The Week 13 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers features two teams dealing with key injuries. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 13: Broncos-Chargers featuring Brock Osweiler, C.J. Anderson and Philip Rivers
We break down the Week 13 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers.
Denver Broncos
Nobody would have predicted that the Denver Broncos would be the team to beat the New England Patriots and put a blemish on their undefeated record going into Week 12, especially because Brock Osweiler and not Peyton Manning started at quarterback. That’s exactly what happened last week as Osweiler threw for 270 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. He’s far from being a fantasy superstar just yet but he may provide some value going into the fantasy playoffs in deeper leagues.
Osweiler owes a big thank you to his running back C.J. Anderson for the win. Anderson went for over 150 total yards last week and scored on an electrifying 48-yard touchdown in overtime to win the game. He’s had a very difficult 2015 season, to say the least, but it appears all is not lost with just a few weeks left to make an impact. Anderson could be a dark horse yet again this season, even though he was drafted with the expectations of a superstar. The San Diego Chargers are not very good at defending the run. It’ll be interesting to see how Anderson does in light of that.
San Diego Chargers
Despite the fact the San Diego Chargers are pretty much relegated towards focusing on 2016 at this point, quarterback Philip Rivers still seems determined to put up fantasy numbers. He completed 29 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Without much of a running game behind him and a slew of injuries in front of him, it’s amazing that the veteran quarterback is making such an impact. It’s obviously not translating into wins for the Chargers, but Rivers is helping fantasy owners claim victory, no doubt.
Thank goodness Rivers has tight end Antonio Gates at his disposal. Gates caught four passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars. He’s not always healthy, and yes Gates has had injuries throughout his career, but when he is in the lineup, Gates is among the best. A surefire Hall of Famer, Gates is probably the only player outside of the quarterback worth starting every single week in fantasy leagues for the rest of the season, assuming he doesn’t miss any time of course.
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SB Nation presents: NFL Week 13 start/sit fantasy advice
