San Diego Chargers tight ends Antonio Gates (hamstring) and Ladarius Green played familiar roles in the team's Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and it doesn't appear they'll be trading places any time soon in terms of their number of targets or fantasy production in the long term.
Antonio Gates, Ladarius Green not trading places just yet; fantasy value staying put both ways
The Chargers’ tight ends played roles we’re accustomed to in Week 1, which means change isn’t necessarily imminent. We break down the fantasy implications.
Thearon W. Henderson
It should be noted however that Gates did miss practice on Wednesday with his ailment according to Eric Williams. Gates is still expected to play in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Gates was targeted 10 times in the contest, catching six passes for 81 yards. On the other hand, Green appeared on just 24 offensive snaps in the game and caught both of his targets for 24 yards.
Fantasy Impact: Going back to last season, many in the fantasy community believed Green was destined to take over as the Chargers’ go-to tight end within a year or two given Gates’ age and injury history. One look at the numbers after Week 1, and its obvious that’s probably not going to happen as quickly as many believe.
However, prior to appearing in all 16 games last season, Gates hadn’t played a full 16-game schedule since 2009, and he is 34 years old now. That means Green will always be a threat to jump in at some point this year, and all it would take is two or three solid showings to see the targets shift.
Fantasy owners who have Gates on the roster have to feel pretty good about themselves overall since Green’s value is restricted to that of a waiver wire add at this time.
