Fantasy Football Week 8: Complete Thursday Night Preview
After a dismal start, the NFL on Thursday night has gotten a lot more interesting the last few weeks.
And this week should be no exception with the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos squaring off.
With two of the best quarterbacks in the league on tap, there should be plenty of points on the scoreboard, which is good news for fantasy football league owners.
It is worth noting that these teams played each other a very grand total of three times last season but not once did either the Chargers or Broncos reach the 30-point mark in those contests in 2013.
We look for that to change in the Mile High City on Thursday evening.
Starting Quarterbacks
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San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers
The 11-year pro is having another MVP-like season, throwing 17 touchdown passes and just three interceptions in seven games in 2014. Rivers has fumbled five times but has not lost any of those miscues.
In 17 career starts versus the Broncos, including last year’s playoff meeting, Rivers has thrown for 238.1 yards per game and has more than twice as many touchdown passes (29) as interceptions (12).
Fantasy Prediction: 23-of-32, 285 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT. 3 carries, 11 yards, 0 TD.
Denver Broncos: Peyton Manning
The NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes is currently tied for the league lead in that category this season. But the difference is that Manning has played one fewer game than Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
Manning is completing 68.7 of this throws in 2014, good for 19 scores and just three interceptions. In five games with the Broncos versus San Diego since 2012 (including playoffs), the ageless wonder has thrown 14 touchdown passes and been picked off only four times.
Fantasy Prediction: 26-of-31, 367 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT. 2 carries, 4 yards, 0 TD.
Running Backs
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San Diego Chargers Starter: Branden Oliver
With Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown all down and out for now, Oliver has stepped in and been a spark plug.
He leads the Chargers with 316 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns and has hauled in 14 passes for 135 yards and a score. Not bad for a guy who was inactive the first two weeks of the season.
Fantasy Prediction: 16 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD. 3 receptions, 21 yards, 0 TD.
San Diego Chargers Backup: Shaun Draughn
There are not a lot of bodies in the San Diego backfield these days. Draughn totaled 10 carries for 19 yards in the rout of the New York Jets but does not have a rushing attempt in any other game he’s played in. He does lead the team with 58 yards on three kickoff returns. Veteran Ronnie Brown is back with the club and could see some action.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 carries, 10 yards, 0 TD. 0 receptions.
Denver Broncos Starter: Ronnie Hillman
One week after totaling 100 yards rushing on 24 carries in a road win over the New York Jets, Hillman ran for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Sunday night’s demolition of the San Francisco 49ers.
Denver’s ground attack ranks just 25th in the NFL these days, but the club has averaged 126.5 yards per game on the ground the last two weeks.
Fantasy Prediction: 21 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD. 2 receptions, 23 yards, 0 TD.
Denver Broncos Backup: C.J. Anderson
He’s totaled 13 carries for 64 yards this season, with the majority of those yards coming in the first two weeks of the season. Look for him to be a bit busier against the Chargers during this short week.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 carries, 35 yards, 0 TD. 0 receptions.
Wide Receivers
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San Diego Chargers: Keenan Allen
The second-year pro, who enjoyed a big debut season, leads the club with 34 catches. But Allen ranks just third on the club in receiving yards (354) and hasn’t scored a touchdown in 2014.
Still, in last year’s two games in Denver (including playoffs), Allen snared eight passes for 171 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD.
San Diego Chargers: Malcom Floyd
One of the better long-range threats in the NFL, Floyd ranks fourth on the club with just 20 grabs but is averaging an impressive 20.6 yards per reception. He has scored three touchdowns this season, third on the team.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 35 yards, 0 TD.
San Diego Chargers: Eddie Royal
He’s been a terrific addition to San Diego’s offense. In his third season with the Chargers after four seasons in Denver, Royal has totaled just 93 catches for 14 scores with the Bolts. The one-time second-round pick has totaled 13 scores in 70 receptions the last two seasons, including five touchdowns in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 61 yards, 0 TD.
San Diego Chargers: Seyi Ajirotutu
He’s been targeted twice in seven games this season and has one catch for 11 yards. Last season, Ajirotutu played in 14 games and caught three passes for 64 yards and one touchdown.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 reception, 6 yards, 0 TD.
Denver Broncos: Demaryius Thomas
He’s the answer to the question of who caught Peyton Manning’s record-breaking 509th career touchdown pass. He’s also been the answer to the Denver passing game this season. Thomas leads the club with 39 catches, good for 662 yards and six scores.
In each of his last three games, the talented wideout has totaled at least eight receptions for 120-plus yards and has scored at least once.
Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions, 144 yards, 1 TD.
Denver Broncos: Emmanuel Sanders
While Sanders ranks just behind Thomas on the team with 38 receptions, he didn’t score his first touchdown of 2014 until last Sunday night. Still, after a torrid start this season that saw him total at least 100 yards receiving in three of his first four games, Sanders has totaled six receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD.
Denver Broncos: Wes Welker
The productive performer has been back with the team the last four games and has totaled 17 grabs for 176 yards and a score. Like Sanders, Welker scored his first touchdown of the season last week in the prime-time rout of San Francisco. Could he just be getting warmed up in 2014?
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 57 yards, 0 TD.
Denver Broncos: Andre Caldwell
It’s hard to make everyone happy on a team when you have so much talent. Caldwell caught 16 passes for 200 yards three touchdowns last season but has just two receptions for 16 yards this season, and both catches came in Week 1.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 11 yards, 0 TD.
