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RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers

HT: 5-10, WT: 220, Born: 6-23-1979, College: Texas Christian, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 5

2009 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 29th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: L Fitzgerald (6), D Williams (7), LaDainian Tomlinson (8), C Johnson (9), F Gore (10)
Position: S Jackson (5-RB5), D Williams (7-RB6), LaDainian Tomlinson (8 - RB7), C Johnson (9-RB8), F Gore (10-RB9)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Best Case

LaDainian Tomlinson is no stranger to the top of the fantasy RB standings. In his eight years in the league, he has scored double-digit rushing touchdowns in every single season. While Tomlinson has a lot of mileage on him, he has generally avoided taking big hits throughout his career, and has maintained rigorous offseason and in-season conditioning programs with an eye toward increasing his longevity. If Tomlinson plays the 2009 season in full health, he has a chance to return to the top of his game.

Worst Case

The trend-line describing Tomlinson's recent drop in fantasy points isn't pretty. Tomlinson has struggled through nagging injuries over the past couple of years. He's also seen his yards per carry drop steadily over the past two seasons and now has Darren Sproles waiting behind him for work. Tomlinson will turn 30 before the season starts, an age at which few running backs have bounced back to reverse previous declines in their production.

Outlook

Norv Turner said during the offseason that he intends to get Tomlinson more touches than he had last season. If that comes to fruition, another #7 finish is about the worst one can reasonably expect out of Tomlinson, which makes him a solid pick in the first half of round one - that is, if you don’t have concerns about his ability to stay healthy, in which case you may want to pass on him in the first round entirely.

Relevant Articles

Why he is undervalued

Mike Brown - I don't care how bad he looked last year -- Tomlinson isn't finished. The reasons for his off year are many, from the toe injury to the emergence of Darren Sproles to the groin tear to the fact that the San Diego defense was so bad that the offense was always playing catch-up (meaning they were always throwing it in the fourth quarter rather than pounding it and running clock with LT). It just all went wrong for him. This time around, it's well worth the upside of getting perhaps the number one back in football with a second round pick.

Maurile Tremblay - A lot went wrong for Tomlinson last season, but he still finished as the No. 7 fantasy RB (FBG scoring). He suffered through a painful toe injury that prevented him from cutting off his left foot during the first half of the season. That limited his workload -- for the first time in his career he had fewer than 300 carries. Improved health in 2009 should put him back in the Top 5 at his position.

Latest News

Chargers | Tomlinson believes he can still be productive at 30 (Fri Jun 26, 12:18 PM) - Stephen Hawkins, of The Associated Press, reports San Diego Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson said he believes he can still be productive even though he recently turned 30 years old. 'That's the one thing that I'm eager to prove, is that doesn't necessarily go for every player. Turn 30, that doesn't mean that you can't play any more. There are some guys out there that defy the odds, and I'm eager to prove that,' Tomlinson said.

Our View: Tomlinson is healthy going into training camp for the first time in years, but one has to wonder can he stay healthy during the season? Running backs absorb a ton of punishment during their careers, and Tomlinson has been breaking down because of it in recent years. The former #1 overall fantasy pick is now falling in fantasy circles and currently has an ADP of #12 overall (RB10). Proceed with caution when considering the veteran for your team, and remember names like Darren Sproles and Gartrell Johnson later in your fantasy drafts.
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2009 Schedule

2008 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Tomlinson had what was for him a very average afternoon. He picked up 112 yards from scrimmage, but failed to score. After the game, he mentioned that he had suffered a very minor toe injury on his last carry of the game. He called it "turf toe", though he'll have it checked out later this week for an official diagnosis. It wasn't bad enough for Norv Turner to mention it in the postgame injury wrap, but it was painful enough for Tomlinson to take himself out of the game with San Diego at the six yard line after he was tackled. Prior to coming out, Tomlinson appeared ready to get into a groove running the ball. After being bottled up for much of the first half, he found some more room after halftime and was exploiting the right side of Carolina's defense. Still, Carolina's offense had so much success moving the ball that the Chargers weren't able to get a lead and pound out the clock like they normally do.

Week 2 - Tomlinson, who suffered a sprained toe in last week's loss against the Panthers, was in and out of the lineup for much of the afternoon. He appeared to re-injure the toe trying to block LB Boss Bailey, though it could have conceivably happened on any number of plays. Denver was getting a great push up front from the defensive line, but it didn't help that Tomlinson seemed to lack an ability to really drive back at them. He lacked that burst that we typically see from him, and wasn't very effective. He spent much of the second quarter on the bench with his shoe off as the training staff checked out his toe. He returned for the third quarter, but was again largely ineffective. He'll be re-evaluated during the week to see if there is anything that should be a concern, and we'll of course keep on top of it for you. In the meantime, Tomlinson's backup, Darren Sproles, should already be on a roster in every league but just in case he's not he'll certainly be a waiver priority this week.

