Antonio Gates is also dealing with injuries in the form of knee and hip issues. Gates will be playing against the Chiefs but many are afraid of starting him in fantasy this week due to the injury concerns and the matchup. Kansas City has given up the second least fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season and Gates won’t be at full strength. This may be a situation of overthinking the scenario too much instead of trusting the name. Gates is a tough player and will be able to produce if given enough opportunities. Rivers lost his top target and Gates is now by far his most trusted weapon once again. Gates is averaging just fewer than eleven targets per game in his four starts this season and will see that number only grow without Allen. The Chargers are a pass-first team and Gates is the top option in the passing game. Unless you have Rob Gronkowski, every tight end is a risk. Don’t let the concerns cost you to miss out on a potential big game from Gates.