What's the consensus on Philip Rivers this year? SD WR's (1 Viewer)

[xenon]

Haven't really been following any football until just now. Seems as though Rivers is flying under the radar and ranked lower than in years past and as a 5th/6th rounder if you want him. Granted last year was a bad/off year, anybody believe he can revert to stats from 2009 & 2010 or better those #'s? What does SD look like in the pre-season thus far?

Additionally, what is up with the WR group? Floyd, Meachem, Royal, V. Brown? Clearly Gates as usual should be solid (and hopefully stay healthy) but is this WR group going to vibe with Rivers and if so, who's the sneaky pick up (and what round?) and has Rivers developed a rapport with a specific one of these guys thus far at camp?

I keep hearing snippets about Brown (sleeper?). Royal showed promise early on in his career in Denver but has not amounted to much at this point. Will change of scenery and upgrade at QB breathe new life? Will Meacham step up given the opportunity outside of NO and $14 million guaranteed? Floyd to me has never been anything but #3 or #4 WR with flashes of something better.

Thoughts? Feedback?

Thanks.

 

[mere blitzianity]

I'm leery of going all in on the Charger O this year. That said, given where you can land Vincent Brown in most leagues, it's a worthwhile investment. I'm not sold on either Royal or Meachem and all Brown did was produce when he was given an opportunity the second half of the season. He may lack great speed, but he's an excellent route runner and has exceptional hands. I would not be shocked to see him haul in 70-80 catches and score 6-7 TD's. Depending on the matchup, he could be a low end #2 some weeks.

 

[TheFootballJesus]

Can anybody shed light on how he looked tonight?

Strange stat line- 13/15, with both incompletions resulting in INTs. Were they on underthrown deep balls, as many of his INTs from last season were?

 

[wbaaoz]

Haven't watched todays game yet.

Generally speaking I'm hoping that Rivers adopts a more "sharing the wealth" approach and takes what the D gives him. I think in the past that's when he's at his best. Last year I felt he went away from that at times and really tried to force feed VJ which resulted in some bad throws and ints (esp when VJ seemed to not wanna fight for the ball).

If Rivers shares the wealth then I think he will def be a value and out perform his ADP; unproven WRs or not.

 

[craxie]

Can anybody shed light on how he looked tonight? Strange stat line- 13/15, with both incompletions resulting in INTs. Were they on underthrown deep balls, as many of his INTs from last season were?

1st INT was bad underthrow on deep ball to Meachem2nd INT was Vincent Brown's fault, basically knocked it to defender

 

[Bruce Leroy]

I bought last year.

I leave him on the shelf this year unless he's still available in round 9 or 10 (and he won't be)

 

[TS Garp]

Remember that for as ugly as Rivers looked at times last season, he still finished with more than 4,600 yards and 27 td's. The 20 interceptions are very worrisome, but he's going to get his numbers. I wish the Chargers would've addressed their offensive line in the offseason, as Rivers is truly a statue back there and can't make things happen on his own. When he gets pressured, he sometimes forces throws. That said, he threw 16 td's against 6 int's in the second half of last year, so maybe the rumors that he was dealing with an undisclosed injury in the first half were accurate.

As far as the WR's, take a look at Floyd's last few games:

Week 8: 5/107/0

Got hurt

Week 13: 4/108/1

Week 14: 2/29/0

Week 15: 5/96/1

Week 16: 6/95/1

Week 17: 7/127/1

Rivers has great chemistry with him and he'll have a chance to play more. Not sure if he can stay healthy all year, but there's a lot more upside here than people think.

I love Brown's talent -- he's the real deal. The Chargers will find the way to get him the ball. Or should I say "would have." Injury doesn't sound good.

Meachem will be called upon even more with Brown out. I think he'll make some big plays and have big games here and there but I think he could be a frustrating guy to rely on as a starter.

I'm buying Gates this year. He's in excellent shape, he's leaner, and he's hungry. I think he could have a monster season.

