Team Talk: San Diego Chargers

By Adam Filadelfo (@Frostt24)

It's time to head over to the AFC West once again and take a look at the fantasy value of the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers gave fantasy owners something to talk about in 2013 by providing some key contributors to fantasy rosters. Will the Chargers provide fantasy relevance again in 2014? Let's take a look.

Phillip Rivers- Rivers redeemed himself after a very disappointing 2012. In 2013, Rivers threw for over 4,400 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for an additional score. He also averaged over 22 fantasy points per game and made up for a horrible fantasy season in 2012. Rivers will go into 2014 fantasy drafts as a quarterback owners feel they can trust again. He has plenty of weapons around him to have another great fantasy season.

Donald Brown- Coming over from the Colts, Donald Brown provided a little bit of fantasy value that not many owners expected. Brown rushed for 537 yards and six touchdowns. While he didn't provide much in the passing game, he did average over eight fantasy points per game but owners shouldn't expect numbers like that again in 2014. The backfield is a little crowded right now in San Diego and with the season Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead had, don't expect Brown to see many touches barring an injury.

Ryan Mathews- It's still difficult to believe that Ryan Mathews held up for an entire season of football. A healthy Ryan Mathews rushed for over 1,200 yards and six touchdowns in 2013 and averaged almost 12 fantasy points per game. It's not difficult to think Mathews can duplicate those numbers in 2014 if he can stay healthy long enough. Mathews definitely got himself back in the good graces of fantasy owners.

Danny Woodhead- Danny Woodhead had a better fantasy season than most fantasy owners thought he would. He was a factor in the running game as well as the passing game and was a PPR stud for owners in 2013. He averaged over nine fantasy points per game and should be a big factor in the Chargers passing game again in 2014.

Keenan Allen- 2013 saw quite the rookie season from Keenan Allen and he's definitely a well known name in fantasy circles heading into drafts in 2014. Allen finished his rookie season with 71 catches for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. He also averaged over 10 fantasy points per game last season and made himself a target in fantasy drafts in 2014.

Vincent Brown- 41 receptions for 472 yards and a touchdown. Nothing great here but somehow Vincent Brown will find his way on fantasy rosters in 2014 based on the potential he brings. He averaged just over three fantasy points per game in 2013 and does have the potential to produce much more. It's hard to think Brown puts together a huge fantasy season with pass catchers like Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, Ladarius Green and Danny Woodhead all in the mix for targets. Still, Vincent Brown could be worth a late round pick heading into fantasy drafts this season. Just don't expect too much from him.

Malcolm Floyd- Playing in only two games in 2013, Floyd didn't get much of a chance to showcase his skills last year. While he did play in 2013, he averaged 7.5 fantasy points per game in the two games he saw action in and could be a decent fantasy option heading into 2014. In 2012 when he played in 14 games, Floyd had 56 receptions for 814 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged eight fantasy points per game and obviously would've had a much better season had it not been cut short in 2013.

Antonio Gates- While Gates has had a clunker or two of a fantasy season of late, 2013 proved to owners that he may not be dead yet. Gates finished the season with 77 catches for almost 900 yards and seven touchdowns. Even with Ladarius Green there, Gates could end up having another good fantasy season in 2014. The key for Gates is staying healthy. Fantasy owners would obviously like to see him average a bit more than seven fantasy points per game as was the case in 2013.

Ladarius Green- Coming on strong late in the season, Ladarius Green almost made fantasy owners forget about Antonio Gates. Almost. Green's last couple of weeks were a bit disappointing as he slowed down a bit but heading into 2014, he should be a tight end targeted in fantasy drafts. He finished with 17 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns. His 4.6 fantasy points per game could increase next season as Green figures to become a bigger part of the offense for the Chargers.