The San Diego Chargers suffered a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 7. Philip Rivers and company managed to score just two touchdowns on offense in a game that came down to the closing seconds.
Chargers fantasy recap: Antonio Gates delivers in Week 7
San Diego only managed to score two touchdowns on Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
San Diego has been averaging 27.3 points per game, but its offense couldn’t quite find a rhythm against the Chiefs. Let’s break down some of the fantasy performances from Week 7.
Philip Rivers: After three straight games with three touchdown passes, Rivers finished with a season-low 205 yards passing with two scores. Rivers only completed 55 percent of his throws, another low point for the year. His performance ranks No. 18 among fantasy quarterbacks for Week 7. He has a middling matchup on the road at the Denver Broncos for Week 8, but Rivers remains a high-end QB1.
Branden Oliver: Oliver rushed for 67 yards on 15 carries in his second start. He finished with almost half of the amount of touches he saw from Week 6. The Chargers cut back his workload as the offense struggled to sustain drives, but Oliver was effective with 4.5 yards per carry. He has a tougher matchup with the Broncos next week. Oliver will be more of a flex play if Donald Brown is able to return to action.
Keenan Allen: The disappointing year continues for Allen. He caught six passes for 58 yards on 10 targets in Week 7. Despite catching two passes to start the first drive, Allen's day cooled off from there. He now has the most receptions in the NFL this season without a touchdown. That stat will surely change, but Allen's value is down. With Rivers spreading the ball around, Allen falls in the WR3/4 range.
Antonio Gates: The veteran caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Gates now has a touchdown in four of seven weeks this year, and he's scored in three consecutive games. He disappeared in Weeks 3 and 4, and while there will be some off games for the veteran, it appears he's a reliable TE1 for the long haul.
