Antonio Gates Suspended 4 Games

In a bit of surprising NFL news, San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates was suspended for 4 games for violating the leagues rules banning the use Performance Enhancing Drugs. Gates released a statement claiming he never knowingly ingested a banned substance and the Chargers released a statement concurrent vowing to back their star 100%.

What this means in terms of Fantasy is that not only does Gates take an obvious hit in rankings, missing 4 games 25% of the fantasy season, but it finally gives athletic freak LaDarius Green the chance to impress San Diego coaches and prove he’s got the ability to supplant Gates once and for all.

Green will likely still be drafted as one of the last 4 or 5 TE’s taken, but keep in mind that San Diego has shown a great deal of loyalty to Gates in the past, and it’s likely upon his return that he’ll take over the bulk of the TE duties going forward.