Fantasy Football Alert: Chargers RB Ryan Mathews injured once again

Well, well well. One carry into the pre-season and San Diego Chargers RB Ryan Mathews is gone with an injury. Are you surprised? Are you one of those fantasy owners which have already held your draft and you bought into the hype? Sorry about your luck. Mathews burned me in his rookie season and I wasn’t going to buy into the hype surrounding him this season.

I’ve seen some drafts that friend’s of mine have already completed and seen Mathews come off the board as early as the second pick of the second round. I wasn’t that excited about him and now with a broken clavicle, I’m even less excited. Norv Turner can hype him up as much as he wants, but I’m not buying what Turner is selling. What has he produced on the field the last two seasons? Why does Turner still have a job?

I know I have stated this over and over this offseason, but this is exactly why I do not draft fantasy teams until the third week of the pre-season. Mathews could be out 4-6 weeks. Earlier this afternoon, Browns RB Trent Richardson underwent another knee procedure.

If Mathews is not going to be available for the start of the season, Ronnie Brown will likely carry the load at the running back position for the Chargers. Brown is 31. Does A.J. Smith or Norv Turner have Cedric Benson’s phone number?

If you draft later on in the pre-season, keep an eye on Mathews. He could slip significantly and could become a very good value in later rounds after you draft a RB 1 in earlier rounds. Be aware however, that the Chargers play some stout defenses down the stretch in the fantasy realm. Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets are all played between Week 12 and Week 16.