 

[Beerguzzler]

The worst part about he first pick is that Meachum had burned Brandon Carr and easily had 2 steps on him. If Rivers throws it further, it's a great TD. I doesnt seem like Rivers and Meachum are on the same page at all. I don't know if Rivers just not used to his speed or what, but they need some work right now.

2nd pick was on Brown.

I honestly just don't know about Rivers. Even as a homer I gotta start questioning him.

 

[griff321]

The worst part about he first pick is that Meachum had burned Brandon Carr and easily had 2 steps on him. If Rivers throws it further, it's a great TD. I doesnt seem like Rivers and Meachum are on the same page at all. I don't know if Rivers just not used to his speed or what, but they need some work right now. 2nd pick was on Brown. I honestly just don't know about Rivers. Even as a homer I gotta start questioning him.

That pick was about as ugly as the one Eli had.If Rivers could just cut down on the turnovers he'd easily be the best of the next tier of QBs, but with this group of WRs and Gates health always being a question, I'm not so sure it'll happen.

 

[kinghill]

Rivers will break Blanda's record of 42 INT this year.

 

[Picklepete]

Well, Rivers weapons just got hit, as V.Brown (WR) now has a broken ankle !

And it's not like he had a lot to begin with.

 

[TS Garp]

For those of you who are downgrading Rivers because you think his weapons aren't strong enough, do you think the receiving corps is worse than it was in 2010, when he went for 4,700 yards and 30 td's? Here are the top 6 receivers from that season:

Gates

Floyd

Sproles

Crayton

Naanee

Ajirotutu

Buster Davis

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Before Brown got hurt, I'd say that the Chargers had a better overall group of receivers this year than last year.

Meachem comes nowhere close to replacing Vincent Jackson, so that is a huge downgrade.

But a healthy Gates over an injured Gates is a huge upgrade. In the slot, Eddie Royal should be a big upgrade over Patrick Crayton. A more experienced Vincent Brown would have been a big upgrade over a rookie Vincent Brown. The addition Dante Rosario helps at TE, and the addition of Morgan Spurlock and/or Roscoe Parrish is a nice upgrade over Bryan Walters. Ronnie Brown is also a very good receiver out of the backfield.

Vincent Brown missing half the season does hurt, but there are still plenty of decent targets. We just have to pray that Malcom Floyd stays healthy.

 

[FavreCo]

For those of you who are downgrading Rivers because you think his weapons aren't strong enough, do you think the receiving corps is worse than it was in 2010, when he went for 4,700 yards and 30 td's? Here are the top 6 receivers from that season:GatesFloydSprolesCraytonNaaneeAjirotutuBuster Davis

That's why I thought he would be even better in 2011 and he sucked.

 

[Sweetness_34]

I never understood the hyper on Rivers given he had no real WR ... with Brown gone he is a disaster waiting to happen if you pick him as your Qb1.....Gates is the only Charger I will target on my team

 

[TS Garp]

For those of you who are downgrading Rivers because you think his weapons aren't strong enough, do you think the receiving corps is worse than it was in 2010, when he went for 4,700 yards and 30 td's? Here are the top 6 receivers from that season:GatesFloydSprolesCraytonNaaneeAjirotutuBuster Davis

That's why I thought he would be even better in 2011 and he sucked.

Granted, the int's are unacceptable,but I don't think 4,600 yds and 27 td's can qualify as sucking.

 

[Boone22]

The "other" Brown (Ronnie) will be catching a lot of balls until Mathews gets back.

 

[TheFootballJesus]

Already own rivers in one league and am regretting it. The yardage and TD totals seem safe but its a bit scary that he hasn't figured out the INT issues. Would much rather take a chance on RG3's upside.

 

[Voice Of Reason]

INT numbers are all over the place, so I wouldn't worry much about Rivers 20 INTs last season. Completion % is a much better long term indicator of INTs, fwiw.