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Tight Ends
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San Diego Chargers Starter: Antonio Gates
It’s already been a big year for one of the most productive tight ends in league annals. Gates now has a total of 94 touchdown receptions—10th in NFL history.
This season, the 12-year pro and eight-time Pro Bowler ranks second on the team with 27 catches—with seven of those grabs going for touchdowns. The veteran performer has scored at least one touchdown in three straight contests.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 23 yards, 1 TD.
San Diego Chargers Backup: Ladarius Green
Much more was expected from Green this season, but as we have seen, Gates and quarterback Philip Rivers have been a hard combination to stop. The young tight end has totaled only 11 catches this season and has yet to score a touchdown.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 18 yards, 0 TD.
Denver Broncos Starter: Julius Thomas
It’s becoming a surprise when this Thomas doesn’t score a touchdown, which was the case last week versus the 49ers. Still, this Orange Julius leads the NFL with nine scoring receptions this season and ranks third on the club with 28 receptions. He should give the Chargers 3-4 defense fits on Thursday night.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD.
Denver Broncos Backup: Virgil Green
The versatile Green plays a valuable role in this offense as a jack-of-all-trades. But he’s not much of a factor when it comes to fantasy football, totaling four touches for 21 yards from scrimmage this season. Jacob Tamme has scored a pair of touchdowns this season but has caught only four passes in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 receptions, 7 yards, 0 TD.
Defense/Special Teams
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San Diego Chargers Defense/Special Teams
With a banged-up secondary and a pass rush that has produced just three sacks in their last two games (all in last week’s loss to the Chiefs), the Bolts will try and put some heat on Manning. As we know, that’s easier said than done. It’s worth noting that Denver has turned over the football just four times in six outings this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 37 points allowed, 1 sack, 0 INT, 0 FF.
Denver Broncos Defense/Special Teams
Last season, Denver’s pass rush came up with a respectable 41 sacks. In 2014, led by defensive end DeMarcus Ware and outside linebacker Von Miller, John Fox’s club has already gotten to opposing quarterbacks 21 times in just six games. The Broncos have not forced a lot of turnovers (six) to date, but that figures to change Thursday. And we’ll give Jack Del Rio’s unit credit for a safety for good measure.
Fantasy Prediction: 21 points allowed, 4 sacks, 2 INT, 1 FF.
Best Sleeper Adds
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1. Eddie Royal, Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers (Owned in 41.3 percent of ESPN leagues)
He and tight end Antonio Gates are quarterback Philip Rivers’ top end-zone targets this season. In 2013, he tied for the team lead with eight touchdown grabs and already has five scores in seven games this year.
2. Ladarius Green, Tight End, San Diego Chargers (owned in 9.8 percent of ESPN leagues)
As usual, Green doesn’t have a lot of catches but has the ability to stretch the field. But none of his 11 receptions this season (14.2 yards per catch) has gone for a touchdown. He remains an intriguing option.
3. Von Miller, Linebacker, Denver Broncos (owned in 95.3 percent of ESPN leagues)
Just in case no one has him in your league—which may be hard to fathom—Miller is off to a strong start, totaling a league-high eight sacks while ranking fourth on the team with 27 tackles. For those in a league with IDP (Individual Defensive Player), he’s been a great bounce-back pickup after an issue-filled 2013.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at the latest injury report regarding the Chargers and Broncos, focusing on key performers (courtesy of NFL.com).
San Diego Chargers | ||
Player | Status | |
Ryan Mathews | RB | Out |
Donald Brown | RB | Out |
LB Manti Te’o | LB | Out |
Brandon Flowers | CB | Out |
Jeremiah Attaochu | LB | Doubtful |
Jason Verrett | CB | Questionable |
D.J. Fluker | T | Probable |
Rich Ohrnberger | C | Probable |
Dwight Freeney | LB | Probable |
The absences of Mathews and Brown are not news, but Flowers suffered a concussion in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Add in the fact that Verrett was limited in practice, and that isn’t very positive news heading into a matchup with Peyton Manning and the Denver offense.
Denver Broncos | ||
Player | Status | |
RB | Out | |
Chris Harris | CB | Probable |
T.J. Ward | S | Probable |
Brandon McManus | PK | Probable |
Ronnie Hillman is filling the bill for Ball these days, while Harris, Ward and McManus all figure to be a go this week.
Sit or Start
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We know who the stars are when it comes to this contest. But is there a pivotal player or two who may be on your roster that you can’t decide whether to start or not? Here’s a little help.
WR Eddie Royal (Chargers): He’s averaging 15 yards per catch this season, and five of his 23 receptions have gone for scores. But don’t look for a lot of production from the veteran wideout in this contest.
Verdict: Sit
WR Malcom Floyd (Chargers): As usual, Floyd specializes in the big play and has reached the end zone three times this season. However, look for Denver’s physical secondary to keep him somewhat under wraps in this tilt.
Verdict: Sit
RB Ronnie Hillman (Broncos): He’s added a spark to the Denver ground attack, and with Montee Ball sidelined, he’s the main man in the backfield. The Chargers run defense has been so-so this season to date, so Hillman figures to have a productive evening.
Verdict: Start
WR Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos): Last week, Sanders scored his first touchdown of the season, and we anticipate that he will reach the end zone again. But there may be better options when it comes to a starter this week.
Verdict: Sit
Some statistical support provided by Pro-Football-Reference, NFL.com and ESPN.com. Depth-chart info provided by Ourlads.
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