Fantasy football season is approaching, and Chargers players will be in high demand throughout every league come draft time.
Though it’s never recommended to only draft players from one’s favorite team, the Chargers boast enough high-end talent capable of filling out an entire fantasy football roster. Chargers players are often undervalued in fantasy drafts, and it’s no secret the football community often forgets about the Chargers, or even disrespects them. In fantasy football, it’s no different; some Chargers players are slept on, and can be drafted at a discount.
The average draft position (ADP) of players can vary between different platforms, like NFL.com, Yahoo! or ESPN, so FantasyPros’ ADP will be used since it’s a consensus between four different sources.
Only players of fantasy relevance will appear, so talented players like Detrez Newsome (who is a good stash in dynasty formats) or speedster Travis Benjamin will not be mentioned, as they are almost never drafted, even in the deepest leagues. This will also exclude individual defensive players, though it may be an option to use in some formats.
Chargers quarterbacks: Philip Rivers
Rivers is usually a great quarterback to target in fantasy drafts, since he can provide top 10 production at a cheap price. He is currently going at an ADP of 108th overall, which means a team can get a a solid and consistent starter in the ninth or tenth round in a 12-team league.
108th overall means he is being drafted 13th among quarterbacks, after players like Drew Brees or Kyler Murray. There is an argument Rivers may not have top 10 production this year for a number of reasons, like a good defense behind him limiting his pass attempts and the need to throw the football so often. Still, drafting a veteran quarterback who hasn’t finished outside the top 14 since 2012 in the 9th round is a great bargain.
At that ninth-round price, team managers can choose between a consistent quarterback with guaranteed production, and high upside because of all the weapons around him, or an unknown commodity in Murray, who can finish all over the place. The choice seems obvious.