In the opening drive of the third quarter, the Chargers unleashed a 16-play, 9 1/2-minute drive. A team firmly in control of the game -- and of their offense -- might have reveled in its success at burning so much time off the clock.
But L.A. gained only 51 yards and settled for a field goal, which pretty much sums up the state of their laboring ball movement. Even Omarion Hampton's return failed to ignite an offense that's stalled at the worst possible time for managers. Losing 2x Pro Bowl OT Rashawn Slater in August was bad enough. The recent loss of similarly irreplaceable OT Joe Alt has transformed Justin Herbert and his receivers into fantasy liabilities.
Last night marked Herbert's fourth straight unstartable performance. Before that, he was averaging a terrific 20.9 fantasy points. De facto #1 WR Ladd McConkey has become entirely TD-dependent. Keenan Allen's blistering start to the season (three straight 17+ point outings) has given way to seven single-digit outings in his last eight games. Quentin Johnston mirrored Allen's dominant September and has mostly fallen off fantasy radars. And Oronde Gadsden has been mostly benchable since his remarkable four-day stretch in October (29.4 and 18.7 points).
Their fantasy playoff schedule is relatively brutal, as they visit Kansas City next week and face Houston in Week 17. Week 16 could be tougher than expected on the road against a presumably still motivated Cowboys squad. And for those competing in Week 18, the Chargers will head to Denver.
The backfield is another concern, as Kimani Vidal remained front-and-center alongside Hampton yesterday. While this might be attributed to the rookie easing back into the lineup, we might reasonably assume that Vidal has earned (for now) no less than a 1B role -- and possibly a co-lead role.
Who can managers trust in the playoffs? Right now, none of it looks promising.
For the Eagles, did anyone need a couple points from Hurts, and in the fourth quarter you were wondering if you'd ever want to do fantasy again? It reminded me of the time about 15 years ago I had to beat my friend Kyle in the final week of the regular season to make the playoffs. His #1 RB put him over the top -- I want to say it was Willie Parker. But then Parker fumbled, and I took the lead back. Then he racked up enough yards to give Kyle the lead. Then Parker fumbled again, giving me the victory.
Every insane success story for one manager is an insane fantasy disaster for their opponent. If you squeezed into the postseason because your opponent started Hurts, you achieved one of the most unlikely MNF miracles in years.
And if you were the one who started Hurts . . . you can vent to me anytime. I've been there.
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