San Diego Chargers

Start ‘em

With one of the more favorable matchups of the week, Philip Rivers is squarely in QB1 territory even without Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates. Travis Benjamin and Hunter Henry are getting the usage to warrant starts at the receiver and tight end positions, respectively, and Tyrell Williams deserves to be penned into flex designations after leading the Chargers in targets in Week 3.

Start ‘em?

Melvin Gordon has a cake matchup and remains an RB1. But this space is reserved for warning that Gordon may not have the dominant output fantasy owners expect, since three of his five offensive linemen (King Dunlap, Joe Barksdale, Orlando Franklin) could potentially be out of action. Gordon still has the talent to capitalize, but fantasy owners should also be aware of a potential downside.

Sit ‘em

Though Dontrelle Inman is constantly on the field, he isn’t drawing enough targets to be considered in fantasy lineups even in a great matchup.

New Orleans Saints

Start ‘em

Drew Brees isn’t the same quarterback away from the Superdome, and yes, the drop off warrants concern. However, after the Chargers secondary allowed QB1 outputs from Alex Smith and Andrew Luck, Brees’ fantasy owners should place him into their lineups once again. This is a situation that warrants the “don’t get cute, start your studs” mantra.

Brandin Cooks laid an egg in Monday night’s shootout with the Atlanta Falcons, but that performance is likelier to be an outlier than what is to be expected from Cooks going forward. He is in the WR2 conversation once again after the Chargers surrendered a monster game to T.Y. Hilton. Coby Fleener exploded after a lethargic start to the season, and while he remains boom-or-bust, he will be a TE1 at such a shallow position across the board.

Mark Ingram also came to life in Week 3, turning 19 touches into 107 yards and a touchdown against a hapless Falcons defense. While the Chargers are sixth in the NFL in run defense, they are allowing 4.4 yards per carry, which ranks 23rd. Ingram still has the usage and talent to be a low-end RB1 for Week 3.

Start ‘em?

Assuming Willie Snead is active after missing Week 3 with a toe injury, he can safely be inserted into lineups. However, with the Saints having the later slate of games, fantasy owners may have to keep Snead on the bench after he was limited in practice all week. If he plays, he will be a solid WR3. If he doesn’t play, Michael Thomas can be inserted into lineups once again after a big night in Snead’s absence. Otherwise, Thomas would be better suited for the bench.

Sit ‘em

Usage concerns can keep Travaris Cadet and Brandon Coleman on benches in all formats.