2008 Team Preview by RotoExperts.com Staff Writer Mark Strausberg

 
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART

Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses.

Quarterback: Phillip Rivers (7), Billy Volek

Running Back: LaDainian Tomlinson (1), Darren Sproles, Jacob Hester, Marcus Thomas, Andrew Pinnock,

Wide Receiver: Chris Chambers (9), Vincent Jackson (12), Craig Davis, Kassim Osgood, Malcom Floyd

Tight End: Antonio Gates (6)

Kicker: Nate Kaeding (16)

NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES

Additions: OT L.J. Shelton
Subtractions: RB Michael Turner, FB Lorenzo Neal, CB Drayton Florence, WR Eric Parker

Does the road to the Super Bowl lead through here? Photo Credit: Jim Epler

2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH

Round Three: Jacob Hester, FB, Louisiana State University
Round Five: Marcus Thomas, RB, UTEP

TOP POSITION BATTLE

Backup running back: Darren Sproles vs. Jacob Hester vs. Marcus Thomas

2008 SCHEDULE

Top matchups in bold

Sept. 7: Carolina
Sept. 14: at Denver
Sept. 22: New York jets
Sept. 28: at Oakland
Oct. 5: at Miami
Oct. 12: New England
Oct. 19: at Buffalo
Oct 26:  at New Orleans
Nov. 3:  BYE
Nov. 9: Kansas City
Nov. 16: at Pittsburgh
Nov. 23: Indianapolis
Nov. 30:  Atlanta
FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 4:  Oakland
Dec. 14: at Kansas City
Dec. 21: at Tampa Bay
Dec 28: Denver

ENGEL EYE ON: THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

San Diego's starting wide receivers could be very good value picks in 2008. Philip Rivers has turned the corner to become an above-average NFL starter, and with Antonio Gates hurting, he'll have to lean on Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson more often. Both player have been disappointments in the past, especially Chambers, but Rivers knows how to put the ball where his receivers can make plays. Chambers had to deal with errant tosses for years in Miami. Jackson is still very talented and on the verge of blossoming. Even if Gates can play a lot of games, don't overlook Chambers and Jackson.

2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS

Quarterback
Philip Rivers should be a fast incoming bogey on your fantasy radar. With 460 attempts in both of his pro seasons, he had almost twin campaigns statistically in 2006 and 2007. In both years, Rivers had over 3,000 yards (3,152 in 2007; 3,388 in 2006), completed more than 60 percent of his passes (60.2 in 2007, 61.7 in 2006), and tossed more than 20 TDs (21 in 2007, 22 in 2006). He showed a lot of poise during San Diego’s playoff run, and if Rivers can continue to build on that momentum in 2008, Viper might not be the only one saying, “Damn, this kid’s good.” Should Rivers become grounded, Billy Volek could be a valuable stand-in. Volek had the opportunity to start elsewhere but opted to stay in San Diego. He is a young 32 years old, having been a backup most of his career, and he did pass for 2,486 yards and 18 TDs in 10 games as a starter in 2004. Volek is only worth drafting if you’re a Rivers owner who absolutely must own his handcuff.

The fantasy football kingpin. Photo Credit: SD_Dirk

Running Back
What else can possibly be said about LaDainian Tomlinson? He is missile-locked on a third straight rushing title. With a chip on his shoulder from the criticism he took about his disappearance during the Chargers playoff game; don’t be surprised to see him as the rushing leader again. He could easily soar higher than the 1,474 rushing yards (with an impressive 4.7 yards per rush) and 15 rushing TDs he had in 2007. In case his rushing stats are not enough, Tomlinson also had 60 receptions for 475 yards and three more TDs through the air. Behind Tomlinson is an intense dogfight between Darren Sproles, Jacob Hester, and Marcus Thomas, with the coaching staff refusing to commit to any one of them.  Sproles is the only safe bet among those three to make the roster, but if either Hester or Thomas make the squad, either one could see more carries than Sproles. Since Tomlinson is always going mach speed, and there’s too much uncertainty behind him, let your leaguemates burn their fuel trying to uncover Tomlinson's handcuff.

Wide Receiver
The San Diego passing game the last few years has not exactly been a target-rich environment. Vincent Jackson came into 2007 with the “player on the rise” tag and was on everyone’s sleeper list, but he proceeded to disappoint. Jackson finished the year with 41 catches for 623 yards and just three TDs. However, he really picked it up in the playoffs, catching 18 passes for 300 yards and two TDs. The potential is still there. On the other side, many are still waiting for eight-year veteran Chris Chambers to live up to his potential. Regardless, it is worth noting that Chambers still managed 66 catches for 972 yards last year. The four TDs were a disappointment, but Chambers has had 11 TDs during two of the last five years. Chris could give you 11 TDs and 1,000 yards, and he could make an excellent buy given his typical draft position. Craig Davis should beat out Kassim Osgood and Malcom Floyd (the release of Eric Parker is a good sign for this trio), but none of them are even worthy of sleeper status. 

Tight End
Commander Stinger knew that Cougar was the best and hated having to go with the next option. Unfortunately, fantasy owners could be faced with a similar situation. Despite being the best at his position, a toe injury could confine Antonio Gates to “sickbay” to start the season. If Gates comes back fully healed, however, there is no reason why he can't turn and burn for 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. He should at the very least be able to repeat his 2007 numbers: 75 receptions for 984 yards and nine TDs.

Kicker
The reason to draft Nate Kaeding is very simple. Tomlinson will score in bunches (or at least more than Maverick did at the bar), so Kaeding will have his opportunities as well. Of course, an increase in TDs could result in fewer field goals and more extra points, but Kaeding still had 24 field goals in 2007, including one from beyond 50 yards.

Defense/Special Teams
Despite Drayton Florence ejecting from the cockpit, the Chargers might still have one of the best secondaries in the league. Antonio Cromartie led the NFL last year with 10 interceptions and scored three defensive TDs by himself. While he was an IDP stud last year, don’t be surprised to see his numbers fall as teams throw against him less in 2008. Of course, avoiding Cromartie will mean teams have to throw against Quentin Jammer, whose stats have and will probably continue to lag behind his talent, or against highly-touted rookie Antoine Cason. But all bets are off downfield if the San Diego rush can get the QB first, led by aircraft carrier-sized Jamal Williams, the swift Luis Castillo, and the linebacking tandem of Shawn Merriman and Shaun Phillips, who combined for 21 sacks last year. With the fifth-ranked defense in points allowed in 2007, San Diego should once again prevent teams from entering the danger zone.

Sproles, who returned both a punt and a kickoff for TDs last year, will handle return duties again. That would enhance his value as a potential handcuff to the Tomlinson owner if your league rewards individual players for return TDs rather than counting those scores for fantasy D/ST units.

Offensive Line
San Diego was fifth in total points in 2007, and at least some of the credit has to be given to the offensive line. Center Nick Hardwick commandeers the line, but he might be unavailable because of off-season surgery. But the Chargers can re-engage with 11-year pro Jeremy Newberry. Team officials were pleased with the late-season play of Jeromey Clary at right tackle, but they still added L.J. Shelton. Reports are that left guard Kris Dielman has been a monster in the weight room this offseason and might be headed for a Pro Bowl season. If so, he could be making the flight to Hawaii with left tackle Marcus McNeil, who has already been there twice. 

Mark Strausberg’s ego has been writing checks which his body can’t cash for years. If you would like to help him with those payments, or even if you just have a fantasy football question, email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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