As a former standout at Missouri, Danario Alexander has always had the talent to succeed, but injuries held him back a great deal during his days with the St. Louis Rams (2010-2011). During that two-year span, Alexander missed 18 of a possible 36 games with two different torn ACL's.
When on the field, Alexander put up 46 receptions for 737 yards in what equates to just over a season (18 games) of play. The now veteran receiver suffered a second torn ACL since joining the NFL at the midway point of the 2011 season.
This forced the Rams to completely cut ties with Alexander, while other teams showed hesitation about the possibility of brining him on. Ultimately, Alexander would have to wait until October to catch on with the San Diego Chargers last season.
Once healthy and ready to go, Alexander quickly became the Chargers No. 1 receiver and never looked back. Over the course of his 10 games with the team, the injury-plagued wide receiver put up 658 yards and seven scores.
This enabled him to be retained by the Chargers as a restricted free agent.
Then news broke on Tuesday that Alexander suffered yet another torn ACL and will miss the entire 2013 season. Where this is horrible news for the wide receiver, it does open up some opportunites for other wide receivers on the Chargers' roster.
Rookie third-round pick Keenan Allen was widely considered the No. 1 overall wide receiver in the 2013 NFL draft during the earliest part of the scouting process. A combination of injuries and a questionable drug test at the combine in Indianapolis forced the Cal product to fall from grace leading up to the annual event.
Allen was one of the most pro-ready receivers in the draft and possesses sharp route-running skills. He's a logical choice to step up as a starter opposite Malcom Floyd. More interesting than what his role will be, Allen is the type of receiver that will make a consistent impact, if given an opportunity. He fights for the ball in the air, gains separation in the second gear and is solid when it comes to dropping down underneath. These are three things that quarterback Philip Rivers will have to rely on with a lackluster offensive line in front of him.
Despite horrible quarterback play at Cal over the past two seasons, Allen was still able to catch over 63 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. By comparison, the rest of Cal's receiving targets caught barely over 50 percent of the passes thrown to them.
Vincent Brown is yet another intriguing option. He was on the radar of fantasy owners leading up to the 2012 season after a solid rookie campaign the year before. As a rookie, Brown caught 19 passes for 329 yards and two scores.
He missed the entire 2013 season after being injured in training camp, which has caused some to hesitate drafting him as a major contributor in redraft leagues.
While we won't go as far to say that Brown should be a WR2, WR3 or FLEX option this upcoming year, he could provide some solid bench depth and upside.
The targets are most definitely going to be there for Allen and Brown. I wouldn't be surprised to see the former go for 700 yards and five or six score, while Brown nudges upwards towards 500-plus yards and four or five scores.
Both of those numbers are conservative estimates. After all, Rivers needs someone to throw the ball to.