San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews looks to be back from his groin injury and playing on Thursday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders. Mathews was a full participant in practice for the second straight day and is listed as probable for Thursday night.
Mathews will likely get the start on Thursday, but expect Mike Tolbert to get a solid number of carries for the likely still less than 100% Mathews. Tolbert operates primarily as the third down back and goal line back. Mathews will get much of the between the 20s work, but Tolbert might even grab a decent amount of carries in that range.
The Chargers face a Raiders rush defense that ranks fairly poor on the season. Mathews is a solid enough start in his current role, but if you have Tolbert and no Mathews, Tolbert remains a solid start as well. Given Philip Rivers struggles in the passing game, the Chargers could dedicate a lot of time to controlling time of possession and dominating on the ground. That bodes well for both Mathews and Tolbert.
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