Week 4 of the NFL season is when fantasy football begins to get very interesting. It’s the opening week for open dates and the waiver wire suddenly begins buzzing with activity as teams search for temporary replacements for stars on byes.
The first teams to get a week of rest this year are the Panthers and the Packers; so those of you with Cam Newton or Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback will be in the market for a fill-in.
Might I suggest…Philip Rivers?
In case you haven’t heard — and, judging by 45 percent availability rate in ESPN leagues on Monday, many of you haven’t — Rivers has been a top-five fantasy quarterback through the first three games of the season.
The former North Carolina State star has put up incredible numbers so far, despite leading the Chargers to only one win. For starters, he’s already tossed eight TDs, ranking him second in the league in that category, behind only Peyton “fantasy-god” Manning. Even better, those touchdowns have been accompanied by just a single interception. His TD/INT ratio of 8:1 is also second behind only Manning.
Rivers has been hyper-efficient with his passes so far this year, as well. He connected on 20 of 24 passes in the Chargers’ week 3 loss to the Titans and he’s currently completing 70 percent of his throws overall. That figure puts him third in the NFL, behind only Manning and Tony Romo. He is on pace for a career high in this category and it is six points higher than his percentage from 2012.
It can be easy to forget given the Chargers’ struggles in the win-loss column in recent years, but Rivers was an elite fantasy quarterback from 2008-2010. In each of those three years, he threw for over 4000 yards and 28 touchdowns and had a passer rating above 100. This year his rating is sitting at an astronomical 116.2 and it is quite possible we’re seeing Rivers in the middle of a career revival.
After finally having had enough of Norv Turner’s ineptitude, the Chargers hired Mike McCoy, formerly of the Broncos, to replace him as their head coach for 2013. McCoy spent 2012 helping Manning become Peyton Manning again and now he seems to be having a similar invigorating effect on his newest pupil.
The Cowboys are next up on the Chargers’ schedule, which bodes well for those who own Rivers. America’s Team ranks 23rd in the league in passing defense, and have allowed seven passing TDs through three games. Even better, the Chargers’ offense will likely have to outscore Dallas in order to win because their defense is in the league’s bottom three. Expect a shootout here and lots of fantasy points for Rivers.
I don’t know if the 2004 first-round pick will be a top-five quarter fantasy option all year, but all signs are pointing up for him. At the very least, he can be a great replacement for a quarterback on a bye. Keep that waiver wire buzzing.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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