Danny Woodhead was largely absent from the San Diego Chargers game plan on Sunday. Woodhead finished with seven carries for 22 yards and two receptions for 13 yards in Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Woodhead's backfield counterpart, Ryan Mathews, saw twice the amount of carries for 61 yards and caught five passes for 31 yards. Woodhead hasn't seen more than nine carries all season, so the amount of rushing attempts isn't exactly a surprise. It was Woodhead's lack of targets in the passing game that was the bigger surprise.
Danny Woodhead falls short for fantasy owners as Chargers favor Ryan Mathews
Woodhead finished with 35 total yards on Sunday. We take a look at the fantasy implications.
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Mathews didn’t seem to be hampered by his hamstring injury. He played well with the opportunities he was given, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. San Diego’s offense struggled to find the end zone for most of the afternoon, with the team’s lone touchdown going to tight end Ladarius Green. Three offensive turnovers disrupted the offense’s rhythm in what could have been a more productive ground game for the Chargers.
Fantasy impact: Both Mathews and Woodhead have been able to coexist for most of 2013 while still remaining fantasy relevant. Mathews nearly posted his fourth straight week of double-digit scoring in standard formats. Woodhead remains a solid RB2 in PPR leagues, which makes his Week 13 performance particularly disappointing with just two receptions. Mathews will remain a strong flex play on any given week. Both running backs will be solid fantasy options against the New York Giants in Week 14.
