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TE Antonio Gates - Los Angeles Chargers

6-4, 260

Born: 6-18-1980

College: Kent State

Drafted: ---

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Photo: Robert Hanashiro, US Presswire

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Week 15: at Kansas City Chiefs

All TE vs KC

FBG says: Great matchup. Two of the top big-play passing offense meet this week as Phillip Rivers and the Chargers rank just behind the Chiefs with the second-highest yards per pass attempt while Rivers ranks fifth in passing touchdowns behind the first-place Patrick Mahomes. Rivers had passed for multiple touchdowns in every game leading up to last week, but his streak came to an end against the Bengals as the red zone proved to be a challenge for Rivers and company to navigate. Keenan Allen was the recipient of that one touchdown last week though, as Allen has now developed a streak of his own with at least 57 receiving yards and a touchdown in five straight games. Allen had a relatively slow start to the season for his standards, averaging just below six receptions and 72 receiving yards per game with one touchdown thru Week 8 leading to ranking 26th in PPR scoring amongst wide receivers. In the second half of the season, since Week 9, some softer matchups and increased focus from Rivers has led to Allen averaging just under eight receptions and 95 receiving yards per game with five touchdowns, vaulting him to the third-ranked fantasy wide receiver in PPR scoring in the last six weeks. The long-awaited return of top Chiefs safety Eric Berry will finally happen this week barring any pre-game setbacks. This Chiefs secondary will be welcoming him with open arms as they currently rank worst in the league with 282 passing yards allowed--in part due to the pass-heavy game scripts they so often find themselves in. They have been particularly weak in coverage in the middle of the field with both tight ends and running backs producing at high levels when facing the Chiefs--a testament to how poor the play by their safeties and linebackers has been. Coverage by their cornerbacks on the outside has been marginally better though, as touchdowns from opposing wide receivers have been kept to a minimum while production from outside receivers has at least been held to average levels. If Berry can return at even a partial percentage of his old self, it will help significantly as the Chargers can be very dangerous with Keenan Allen on those short routes from the slot to dominate the middle of the field. The matchup in the trenches cannot be ignored in this one either though, as the Chargers have an impressive offensive line that has held Phillip Rivers upright the majority of this season while the Chiefs rank second in sacks with at least three sacks in four straight games. These Chiefs pass rushers led by Justin Houston has been absolutely relentless even against strong offensive lines such as the Rams recently, so they get the edge in that matchup especially with the rookie Justin Jackson likely to pick up blocking duties if he is the only healthy running back for the Chargers.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
11	vs DEN		27	5	80	1	0	14
12	vs ARI		26	1	18	0	0	1.8
13	at PIT		24	0	0	0	0	0
14	vs CIN		23	2	19	0	0	1.9
15	at KC	PROJ-Dodds	*	2	*	*	*	*
15	at KC	PROJ-Tremblay	*	2	*	*	*	*
15	at KC	PROJ-Bloom	*	2	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs TE 1, TE 12, TE 24

Percentile ranks

Antonio Gates's percentile rank in each category, among TE with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 14 vs CIN (2 / 2 / 19 / 0 rec)

Gates had two short receptions, both coming in the first half. The first was on a crossing route where Rivers had loads of time to wait for him to break open, and the second was a 9-yard gain over the middle from the shadow of their own end zone to give the team a bit of breathing room. After playing a somewhat prominent red zone role in recent weeks, he didn't see any looks near the end zone this time out.

2018 Week 13 vs PIT (1 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Gates' first target of the game didn't come until late in the third quarter. It was a huge reception at the time, converting a critical third and 4 when Rivers found him wide open across the field for a big gain. But the play was negated by a holding penalty. He did get into the scoring column late in the third quarter when he hauled in the two point conversion attempt from Rivers following a Keenan Allen touchdown. Gates went straight to the corner while Rivers perfectly floated it over the defender to convert the conversion and cut it to an 8-point game. So Gates managed positive fantasy production despite not recording a single reception in the game.

2018 Week 12 vs ARI (1 / 1 / 18 / 0 rec)

After a red-hot Week 11 performance, Gates saw just a single target against Arizona. The Chargers passing game dominated this week, but Gates' only involvement was breaking a tackle on a hitch route for a rare yards-after-catch opportunity. Secondary tight end Sean Culkin made the highlight play of the Chargers' tight ends against the Cardinals with a high-point catch down the sideline.

