Week 9 Fantasy Football Start Em Sit Em: Philip Rivers Due for Huge Bounce-Back

Philip Rivers has hit rock bottom.

Two interceptions and a botched snap on Monday Night Football singlehandedly cost the San Diego Chargers a game.

Now the oddsmakers are over-reacting by spotting the ‘Bolts 5.5 points at home against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

While the Chargers may not win, Rivers is going to do everything in his power to keep up with the explosive Packers offense.

Sure, Rivers leads the NFL with 11 picks, but more than a few of those have been tipped or bobbled by the intended receiver.

Green Bay is the perfect remedy. The Packers are 31st in the NFL, allowing 288.9 passing yards per game have been even worse on the road. The corners play soft coverage and aren’t a very strong tackling team.

With the health of both Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert in question, the Chargers are going to be relying on the pass heavily.

Some have suggested that the loss of tight end Antonio Gates for the majority of the first half is directly related to Rivers’ struggles. In his first game back Gates had a touchdown and should have had another TD against Kansas City that was called back on a questionable offensive pass interference call.

As he continues to shake off the rest, Gates will only be more of a factor in the offense, especially in the red zone. Struggling WR Vincent Jackson has been hard to figure out. He is healthy and still has that explosive burst, but the production just isn’t there. With his illustrious track record, you have to assume he’s due for a huge outing.

Despite his struggles with turnovers, it’s worth noting that Rivers has thrown for at least 250 yards in all but one game.

Clearly he isn’t at the “must-start every week” level of years past, but don’t get caught up in his recent problems.  This guy still is a Top 5 talent.

Start him in Week 9 and expect 275 yards and 2-3 touchdowns in return.

(Spread courtesy of Covers.com)