As we head into the summer months, the San Diego Chargers find themselves in a seemingly strong position to challenge for yet another AFC West Division Championship and hopefully a Super Bowl appearance for a change. Here’s a look at the current status of the Bolts, from a fantasy perspective.

QB: As you might expect, the San Diego starter remains QB Philip Rivers. The news is very good regarding Rivers’ off-season ACL surgery. Reports show that Rivers is well ahead of schedule regarding his rehab and could probably start now if the season were to begin today. For 2008, Rivers is a bit of a sleeper. He probably won’t be a top-tier fantasy producer, but he does stand a very good chance to improve upon his 2007 fantasy numbers, in my opinion. While it remains "The LaDainian Tomlinson Show" here in San Diego, Rivers has plenty of targets to throw the ball to, and I’d expect improvement from Rivers as well as growth and maturity from some of his receivers.

RB: Chargers’ RB LaDainian Tomlinson appears to be recovering nicely from injury as well and should be good to go for preseason as well as the regular season. In the past, L.T. has sat out the preseason in an effort to avoid potential injury. While the strategy has kept him healthy, it’s also led to historically slow starts from Tomlinson. So expect to see a fair number of preseason reps this year which could potentially lead to a stronger start out of the gate for L.T. It is not known who Tomlinson’s backup will be, as of this writing.

WR: As you might guess, the Chargers #1 wideout remains WR Chris Chambers, who should be viewed as a weak #2 fantasy option. Chambers would be ranked higher on most NFL teams, but the Chargers simply have too many other weapons, most notably RB LaDainian Tomlinson. Look for potentially big improvement from sleeper WR Vincent Jackson. Until proven otherwise, Jackson likely should be viewed as a strong #3 fantasy receiver. However, he probably has as much upside as anyone on this team. The question is, will that upside potential be realized? Thus, Jackson remains as a watch and learn player. While there is plenty of other talent in the receiving corps, no other San Diego receiver is worth talking about, as of this writing due to the likelihood of limited looks. It does appear that veteran WR Eric Parker will be gone soon, as Parker is the odd man out. Parker does have some decent abilities if he can remain healthy, so don’t be surprised if he hooks up with another team and does reasonably well.

TE: There’s not much to say about TE Antonio Gates. He remains one of the NFL’s top tight ends, although perhaps not THE top option as in past years. Recovery from Gates’ off-season toe surgery appears to be a bit behind schedule, but it is likely that he will be in good shape on opening day. However, you are going to want to continue to monitor the situation to be certain that he’s ready.

PK: I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about kickers. Chargers PK Nate Kaeding is certainly above average. However, his FG opportunities are often limited because the Bolts score a lot more TDs than FGs. Draft him accordingly.

DEF: This should be another very good year for the San Diego defense. I think you’ve certainly got to rate them in the top 5 and perhaps even #1. Look for another excellent year from DB Antonio Cromartie. This team is pretty solid and deep throughout the defense and is likely to produce a good number of fantasy points in 2008.

That’s my report for this month. We’re getting close to the start of the season and I’m getting excited! Football pretty much makes life worth living, in my book! I’ll be back soon with another update on the status of the AFC West Champions, the San Diego Chargers.