FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 9

Philip Rivers

FanDuel Price: $8,600
numberFire Projected Points: 21.55

If it seems like Philip Rivers always manages to make this column, that's because he does. But if it seems like Rivers is steady putting up 20-plus point fantasy outings, that's because he is. And if he's facing the 2015 version of the Chicago Bears, the 24th ranked passing defense in the league per our numbers, I'm rolling with him in cash games again in order to get a $900 discount off of Tom Brady's cost.

At first glance, the loss of Keenan Allen from his arsenal of weapons may seem to be crippling to Rivers' fantasy output. But using Rotoviz’s Game Splits app, we can get a sense of how Rivers has performed with and without most of his weapons over the past few years. Since 2013, Rivers has had to roll without Allen in three contests, while playing 37 games with him. In games with Allen, Rivers has scored an average of 23.07 fantasy points per game. Without Allen, he's scored an average of 24.03 points per game.

Rivers' ability to adjust to the absence of key weapons doesn't just extend to Allen. Since 2010, for example, he's played 76 games with Antonio Gates and 15 games without him. With Gates he's scored 21.4 fantasy points per game, and without him, he's scored 22.95 points per game. In other words, don't shy away from Rivers because of one lost weapon.

The over/under (49 points) is high, the Chargers sport an absolutely horrendous running game (ranked 29th in the league), and 90% of their offensive touchdowns have come via the pass. Roster Rivers in cash for his high floor and in tournaments because of his lower-than-normal ownership due to Allen's absence.