Week 3 - Tomlinson did start this game despite dealing with an injured right toe and missing most of practice during the week. The big question coming into this game was how much the injury would limit him and would he able to handle his normal workload in this game? Tomlinson got plenty of carries in the first half as he had 15 carries but he only averaged three yards a rush. He didn't seem to have his usual explosiveness as you have to wonder how much his toe bothered him. He did get his first touchdown of the season by diving into the end zone on a two yard run early in the second half. He would add a second touchdown on another one yard run late in the game after a long WR Vincent Jackson catch. One big positive to be taken was that he played the whole game and one can assume his toe must have felt better this week since he finished with 26 carries. With that said, clearly Tomlinson did not look like his old self and is not hundred percent right now.

Week 4 - For much of the afternoon, Tomlinson looked a lot like the back who has struggled through the season's first three weeks. He had very little running room as the Raiders were getting a great push from their defensive front, and through the third quarter his long run of the game went for just five yards. Not only that, but he had dropped a handoff exchange from Philip Rivers early in the game that led to a safety (a fumble charged to Rivers), he had fumbled himself (though he recovered it moments later), and he had dropped an easy pass in the flat. The dropped pass was especially costly, because he would have waltzed into the end zone had he been able to catch the ball. But he tried running before he had it, and with that lost a chance at a ten yard touchdown. Through three quarters, Tomlinson had run the ball 13 times for just 31 yards (2.4 YPC). But early in the fourth quarter, he slipped off a tackler on an inside handoff and found the end zone from thirteen yards out. That appeared to spark him, as his next six carries went for 34 yards and he seemed to be getting stronger. Finally, with San Diego up by three and in possession of the ball, he took a handoff towards the left side of the line. He opted to cut it back to the right, and there wasn't an Oakland defender in sight. He sprinted up the right sideline, broke a tackle at the five yard line, and scored his second touchdown of the game. On the play, Tomlinson had a chance to duplicate Brian Westbrook's maneuver of 2007 and fall down shy of the goal line to guarantee his team a victory, but with his season going the way it has so far he's not about to give up any touchdowns at this point.

Week 5 - Tomlinson showed a quick burst to the hole on his first carry of the afternoon and generally looked better running with the football. The Chargers passing attack early on was very focused on short strikes and screens, and Tomlinson was heavily involved in that aspect (all of his targets came before halftime). However, his afternoon quickly turned sour in the second quarter. He limped off midway through the third quarter, possibly re-aggravating his turf toe injury. On the ensuing possession, Darren Sproles got all of the touches until the Chargers got to the goal line. Trailing by seven and facing a fourth and goal at the Miami one yard line, Tomlinson's number was called. However, he was easily stopped well short by the Dolphins defensive front. He did get another carry later in the game, and picked up eleven yards, but it was too little too late both for Tomlinson owners and for the Chargers.

Week 6 - The final tally of 118 yards from scrimmage looks solid against a defense like New England, but it was how Tomlinson picked up the yardage that is still a bit disconcerting. He gained 55 of his total yardage output on two plays, meaning he had just 63 yards on his other 21 touches. Obviously you can't discount the big plays, but Tomlinson typically gets between four and five yards per touch even without the big plays. In this game, he averaged just three. And on his rushes alone, it was 2.5 without the long run. Granted, most good running backs will enhance their per carry average with one or two big gains. All this is meant to illustrate is that he's not typically moving the pile forward in normal Tomlinson fashion. Announcer John Madden commented repeatedly on Tomlinson's inability to push off on his right foot, which Tomlinson himself acknowledged to Madden before the game. He says the toe injury is getting better by the week but that it's still not all the way healed yet and it is still difficult to make cuts using his right foot to plant. His first big gain of the game came late in the third quarter when he broke loose for a 27 yard run. Later in the fourth quarter, he took a screen pass and turned upfield for 28 yards. On that play, he demonstrated two very nice moves to shake off defenders in the open field. Still, he failed to find the end zone despite seeing touches inside the ten yard line. While he's not all the way back to form, he is showing steady progression every week and could round into form after the Week 9 bye. In the game, Tomlinson went over 11,000 rushing yards for his career. He is the fourth-fastest to accomplish the feat (after Eric Dickerson, Jim Brown, and Barry Sanders).

