Chargers QB Philip Rivers doesn't expect to need surgery on the bulging disc in his back.  "At this point, the back injury is not requiring surgery," he said. "We'll kind of revisit it in a month or so. But everything is improving. I'm back to my regular workouts and running around."  Rivers played through back and rib injuries over the 2nd half of the season.  It's unclear exactly when the injuries occurred, but his play noticeably tailed off starting in Week 9.  Rivers completed 68% of his passes and averaged 277 yards and 2.5 TDs over his first 8 games.  Over the last 8, those numbers dropped to 65%, 259 yards and 1.4 TDs.  A healthy Rivers is still plenty capable of QB1 production in 2015.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers is playing through a bulging disc in his back, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.  Rivers might need surgery this offseason.  Give him credit for leading an epic comeback against the 49ers on Saturday night, tossing for 356 yards, 4 TDs and 3 INTs.  But Rivers will still be tough to trust in Week 17 fantasy lineups against the Chiefs.  Saturday night was just his 2nd multi-TD game among his last 7.

As expected, Chargers QB Philip Rivers (back, chest) is active for tonight’s game against San Francisco. The 33-year-old carries a shaky QB1 outlook with Keenan Allen (ankle) sidelined.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers (chest, back) is officially probable for Week 16 after putting in full practices on Thursday and Friday. He’s incredibly banged up but was never going to miss Saturday night’s game against the 49ers. But at less than 100% and in a tough matchup, he’s not a recommended QB1 for Week 16.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers (back, chest) returned to practice on Thursday.  It's confirmation that he'll start Saturday night's game against the 49ers.  But at less than 100% in a tough matchup, he sits well outside QB1 territory in our Week 16 Rankings.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Chargers QB Philip Rivers' status for Saturday night's game against the 49ers is "up in the air."  Rivers has yet to practice this week and is listed on the injury report with chest and back issues.  Of course, he's been playing through a rib injury for a while and even played with a torn ACL back in 2007.  "I expect him to play," HC Mike McCoy said Wednesday.  So do we, but Rivers will be tough to trust in fantasy lineups.  He's tossed multiple TDs in just 1 of his last 6 games.

"I'm no more banged up than other quarterback in the league," Philip Rivers told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday. "All good." Rivers was responding to reports -- generated by TE Antonio Gates -- that he's dealing with a "very severe" rib injury. HC Mike McCoy also chimed in that Rivers hasn't missed any practice time. "He's good to go," the coach said, acknowledging that he was concerned before hearing the diagnosis from doctors. "He's a warrior. He's one of the best in the business. He's one of the toughest in the business, if not the toughest at that position." Gates also backed off his own initial report on Monday. We're certainly not questioning Rivers' toughness or implying that fantasy owners should forget about starting him in the near future. But Rivers definitely hasn't been himself of his past couple of outings, especially Sunday against a flammable Raiders D. And we can't see why Gates would make something up about his QB's health or go public with such strong words if he were just speculating. We'd try not to use Rivers this weekend in a Rams matchup that would be tough even for a healthy QB. We'll re-evaluate him after Sunday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Chargers QB Philip Rivers is dealing with bruised ribs and possible cartilage damage.  It's the type of injury that guys can play through, although the pain can be tough.  The rib issue probably has plenty to do with Rivers' shaky play lately.  Over his last 4 games, he's completed 62.8% of his passes, averaged 6.1 yards per attempt and tossed 6 TDs and 6 INTs.  Next up is a Rams defense that's racked up 18 sacks over its last 5 games.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates revealed after Sunday's game that QB Philip Rivers has dealing with a "very severe" rib injury for the past few weeks.  Rivers hasn't been listed on the injury report all year.  We sure would have like to have known about the injury before now.  Rivers looked skittish in the pocket against Oakland and threw for just 193 yards and 1 TD.  That followed a 138-yard, 0-TD, 3-INT outing against Miami prior to the bye.  Rivers also injured his knee in Sunday's win, although he was able to play through it.  Banged-up and not playing well, he'll be a risky fantasy starter against the Rams in Week 12.

The Chargers are transitioning to a short, quick-hitting passing attack under HC Mike McCoy and OC Ken Whisenhunt.  That's a big change from the downfield scheme run by former HC Norv Turner.  The new system should help mask San Diego's pass protection problems.  But it'll be interesting to see how QB Philip Rivers adjusts.  He's always been a "bombs-away" QB.  At WR, the new scheme looks like good news for possession WR Keenan Allen.  WR Malcom Floyd might struggle.