Rivers had his worst season in the last 4 years in YPA (almost 0.8 less than the average of his 4 previous seasons) and still finished #6 in yards per game. There may be more touchdowns available with the flux at the RB position and possibly make SD more likely to throw, so I'd expect Rivers to either hold steady or possibly improve if his YPA goes back up above 8 again.

 

[TheFootballJesus]

The hate has gone too far on rivers...just saw him drafted at 8.01 in a 14 team league behind the likes of Big Ben and Cutler. Think that he's excellent value right now.

 

[MAC_32]

The Brown injury makes me feel better about having him behind Ryan and Eli, at odds between him vs. Romo vs. Peyton now. One more draft Saturday and may need to figure it out as I might not have a shot at the top 8. He's not as bad as last year, he was playing hurt and his weapons were always too hurt to practice. Just a down year

 

[Donnybrook]

The hate has gone too far on rivers...just saw him drafted at 8.01 in a 14 team league behind the likes of Big Ben and Cutler. Think that he's excellent value right now.

Apparently the Chargers are going to have an undrafted rookie starting at LT on Monday Night.

 

[UFGator0587]

Any chance that the Chargers just let Rivers air it out the first few weeks til they can ease Mathews back into the lineup? Or is this just wishful thinking since I'm regretting picking Rivers?

 

[ponchsox]

Rivers had a career year in 2010 throwing to Floyd and Patrick Crayton while Gates only played 10 games and VJax played 5.

Pretty sure he can do it again this year with a healthy Gates.

 

[Cyclones]

I knew the guys in my league were down on Rivers so I got him at #70 overall in my league. I think he is a steal at that price.

 

[VaTerp]

The question marks surrounding the Chargers LT position and O-line in general have downgraded the whole offense for me.

I was very high on Mathews and Gates and thought Rivers was good value. But the Brown injury and, much more significantly, uncertainty at left tackle are red flags for me.

Jared Gaither could be the best LT in football when healthy and motivated. Unfortunately he doesnt appear to be either right now. It's a shame as I know the kid personally and would really like to see him get and stay on the field.

 

[need2know]

I am betting on sd. got rivers and floyd late. if rivers cuts back the ints hes $$$$. I agree the oline is a concern but I think they figure it out

 

[Donnybrook]

The question marks surrounding the Chargers LT position and O-line in general have downgraded the whole offense for me.

I was very high on Mathews and Gates and thought Rivers was good value. But the Brown injury and, much more significantly, uncertainty at left tackle are red flags for me.

Jared Gaither could be the best LT in football when healthy and motivated. Unfortunately he doesnt appear to be either right now. It's a shame as I know the kid personally and would really like to see him get and stay on the field.

Interesting take. If that was the case than Baltimore made a mistake not re-signing him. I also recall him playing in Kansas City for one game when he took multiple penalties and was cut the next day. I mean I am sure there are many tackles other there have the pysical talent to be best but most like Gaither lack technique and motivation.

 

[Gr00vus]

I am betting on sd. got rivers and floyd late. if rivers cuts back the ints hes $$$$. I agree the oline is a concern but I think they figure it out

Charger fan here. I'm one of the more pessimistic ones that frequent this board (I don't understand how there can be optimistic Charger fans given their history, but that's a question to ask TGunz), so take this with that grain of salt. The offense hasn't looked very good so far in preseason. Rivers has 4 Ints in about a game's worth of play time, and the line hasn't been able to protect very well. They have had Gaither and Hardwick out for all/some of the preseason, so hopefully things improve if/when they start playing again. But still I think this could be one of the worst offensive seasons we've seen from the Chargers in quite a while. Things get worse when Floyd gets hurt. On the flip side, R. Brown didn't look as bad as a fill in as I thought he would. I think Gates will be solid, Matthews will put up numbers when he plays, outside of that I don't know that I'd be thrilled to have to start any of the other guys. I think Rivers's ADP is about right for what you'll get out of him this year, maybe his value will be a round or two higher when it's all said and done, but I don't know if he'll hit the top 10 in QB scoring this year, so pumping him as a mid round steal (as many have done on this board) doesn't seem accurate to me. That line is going to keep his ints higher than his historical norms and it could very well get him injured.