Week 7 - Tomlinson had another very disappointing day for his fantasy owners. The announcers in this game mostly blamed his lack of success on the offensive line failing to open up many holes. While that was entirely true, it also wasn't 100% of the reason for his struggles. His long gain went for just nine yards, and even when the line did open a hole for him he wasn't really bursting through it. On one occasion, he broke to the left and got into a one on one situation with the defender, but was unable to make a typical hard plant off his left foot. Instead, he tried to use almost a hop-step to shake the defender. It didn't work, and Tomlinson was knocked backwards off his feet.

Week 8 - From his very first carry of the game, Tomlinson looked to be a different runner than the one we've seen since Week 2. If you haven't traded for him already, it may be too late. He looked very good with the ball in his hands, and made all the moves we've grown accustomed to seeing him make. Perhaps most importantly, he never left the game at any point due to toe issues and he was in the lineup on all of the critical series. He was getting the yardage that the offensive line was opening up for him, and then some. On two occasions, he was hit for a minimal gain but spun out of tackles to pick up extra yards (one of those going for forty yards on a third down and one carry). On his touchdown reception, he caught the pass over the middle and quickly planted to avoid the tackle of LB Jonathan Vilma. He then scampered up the middle before falling into the end zone. It was definitely his best cut-back of the 2008 season to this point. On San Diego's next to last possession, he took a dump-off in the flat and quickly shot upfield for 32 yards, further evidence of his return to full health.

Week 10 - Tomlinson looked very quick and showed a very nice ability to shake the defender loose with cut-backs and stops. Yet despite looking completely healthy for a second consecutive game, he failed to put up the big stats his owners were expecting against the porous Kansas City defense. On a day when he passed Corey Dillon and Eric Dickerson to move into 15th place on the all time rushing list, his offensive line failed to open enough holes for him to dominate the game against a far inferior opponent (statistically speaking). He had to fight for every last yard he got. He broke a 17 yard run midway through the third quarter and looked to be heading for a strong fourth quarter, but the Chiefs controlled the ball for much of the time and prevented him from doing much of anything. He had a chance to pad his stats a bit with some late carries, but he was unable to gain enough yardage to pick up any first downs on the drive to run out the clock. The key issue for Tomlinson owners heading into the season's second half was his health. That should no longer be an issue. But the offensive line issue still hasn't resolved itself, which could prevent him from enjoying the second half resurgence his owners might expect.

Week 11 - While the final stat line will look good (97 total yards and a touchdown), it was actually a very frustrating game for Tomlinson. He looked good early on and moved the chains late, but in between the Chargers could get nothing going on the ground. With their inability to establish a solid ground game, their defense was on the field for far too long and was simply worn out by the end of the game. Tomlinson's touchdown run was a sneaky run, as he shiftily maneuvered in from four yards out while being helped along by some solid blocking up-front. It was his first rushing touchdown in 93 rushing attempts. The Chargers also utilized Tomlinson perfectly on several screen passes, one of which went for 26 yards. He was coming around on the ground late in the contest as well, and hit yet another milestone in going over 15,000 career yards from scrimmage. But just as he was starting to establish a rhythm, the Steelers got the ball back. They proceeded to run 6:30 off the clock and regain the lead, leaving the Chargers with just eleven seconds remaining. Near the end of the game, Tomlinson was very visibly frustrated on the sidelines and yelling at someone. He looked healthy and the offensive line did a job that was better than expected; it's just that the quality of the opponent got in the way of him turning in a legitimately big game.

Week 12 - Though Tomlinson averaged 4.0 yards per rush and had longer runs of 12 and 20 yards, the running back seemed to have a rough time finding daylight to run to. Of his 21 runs, 13 went for three yards or less and he failed to get into the end zone despite getting two rushes inside the Indianapolis five yard line. Tomlinson did average ten yards on the three receptions, but he had a big drop on San Diego's final series as the Chargers drove to try to tie or win the game.

Week 13 - On a day that Tomlinson hit a couple of noteworthy milestones, it was still a day he'd soon love to forget. His first quarter touchdown was the 136th of his career, tying Marshall Faulk for fifth place all-time. Tomlinson also caught his 500th career reception, making him one of only five players in history with at least 10,000 rushing yards and 500 receptions. Those noteworthy numbers are nice, but they do nothing to erase the sting of averaging just 1.7 yards per carry on the afternoon. Tomlinson looked fine, and didn't appear to be injured in any way. When he got in the open field, he showed nice moves and an ability to turn the corner on the defenders. But far too often, he was met in the backfield by a number of tacklers and stuffed before he could even get anything going. The offensive line failed to open up many holes for him, making it nearly impossible to establish a rhythm.

