Yes, my obvious Chargers bias is usually quite obvious, especially in the madness that was my Ryan Mathews love. That has subsided, but only because of circumstances out of my control. In my defense, this is the first Chargers player I’ve spotlighted this offseason, but will Dontrelle Inman be the last? Probably not. Maybe. Okay, definitely not. But he is certainly an interesting player for an interesting team, which, coincidentally, makes him very interesting in fantasy football…
If there’s one thing going for Inman, it’s Philip Rivers. If there’s two things going for him, it’s that Philip Rivers loves spreading out the love. Take a look at the “spreading” in production last season:
| Player | REC | TAR | YDS | AVG | TD | YDS/G | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malcom Floyd | 52 | 92 | 856 | 16.5 | 6 | 53.5 | 146 |
| Antonio Gates | 69 | 99 | 821 | 11.9 | 12 | 51.3 | 250 |
| Keenan Allen | 77 | 121 | 783 | 10.2 | 4 | 55.9 | 319 |
| Eddie Royal | 62 | 91 | 778 | 12.5 | 7 | 48.6 | 335 |
The receptions, targets, and total yards are close, and even more so, the yards per game for every one of San Diego’s primary receiving options are only separated by seven yards.
With the departure of Eddie Royal, there is a gap that could be potentially filled by Inman, but the signing of Stevie Johnson almost assuredly means that my sleeper choice will be on the outside of the depth chart looking in. But as most sleepers in fantasy football, the lack of opportunity is far from a damning fate.
| Â 2014 | REC | TAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | YDS/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dontrelle Inman | 12 | 17 | 158 | 13.2 | 0 | 28 | 22.6 |
Signed from the CFL one day before the Chargers Wild Card win over the Bengals early in 2014, it’s no secret that management and coaches have confidence in both his reliable hands and big plays. Starting only two games last season, he will most assuredly get more opportunities with a year in the team’s system. And even with such a small sample, Inman put up per game averages that are on par with the rest of the receiver core. The question is whether or not he can take advantage of it.
Keenan Allen isn’t going anywhere, but counting on Malcom Floyd for an entire season seems folly, and there are questions with what Stevie Johnson can bring to the table. While I like him a lot (and he’ll be talked about further down the road), I also liked Robert Meachem, and that turned out… well, let’s not talk about that. At some point, if Inman finds an opportunity, don’t be surprised if this sleeper turns into an interesting fantasy asset.