 

[need2know]

I am betting on sd. got rivers and floyd late. if rivers cuts back the ints hes $$$$. I agree the oline is a concern but I think they figure it out

Charger fan here. I'm one of the more pessimistic ones that frequent this board (I don't understand how there can be optimistic Charger fans given their history, but that's a question to ask TGunz), so take this with that grain of salt. The offense hasn't looked very good so far in preseason. Rivers has 4 Ints in about a game's worth of play time, and the line hasn't been able to protect very well. They have had Gaither and Hardwick out for all/some of the preseason, so hopefully things improve if/when they start playing again. But still I think this could be one of the worst offensive seasons we've seen from the Chargers in quite a while. Things get worse when Floyd gets hurt. On the flip side, R. Brown didn't look as bad as a fill in as I thought he would. I think Gates will be solid, Matthews will put up numbers when he plays, outside of that I don't know that I'd be thrilled to have to start any of the other guys. I think Rivers's ADP is about right for what you'll get out of him this year, maybe his value will be a round or two higher when it's all said and done, but I don't know if he'll hit the top 10 in QB scoring this year, so pumping him as a mid round steal (as many have done on this board) doesn't seem accurate to me. That line is going to keep his ints higher than his historical norms and it could very well get him injured.

good info. I am not expecting him to be rodgers or brees. rivers is probably my 6th best player... I just want some good yardage and a score or two a game. My league does penalize for INTs but I am hoping they go down as Rivers is usually much better than last years numbers. I am thinking they do a lot of short to medium stuff until they figure their line issues out. Why so sure Floyd will get hurt? its a contract year for him so you know hes gonna play all 16 and score like 15 tds...

 

[VaTerp]

The question marks surrounding the Chargers LT position and O-line in general have downgraded the whole offense for me.

I was very high on Mathews and Gates and thought Rivers was good value. But the Brown injury and, much more significantly, uncertainty at left tackle are red flags for me.

Jared Gaither could be the best LT in football when healthy and motivated. Unfortunately he doesnt appear to be either right now. It's a shame as I know the kid personally and would really like to see him get and stay on the field.

Interesting take. If that was the case than Baltimore made a mistake not re-signing him. I also recall him playing in Kansas City for one game when he took multiple penalties and was cut the next day. I mean I am sure there are many tackles other there have the pysical talent to be best but most like Gaither lack technique and motivation.

Baltimore didnt necessarily make a mistake in not re-signing him. They had a LT they drafted in the first round in Oher. Jared really didnt want to play RT and then had the back issues. There was also a lot of talk in Baltimore that some thought he could have come back sooner and many questioned his work habits and commitment there. They had their reasons for letting him go. In Kansas City he committed ONE penalty on a false start after coming into the game for one snap to replace an injured Brendan Albert.That said, I seriously believe he could be the best LT in football. There are very few tackles who have his physical ability. He's 6'9 340, has great natural strength, excellent feet, agility, and can run. He played football for the first time as a senior in HS and there he played D-line. He was a division 1 basketball signee and played that his whole life before deciding to play football the summer before his Senior year.

He had some maturity issues in HS and at Maryland but overall is a really good kid and one of the best natural athletes I've ever seen. Check out the difference in the Chargers pass protection before he played for them and once he played. Check out the same with the Ravens and their ypc with and without Gaither. As a freshman at Maryland he stepped in for the injured starter and didnt allow a sack in ACC play. This was after less than 2 years of playing offensive line and 3 years of playing organized football. If he can get healthy and motivated, he has potential that VERY few guys have. I realize those are big IFs at this point. But the kid is a special talent.

 

[Voice Of Reason]

Arguably the Chargers receiving options improved from last season with Floyd and Gates being healthy.

While I think preseason numbers are mostly irrelevant, Rivers is throwing for 7.8 YPA and completing 80% of his passes. Not sure how you can draw too any info, good or bad, from that type of preseason performance.