2018 Week 11 vs DEN (7 / 5 / 80 / 1 rec)

Gates showed he still has something left in the tank, turning in by far his best game of the 2018 season. He showed off his soft hands on an early out route, going low to snag a 14-yard pass off the turf on third and 10 to convert a first down. Later in the first half, he again bailed out Rivers with a 26-yard catch-and-run over the middle. He even added a strong stiff-arm to pick up a few more yards after the fact. Early in the second half with the Chargers near the goal line, Gates got open in the right corner after beating his man off the line, but the pass from Rivers was underthrown and hit the defender's backside. A few plays later, however, Gates again got open 1-on-1 up the left side. This time, Rivers put the ball high and where only Gates could get to it, and he did just that. Late in the fourth quarter with the Chargers trying to run out the clock and facing a third down, Rivers floated a long pass to the sideline to Gates. The veteran tight end juggled it on his fingertips for a few moments, eventually securing the pass and going to the ground inbounds. At the time, it appeared that it was going to be the play that broke Denver's backs, but a culmination of events conspired to cost the Chargers the victory despite the heroics by Gates.

2018 Week 10 vs OAK (2 / 1 / 18 / 0 rec)

Gates is not a fantasy option at this point, and hasn't been all season. The team still makes it a point to target him in the red zone, as they did today on a third down pass play. Defenders were all over him, however, and it was knocked away for an incompletion at the last moment. Gates did get open on a crossing route over the middle for an 18-yard gain to beat a blitz, but that was the extent of his damage.

2018 Week 9 vs SEA (0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Gates' usage remains sporadic. He saw just one target in the passing game, and was the option on the two point conversion attempt early on. But there appeared to be some miscommunication, as Gates turned one way and the ball went the opposite direction.

2018 Week 7 vs TEN (3 / 2 / 11 / 0 rec)

Gates was the target of an end zone fade pass early on, but he and Rivers weren't on the same page. It didn't really seem like a catchable ball anyway. His slow start lasted all game, as Gates finally grabbed a short pass late in the fourth quarter on third and long, but came up well short of the first down marker.

2018 Week 6 vs CLE (2 / 1 / 5 / 0 rec)

Gates had just one short reception in the game early in the contest, as the Chargers opted to use the run game for the majority of the afternoon. In fact, Gates saw just two total targets in the game.

2018 Week 5 vs OAK (2 / 2 / 19 / 0 rec)

Gates had just two grabs in the game, one of which went for 16 yards to convert a key third down and long play. He also drew a penalty late in the game when he was seen mixing it up with an Oakland defender at the end of a play.

2018 Week 3 vs LAR (5 / 3 / 45 / 0 rec)

The big tight end had his best game of the season, and was the clear go-to guy at the tight end spot ahead of Virgil Green. He got open near the sideline on a long first half reception that went for 27 yards. He withstood a big hit from the defender and shook it off as if it was a minor nuisance, before rumbling downfield after the catch to turn a decent gain into a big pickup. He showed excellent hands in the second half by snagging a low throw from Rivers over the middle, shielding the defender with his body and then working up the field for a 14-yard gain. And again he showed nice hands on a third down pass play from Rivers where he was hit in stride. He was targeted in the end zone, but the pass was thrown too high over his head to make a play on it. Gates won't return to his glory days anytime soon, but he showed in this game that he can still be a factor at times.

2018 Week 2 vs BUF (1 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Gates was used sparingly, and only had one chance at an impact play. He was targeted on a third down pass play near the goal line, but Philip Rivers sailed the pass too far over his head for an incompletion, and the coverage was solid anyway. Gates had earlier lined up split out wide on a goal line situation, but Rivers opted to pass to Melvin Gordon instead, who converted for the touchdown.

2018 Week 1 vs KC (3 / 2 / 16 / 0 rec)

Gates didn't see the field until the middle of the first quarter. His first catch wasn't even an official reception, as he snagged a two point conversion in the second half to pull the Chargers closer. His first official catch didn't come until there were about eight minutes left in the game, and the second one came right after it. His involvement was minimal after not taking part in any preseason action, but he should see more work in the coming weeks.

Latest News

Chargers | Four catches for Antonio Gates (Thu Dec 13, 11:49 PM) - Los Angeles Chargers TE Antonio Gates caught four of his five targets for 54 yards in a 29-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15.

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Chargers | Full practice for Antonio Gates (Fri Nov 30, 04:47 PM) - Los Angeles Chargers TE Antonio Gates (non-injury) fully participated in practice Friday, Nov. 30, and is not on the injury report for Week 13.

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