Projections (9/02/03)

Passing Stats

Rush Stats

Receiving Stats

Fantasy

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Quarterbacks
Starter - Drew Brees
Backups - Doug Flutie, Seth Burford

Starting Quarterback: Drew Brees is only 24 years old and last season was his first as a starting NFL quarterback. He had his ups and downs but all in all it was a fine first season from an inexperienced, young quarterback. He was able to complete a solid 60.8% of his passes and threw more touchdowns than interceptions. He will continue to improve as he receives more experience and he will be very good down the road. Footballguys.com has him as a solid backup fantasy quarterback for the 2003 season. Having David Boston as the new receiver will help Brees elevate his fantasy worth on the field.

Backup Quarterback(s): Doug Flutie has the talent and experience to be a great backup for a football team. However he doesn't want to play second fiddle and may not have a great attitude about the situation in San Diego. He has very little fantasy worth this season barring injury.

Update - 8/28: Brees admits to being 'scared' last season about being a starting QB. Expect him to be much more relaxed this year. Flutie will turn 41 in October and seems to realize that playing second fiddle to Brees is far better than watching games on the Sunday Ticket.

Running Backs
Starter - LaDainian Tomlinson
Backups - Jesse Chatman, Dahrran Diedrick
Fullbacks - Lorenzo Neal, Joey Goodspeed, Andrew Pinnock

Starting Running Back: LaDainian Tomlinson turned up the volume in his sophomore season while running behind a patchwork and limping offensive line. He increased his receptions by 20 last season (from 59 to 79), making him an even more impressive all-around, every-down player. His numbers last season: 372 carries for 1683 yards and 14 touchdowns, with 79 receptions for 489 yards and 1 score. The offense in San Diego is squarely on Tomlinson's strong back, and he thrives in coach Schottenheimer's "stone age" run-first offense. Lorenzo Neal, the new starting FB, is one of the best lead-blockers in the NFL, so Tomlinson is going to have some help clearing the way in 2003. Super-size draftee Courtney Van Buren (Arkansas Pine-Bluff, 6'5", 350 lbs) will provide depth along the line in case another rash of injuries breaks out among the starters in 2003. We think that Tomlinson heads the 2003 class of fantasy backs, and project him to scorch the AFC West with 345 carries for 1518 yards and 15 scores while hauling in 70 receptions for 476 yards and 3 more scores through the air. That's number 1 among all fantasy backs in our book (as of 6/29/03).

Backup Running Back(s): Jesse Chatman and FA signee Dahrran Diedrick are #2 and #3 behind Tomlinson, and should do a great job keeping the bench warm for Tomlinson when the team visits Green Bay on December 14th.

Fullback(s): As mentioned above, Lorenzo Neal is one of the premier blocking FB in the NFL - but he's not much of a fantasy factor (he scored 2 times in 2 seasons with Cincinnati, while handling the ball between 20 to 30 times each season). Joey Goodspeed (great name for a running back!) and Andrew Pinnock are #2 and #3 on the depth chart.

Update - 8/28: LaDainian Tomlinson is the #1 prospect on our board today, just like he was back in late June/early July. He has been bothered by a heel injury, but he has returned to practice. Expect to see him running wild once the games start to count. Leon Johnson (recently cut by the Rams) has been signed by the team.

Wide Receivers
Starters - David Boston, Tim Dwight
Backups: Reche Caldwell, Eric Parker, Dondre Gilliam, Terry Charles

Starting Receiver(s): Former Cardinal David Boston steps into the role of #1 WR, taking the place of Curtis Conway, who was released by the team after the season. Boston led the NFL in receiving yards two years ago, but had a disappointing season in 2002 when he was nagged by a knee injury that ended up sidelining him for the second half of the season. At 6-2, 240, and a forty time in the 4.4 range, Boston has an incredible combination of size and speed likely to give any cornerback fits. He can use his body to shield defenders from the ball, and should be a force in the red zone. He drops far too many balls, however, and his past off-the-field problems may be a concern. Tim Dwight is currently listed as the Chargers other starting receiver, but is probably best-suited to operate out of the slot. Dwight has track star speed and is one of the more dangerous open-field runners in the league. However, at 5-9, he is a small target, and he does not have particularly soft hands.

Backup Receiver(s): Reche Caldwell and Eric Parker will both challenge Dwight for the starting job opposite Boston, and one of them is likely to win it. Which one, however, remains to be seen. Caldwell, the team's second-round draft pick a year ago, has excellent quickness and above-average speed, as well as very good hands. But he had some trouble with the little things as a rookie, such as always lining up in the correct position, getting his splits right, etc. He has the physical ability to be an excellent NFL receiver, but must improve his mental focus. Eric Parker was the team's most reliable WR at the end of last year with Curtis Conway out. He is lightning quick into and out of his cuts and shows excellent concentration and hands, but has a frail build at 6-0, 172. While Parker is considered an underdog to win the starting job this year, observers close to the team have been impressed with his ability to consistently get open and catch the ball during this offseason's mini-camps. Battling for the fifth WR spot will be Dondre Gilliam, a polished receiver who runs good patterns but lacks great size and speed; Terry Charles and Kassim Osgood, two big receivers who must work on making quicker cuts; and Brian Sump, a small, quick receiver with a lot of hustle.

Update - 8/28: Boston was nagged by minor injuries throughout camp, but is fully recovered heading into the final preseason game. Reche Caldwell has been lining up with the first unit on offense, with Eric Parker the third WR into the game. Tim Dwight has slipped on the depth chart, but has been the Chargers' most productive WR during the preseason, catching most of his passes from backup QB Doug Flutie.

Tight Ends
Starter - Stephen Alexander
Backup(s) - Justin Peelle, Josh Norman
If Stephen Alexander can stay healthy he seems a lock to be a top 10 fantasy tight end in 2003. Problem is that Alexander has missed a double-digit number of games over the last two seasons. Coach Schottenheimer loves Alexander's speed and hands. He brought him to San Diego after coaching him through a Pro Bowl season in Washington.

Update - 8/28: Often injured Alexander is still bothered by his groin injury. The team is taking an overly cautious approach and is easing him back into action. He is a marginal starter in most leagues so his health is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Place Kicker
Steve Christie: Christie was near the bottom of NFL kickers in field goal percentage (69%) in 2002. He made up for that by winning to games in overtime, but a lack of leg strength and accuracy make for a poor combination. Unless Drew Brees shows he's ready to lead the San Diego offense into the upper echelon of NFL teams, look elsewhere for a kicker in 2003.

Offensive Line
C-Jason Ball; G-Toniu Fonoti; G-Kelvin Garmon; T-Damion McIntosh; T-Vaughn Parker
Led by rookie guard Fonoti, the Chargers offensive line did better than anybody expected. He became an immediate impact player for the team with his attacking style on the field and the entire line seemed to rally around him. Pass protection is a liability though despite the low sacks. The team kept tight ends and fullbacks in to block and QB Drew Brees was solid at throwing away the football to avoid the sack.