Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Keenan Allen's Post-Week 9 Fantasy Reaction

If you are reading these words, it likely means you're a fantasy owner of a San Diego Chargers player. You have my condolences.   

Philip Rivers was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins adding injury to insult with a hurt hand. The Pro Bowler completed only 12 of his 23 passes for 138 yards, accounting for all four San Diego turnovers. His three interceptions and lost fumble helped the Dolphins race out to a 37-0 triumph. 

Player	Completions/Attempts	Yards	YPA	TD	INT
Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	Targets
Philip Rivers	12/23	138	6.0	0	3
Keenan Allen	4	47	11.8	0	9
Antonio Gates	3	28	9.3	0	5

Rivers had been a bastion of consistency throughout the last two seasons but has returned to his turnover-prone ways the last two weeks. The Broncos picked him off twice last week for his first multi-interception game of 2014, and Sunday will go down as one of the worst days of his decade-long career. 

Rivers' mess of a day, as one would expect, has hurt the value of his top pass-catchers. Keenan Allen had caught only four passes for 47 yards, while Antonio Gates had a mere 27 yards on his three grabs. There's not much further context needed. Receiving production is a variable highly dependent on the play of one's quarterback. When one's quarterback is a total nightmare, one's yards tend to go in a similar direction.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

But here's the thing: Philip Rivers is pretty awesome at football. He did not become Brandon Weeden overnight. The Chargers have a bye in Week 10, so Rivers will have time to ruminate and scowl at himself in front of a mirror.

When he returns, Rivers has two straight good matchups against the Raiders and Rams. It should take roughly eight seconds against Oakland for him to recoup his QB1 value. Gates has been far too productive as a red-zone threat this season to consider benching. Allen is more hit or miss, but those two matchups probably put him in flex play territory after the bye.

In a nutshell: Once you drown your sorrows of a lost Week 9, don't overreact. The Chargers will be just fine.

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