Avoid San Diego Chargers RB Ryan Mathews in Fantasy Football

Heading into this season, many pundits had pegged San Diego Chargers RB Ryan Mathews as a first-round draft choice. As a disclaimer, I’ve already been burned with Mathews in the past, so I have a bitter taste in my mouth over that selection. I was however, ready to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him some serious consideration this season. That was before he broke his clavicle last week.

Early reports suggested that the Chargers only expected Mathews out up to 4 weeks, then the estimate became 6 weeks and now there is even more concerning news. Dr. Neil Ghodadra suggested that Mathews will be out eight weeks, perhaps longer. Let it be known that Dr. Ghodadra has not examined Mathews personally, but he was the team doctor for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls and is very familiar with sports injuries.Eight weeks puts his return into the month of October.

Ghodadra suggests that if Mathews returns too early, he will have an elevated risk of re-injuring his clavicle. Mathews now finds himself plummeting down draft boards around the world.

Would I avoid Mathews all together? Well, if he is sitting there in the sixth/seventh round, I might have to look at my roster up to that point and consider taking a flier on him, but it is going to have to depend on how my draft is shaping up to that point. The number of running backs which should be selected in the first and second round is shrinking this season. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson comes with serious risk this season as well.