In 2014, Philip Rivers started the season by throwing for multiple touchdowns in seven of his first eight games. Fantasy football owners thought he was in the midst of an MVP-type season and started him accordingly. Unfortunately, the second half of the season saw a major downturn in his production as his offensive line crumbled in front of him. Over his last eight games, Rivers topped 250 yards just four times and threw for at least two scores in a game just twice. His passer rating over that span was a pedestrian 76.6.
Fast forward to present day and Rivers is once again off to a hot start. Through six games he's thrown for 2,116 yards (!) with 12 touchdowns against just five picks while completing 70 percent of his passes. So can he keep this pace up or should owners expect him to fade down the stretch once again?
"Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers re-wrote the franchise record book with 503 passing yards on 43 completions and a ridiculous 65 attempts, albeit in a loss at Green Bay," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Eric Karabell wrote. "Still, 25 [standard] fantasy points works for us. That's three consecutive 20-point games, and four of six. With Oakland, Baltimore, Chicago and Kansas City the next four games, it really should continue. This is a potential top-5 fantasy QB."
Karabell is right; the upcoming matchups are ripe for exploitation. Rivers leads the NFL in passing yards by a wide margin (No. 2 is Andy Dalton with 1,761) and San Diego's next four opponents rank 30th, 27th, 6th and 24th in passing yards allowed per game, respectively. Baltimore, Kansas City and Chicago are particularly susceptible as they've surrendered a combined 40 passing touchdowns so far.
So start Rivers with confidence, fantasy owners. The good times should keep rolling for now.
