Bolts RB Mathews ready to silence critics

Jul 26, 2012

It's time for his play, Chargers running back Ryan Mathews said Thursday, to silence it all.

"I'm just waiting to step my game up," Mathews, 24, said following a morning walkthrough. "Being able to have the guys around me and be in shape, it's like, man, it's time to go. It's time to get ready and, basically, to shut everyone up."

Wednesday took him closer to that goal.

He took his conditioning test and, unlike with last year's version after the lockout, could talk about it afterward with a smile.

Fantasy Impact:

With no real threat behind him to steal carries, Mathews is projected to have a huge year. We rank him fourth on our RB list, just a notch below the consensus three studs: Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy and Ray Rice. While you might be forced to "settle" for someone like Mathews in the middle of the first round, he has a chance to finish ahead of any of the RBs just mentioned - But he'll have to stay on the field.

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Chargers set to open window for RB J.K. Dobbins (knee)

Daniel Popper on X

0 minutes ago

Chargers will be opening J.K. Dobbins' 21-day window today, Jim Harbaugh tells reporters.

Related players: Gus Edwards

Fantasy Impact:

Dobbins has been on IR for the past four games with a knee injury. He's not a lock to play this week and he's not a lock for a safe workload even if he does play. The Chargers travel to New England in Week 17, so the matchup isn't a bad one. It's an early window game on Sunday, so owners should have plenty of notice. We'll also keep an eye on the practice reports this week.

Dolphins unsure of WR Jaylen Waddle's (knee) status for Week 17

Barry Jackson on X

5 minutes ago

McDaniel non-committal on whether Jaylen Waddle (knee) will practice this week: "I'm expecting to get everything from Waddle that he can do... I've [talked to] the trainer to make sure we protect him from himself. We will see how the week progresses. I don't know exactly what it will look like."

Fantasy Impact:

Waddle owners should probably not count on Waddle for Week 17, or at the very least have a backup plan. Waddle and the Dolphins play the Browns in the later window on Sunday so it could further complicate things for owners who were hoping to play him.

Texans WR Tank Dell tore ACL, dislocated knee

DJ Bien-Aime on X

9 minutes ago

DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell tore his ACL along with dislocating his knee.

Fantasy Impact:

No surprises here as it was a terrible injury to watch during the game. While he's obviously out for the season, the bigger question is what will his status be for 2025. It's a huge question mark at this point given the seriousness of the injury. Even if Dell is able to play next season, he may take a while to get back to 100%.