Week 14 - Tomlinson began the evening looking like he was well on his way to a huge game and a likely 100 yard performance. He consistently moved the pile, and the Chargers opened up a huge early lead. Included in that early lead was a touchdown run on which Tomlinson waltzed into the end zone completely untouched. His blocking up front looked great, and he finished the first quarter with 49 yards on 12 carries. He did briefly leave the game after a huge hit by S Hiram Eugene, but didn't look fazed by it on the sideline. When the second quarter opened, Darren Sproles was in the game and was the beneficiary of the next four touches, including a touchdown off a screen pass. Tomlinson returned shortly thereafter. But for the remainder of the game, he was in and out of the lineup a lot. It was unclear whether it was a coaching decision or if Tomlinson was simply taking himself out, but he rarely remained in the game after a rushing attempt, instead jogging towards the sideline on just about every one. He didn't appear to be injured in any way.

Late in the game, announcer Cris Collinsworth showed video analysis of Tomlinson's go to jump cut move. In past seasons, Tomlinson has been able to make that cut and explode out of it. But now, he seems to make the cut and that's it. If there is a tackler waiting for him, he is unable to muster up the burst to accelerate by him, as he did in the past. Whether that is something that can be corrected going forward or next season is unclear.

Finally, Tomlinson lost a 25 yard rush in the fourth quarter when TE Antonio Gates was whistled for a holding penalty. It should be noted, however, that without the holding penalty there is no way Tomlinson would have turned the corner and gotten 25 yards in the first place.

Week 15 - Fans are going to see that Tomlinson totaled just 74 yards against Kansas City's suspect defense and assume that he was once again shut down. While he didn't dominate the game by any means, he was very close to big numbers. He lost 25 yards on a first quarter screen pass that was negated by a holding penalty. And on the game-winning drive, he dropped what may have been a 20 yard touchdown on another screen. The play was very well set up, there was no one in front of him but two blockers, and Philip Rivers got him the ball in plenty of time. But he tried to run before he had secured the ball, and he dropped it. Tomlinson was very upset with himself immediately following the play, the second time in the game that he let his emotions get to him. The first was on another pass from Rivers a bit earlier. Rivers threw the ball very awkwardly off the wrong foot in Tomlinson's direction, and the ball landed well short of the intended target. Tomlinson began to toss up his hands in disgust and shook his head at the awfulness of the pass. Despite all the negativity, he did find time to score the 123rd rushing touchdown of his career, tying Marcus Allen for second place on the all time list. Interestingly, the score came on a handoff right up the middle -- one play after the team's starting center, Nick Hardwick (who typically blocks up the middle), left the game with a concussion and what appeared to be a neck injury of some sort.

Week 16 - Tomlinson failed to find the end zone, but he looked very good running the ball. The offensive line had a rare solid performance, opening holes where they hadn't for most of the season. Tomlinson took advantage by hitting the hole hard and generally moving the pile after first contact was made. There were at least two occasions where he appeared to slip in the backfield without being hit which obviously didn't help the numbers any. What was interesting is that despite leading for most of the fourth quarter, Tomlinson got only two rush attempts when they were trying to salt away the lead. Part of that is due to the fact that they scored too quickly (a 32 yard touchdown reception and a defensive touchdown) and also because Tampa had the ball for roughly ten minutes. But backup Darren Sproles matched Tomlinson with two rushes of his own and added two receptions, one of which went for a score.

Also Tomlinson, who has had an issue with drops this season, made a nice grab on a pass over his shoulder that went for a 22 yard gain.

As milestones go, Tomlinson reached a significant one late in the third quarter. On a six yard rush, he became the third running back in league history to record at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first eight seasons. The other two are Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin.

Week 17 - Tomlinson had a slight abdominal strain after the Chargers already had a big lead. Before the injury, he looked excellent against a weak rushing defense. He was cutting and weaving through the defense for the extra yards we are used to seeing from Tomlinson. He scored three touchdowns during the game.

Week 18 - Tomlinson injured his groin in last Sunday's victory over Denver. He was questionable to play all week long and finally decided on Saturday afternoon that he was healthy enough to start. He played all of the first quarter, and his first rush of the day went for 13 yards. But Tomlinson was clearly tentative as he turned the corner, and when he tried to make a cut he immediately fell to the turf. He remained in the game long enough to score a touchdown from three yards out, but that was his final carry of the evening. He gave way to backups Darren Sproles and Michael Bennett, both of whom played a critical role in the outcome. And for those who keep track of such things, unlike last year, when Tomlinson was forced from the AFC Championship game against New England and sat on the sidelines the entire game, in this game he looked very upbeat in cheering on his teammates and kept his helmet off.

Week 19 - Tomlinson was a pre-game inactive for the first time since 1/2/05, a game he only sat out because the Chargers were resting up for the postseason.