Antonio Gates Injury: Updates on Chargers Star's Week 4 Status and Fantasy Value

San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates missed the team's game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to continuing foot problems. The fantasy football superstar had plantar fascia issues last season that caused him to miss six of the final eight games.

Keep checking back to this page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injury, his playing stats and fantasy value as the Chargers prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins.

UPDATE: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 7:04 p.m. EDT

Antonio Gates' backup, Randy McMichael was injured in the Chargers' game against the Dolphins on Sunday, prompting some to speculate if Gates would be rushed back next week if McMichael was out.

But it turns out the injury wasn't too serious, per Rotoworld.com. After clutching his right hand after a running play and leaving the game, McMichael returned on Sunday.

He has three catches for 25 yards in the fourth quarter.

-Ryan Rudnansky

UPDATE: Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2:35 p.m. EDT

The San Diego Chargers have tried everything they could to fix Antonio Gates ailing foot, but now they have no choice but to sit him until he is back to almost 100 percent.

NFL Network analyst Fran Charles is reporting on twitter about Antonio Gates availability tomorrow:

Just like the Chargers, you can’t drop the star from your team, but you need to get a viable starter until he gets back. Gates replacement in the lineup Randy McMichael will be a solid start until Gates gets back for your fantasy team.

Thursday, Sept 29 at 9:25 a.m. EST

Gates' fantasy owners won't be happy with this news. After getting just one week of production out of the star tight end, Gates may be out until at least mid-October according to the North County Times,

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"I've done whatever it is you can imagine to help this problem. At this point, rest is the only thing that's left to try and get this thing healed."

Gates refused to rule himself out of any game, but it's nearly certain that he'll miss Sunday's game against Miami, and he could be out through the bye week in mid-October.

"I don't want to make any projections," Gates said. "It's tough to gauge. I mean, I wasn't supposed to have any problems at this point. It was supposed to be gone five months ago, but somehow it's still lingering. It's still an uphill battle. Whenever I feel great, or when the pain is tolerable, is when I'm going to get out there."

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Thursday, Sept. 29 at 9:20 a.m. EST

No one really knows how bad Gates' foot is, in large part because he won't rule himself out of the Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins in a conversation with The San Diego Union-Tribune,

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He's played so many times through so many injuries, he generally believes there is a way for him to suit up on a Sunday.

But asked if his ailing foot could conceivably allow him to play this week against the Miami Dolphins, Gates thought for a moment and then grimaced.

"It'd be difficult," he said. "... But who's to say? In a span of two or three days, I've seen miracles happen with my body. I'm always in the gameplan, always studying. Who knows? There is a big difference between Wednesday and Sunday."

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Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9:00 a.m. EST

While Norv Turner sounds optimistic about Gates' prognosis, the reality of the situation, at least for fantasy owners, is that he should not be your No. 1 tight end, according to Fantasy Guru Will Carroll.

Given that there is a lot more about the situation involving his foot than we know, it would be in your best interest to trade for a solid tight end, or scour the waiver wire for a tight end who can play for at least the next month.

Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 4:20 p.m. EDT

Adam Rank of NFL.com spoke with a doctor that is worried about the long-term outlook of Gates considering how quickly his foot has begun to hurt again.

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One doctor, who has not seen Gates, points out that the All-Pro tight end had the entire offseason to rest and there were no mini-camps or OTAs, so all that time off did not clear up the problem. Which is something we don’t want to think about.

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Gates' fantasy football owners should definitely consider trading him while he still has some value left. Depending on the diagnosis, that remaining value could be gone within the next few weeks, especially in re-draft leagues.

Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 10:20 p.m. EDT

Dan McLellan, a columnist for SanDiego.com, passes along a quote from Norv Turner that is a lot more encouraging that Gates' from the previous update. It's clear that no decision has been made about his situation, though.

If he does play Sunday, hopefully he comes out of the game feeling good enough to keep doing so moving forward. Carrying two tight ends on your roster just to cover yourself in case Gates is a late scratch is a real hindrance.

Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 10:15 a.m. EDT

Gates spoke with the San Diego Union-Tribune and he gave some real insight into his situation. To put it simply, he's going to visit another specialist to get an opinion on what he should do to allow him to play in as many games as possible this season.

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Gates said the issue comes down to committing to playing now and enduring the weekly pain and “cycle” of uncertainty over whether he will play or resting for another three to five weeks or longer and hoping that is enough so that when he comes back he can finish the season without interruption.

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It may hurt in the short term, but fantasy owners should be rooting for him to sit out a few more weeks now if it means he'll play down the stretch. Enduring the weekly "will he play or will he sit" routine is not a good situation for Gates, the Chargers or fantasy owners, so hopefully it is avoided.

Monday, Sept. 26 at 12:30 p.m. EDT

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune passes along some positive news from head coach Norv Turner. However, he doesn't give a timetable for Gates' return to the field, which means the early forecast is that he'll be a game-time decision again on Sunday.

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"Gates, who was listed as 'questionable,' did not play due to lingering soreness in his [foot] from a torn plantar fascia. Turner expressed confidence that once Gates gets 'on the field, he’ll go a large number of games in a row without missing.'”

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Owning Gates is going to be very frustrating for the rest of the season. He'll likely be listed as questionable for the majority of the final 13 games. There will be weeks where he toughs it out and plays well and others where he is a last-second scratch. Prepare yourself for the agony.