New Chargers HC Mike McCoy told the San Diego Union-Tribune that QB Philip Rivers is learning the new offense wonderfully. "What he's doing out there is rare," McCoy said. "He's picked it up so fast." Rivers said the most notable difference so far -- other than terminology -- is more of the higher-percentage mid-range passing. Former HC Norv Turner favored throwing down the field more. Rivers brings a career 63.6% completion rate into 2013, but McCoy says he can hit 70% in the new offense. We're not ready to hop on board with that, but there's certainly reason for optimism with Rivers. You should still draft him as a backup, though, at fantasy football's deepest position.

Wow.  The Chargers might be charged with burglary after stealing Cal WR Keenan Allen in Round 3.  Once viewed by many as this class' top wideout, Allen presumably slid because of health questions.  He ended 2012 with a knee injury and has also dealt with an ankle injury that required an April re-check by NFL doctors.  When healthy, Allen can play any WR spot on the field.  He'll be a welcome addition for QB Philip Rivers, who just might be playing for his job.  Allen should battle the likes of Danario Alexander, Malcom Floyd and Vincent Brown for lead targets among Chargers wideouts.  He looks like a late-round flier in your 2013 fantasy football draft.

The Chargers have hired Ken Whisenhunt as OC.  He'll work under offensive-minded HC Mike McCoy but is expected to handle play-calling duties on game days.  Whiz's Arizona offenses struggled without Kurt Warner the past 3 years, but they finished among the top 11 in scoring in each of the previous 3 seasons.  Whisenhunt also had plenty of success as Steelers OC from 2004-2006, averaging 23.2 points per game and winning a Super Bowl.  San Diego has clearly made it a point to bolster its offense early this offseason.  It's good news for guys like QB Philip Rivers, RB Ryan Mathews, and WR Danario Alexander.

According to insider Jason LaCanfora, the Chargers are set to hire Mike McCoy as their next HC.  McCoy has spent the past 4 seasons as OC in Denver, where he's adeptly morphed his offense to fit the personnel.  His QBs have ranged from Kyle Orton to Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning.  The Broncos were a top 13 passing offense in the 3 seasons with Orton and Manning.  They were #1 in rushing yards in the Tebow season.  Simply put, McCoy has displayed a knack for getting the most out of his offense.  We like the hire for San Diego's skill-position players.

Chargers LT Jared Gaither (back) has already been ruled out for Week 1.  He hasn't practiced since late-July, and there's no timetable set for his return.  In the meantime, the Chargers are left with undrafted rookie Mike Harris at LT.  His preseason performance was mixed.  The situation is a definite concern for QB Philip Rivers and the rest of the San Diego offense.

Chargers HC Norv Turner confirmed that the team will continue "to throw the ball up the field" in 2012, despite the loss of WR Vincent Jackson.  The deep ball is QB Philip Rivers' bread-and-butter.  He's finished among the top-2 in completions of 20+ yards in each of the past 3 seasons.  He led the league in yards per attempt in 2008, 2009, and 2010.  The fact that San Diego will continue to deploy a vertical passing attack is good news for both Rivers and WR Robert Meachem.  Meach is a big-play threat who's averaging 16.1 yards per catch for his career.

Chargers WR Vincent Jackson and LT Marcus McNeill have reportedly made “financial preparations” to stage a holdout through Week 10. This is just ridiculous. Both guys are scheduled to make roughly $3 million through those 10 games, but they’re willing to forfeit it as they voice displeasure with their contracts. WR Malcom Floyd continues to look like a nice mid to late-round option, although his current 10th-round ADP will surely rise if V-Jax goes through with his holdout. QB Philip Rivers, meanwhile, is praying McNeill returns to protect his blindside.

Just a few weeks after QB Eli Manning agreed to a huge extension, QB Philip Rivers signed a new deal of his own.  Rivers won't make quite as much as the little Manning, but he's not complaining tonight.  Rivers' deal will pay him $92 million over 6 seasons.  It's about 1 million less per season than Manning, but Rivers' $38 million guaranteed is more than Eli got.  Now both of these guys can saddle up and play football.

Philip Rivers threw for 287 yards & 4 TDs in a 41-24 rout of Tampa. He now has a league-high 32 TD passes on the year, 1 short of tying Dan Fouts' club-record. Rivers hit 21-of-31 passes and posted a sizzling 136.7 QB rating. Tampa came into this home game ranked #1 in the NFC in pass defense, but could not stop Rivers from making plays. 2 of his TDs were thrown on the run, including an off-balance pass that Antonio Gates toe-tapped in the back of the end zone. Rivers was a Week 16 fantasy hero for many teams. He also made the Pro Bowl voters look really, really dumb. Brett Favre?

Weather.ocm forecasts the Chargers/Chiefs game in Arrowhead to be 54 degrees, no precip, but with strong winds at 23 mph. They even have a big "WINDY" tag in blue letters on the game page. This could be an issue for Philip Rivers, Tyler Thigpen, and all pass-catchers. We'll check it again in 24 hours to see if the wind forecast is reduced.