Antonio Gates caught eight passes for 124 yards in Sunday's Week 2 win over the Eagles.

Gates cost his team dearly when he stripped from behind at the 1-yard line by a hustling Brandon Boykin. Other than that, he turned back the clock. Gates was actually able to shed tackles and get his big body moving downfield, something we haven't seen in years. However, the Eagles feature arguably the worst safety duo in the entire league. Gates will be a borderline TE1 against the Titans in Week 3.

Antonio Gates caught two passes for 49 yards in San Diego's Week 1 win over the Texans.

Both of Gates' catches were third-down conversions. He worked rookie D.J. Swearinger for a 34-yard pickup over the middle, but that was his big play of the night. Gates left some yards on the field when he couldn't corral a deep ball down the sideline that hit him in the hands. He's a borderline TE1.

Antonio Gates had three catches for 29 yards in Saturday night's preseason game against the Cardinals.

Gates was more involved in the passing game with Malcom Floyd and Eddie Royal sidelined and led the Chargers with six targets. Through three preseason games, he has seven receptions for 75 yards. Rotoworld currently ranks Gates as the No. 13 overall tight end.

Antonio Gates has appeared "quicker" this spring and summer than in any of the past three seasons.

The Union-Tribune concedes that Gates put together a Hall of Fame career in "marshmallow packaging," a reference to his doughy physique. Now that Gates' production has fallen off dramatically as he enters his age-33 season, he's cut out gluten and reshaped his body. Of course, Gates has made similar claims of a rejuvenation lately, only to fall victim to foot issues and an inability to separate or do anything at all after the catch. We're not buying a return to TE1 form, especially given the state of the Chargers' offensive line.

Only one tight end in the history of the NFL has reached 1,000 yards at age 33 or more.

Antonio Gates has reportedly looked "quick and fit" during Chargers OTAs and minicamp.

Speed and elusiveness has certainly been an issue of late for Gates, who has battled foot problems. Over the last two years, he's averaging just 4.0 catches for 47.0 yards per game, serving mostly as a strict red-zone threat. Projecting players to reverse their career arc in their age-33 season is asking for trouble. Despite scoring at least seven touchdowns in nine straight seasons, Gates is our No. 15 fantasy tight end right now.

Antonio Gates caught two passes for 15 yards with a touchdown in the Chargers' Week 17 win over the Raiders.

After breaking Lance Alworth's franchise record for touchdown catches in Week 16, Antonio Gates insisted that he has plenty left in the tank.

Gates' numbers are way down in his age-32 season, but much of that is attributable to a putrid Chargers offense. He's still getting around as well as ever and was never injured this season. "I still feel like I have a lot more left in the tank honestly," Gates said. "I wouldn't sit here and say that if I didn't. I am pretty realistic on how this thing works. But I think I feel good. I am running better than ever at this point in my life. I am more focused that ever, so I just see that the best is still to come."

Antonio Gates caught two passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in Week 16 versus the Jets.

Gates was targeted on just three of Philip Rivers' 22 passes, but he made the most of them by turning a third quarter pass into a 34-yard touchdown to put San Diego up 24-14. The 2012 season has easily been the worst since Gates' rookie year, but he'll look to end it on a good note versus the Raiders in Week 17.

Antonio Gates caught four balls for 31 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers' Week 15 loss to Carolina.

Gates scored a garbage-time touchdown and was targeted six times in a pathetic offensive effort put forth by San Diego. Showing signs of decline in a dysfunctional Chargers offense, Gates would be a poor TE1 play in Week 16 against the Jets.

Antonio Gates was held to three catches for 31 yards in the Chargers' Week 14 win over the Steelers.

Antonio Gates caught six balls for 49 yards in the Chargers' Week 13 loss to Cincinnati.

Gates was mostly limited to short catches, but at least he was a prominent member of this week's passing game. Gates saw eight targets to finish second on the Chargers behind Danario Alexander (10 targets, 102 yards). Gates is obviously not going to come close to preseason expectations, and will be difficult to count on as even a back-end TE1 in Week 13 at Pittsburgh. Through 12 games, Gates is on pace for 51 catches, 556 yards, and 5.3 touchdowns.

Antonio Gates caught just two passes for 13 yards in Week 12 against the Ravens.

Gates was targeted just the two times, and the tight end has gone missing far more times than he's exploited teams this season. Luckily for him, he'll face a Cincinnati defense that entered Week 12 as sixth-worst when it comes to covering opposing tight ends. Gates has been a very shaky TE1 to this point.

Antonio Gates caught four passes for 57 yards with a touchdown in the Chargers' Week 10 loss to the Bucs.

Antonio Gates caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 9 against the Chiefs.

Antonio Gates caught just two balls for 14 yards in the Chargers' Week 8 loss to the Browns.

Strangely, Philip Rivers shied away from throwing to Gates. With the wind swirling and rain driving, he insisted on low-percentage throws deeper down the field instead of checking down to his tight end. In the second half, the Chargers tried to win the game by running the ball. Gates finished with just four targets, but is a good bet to bounce back against the Chiefs next week.

Antonio Gates is still bothered "from time to time" by the rib injury sustained in the season opener.

Nearly back to full health, Gates acknowledges the injury caused him to understand his limitations early in the season. Similar to Browns RB Trent Richardson, Gates struggled to stay effective while playing through the cartilage tear. He remains an excellent buy-low candidate.

Antonio Gates caught six passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the Charger's Week 6 loss to the Broncos on Monday night.

Gates was targeted 10 times on the evening, and the two touchdowns were his first ones of the season. The six catches and 81 yards are season-highs at this point, and we fully expect for Monday's performance to be a precursor for the rest of the year. Gates doesn't sky up and make the spectacular catch as much anymore, but he still knows how to get open. The Chargers have a Week 7 bye before heading to Cleveland in Week 8.

Antonio Gates was held to three catches for 19 yards in San Diego's Week 5 loss to the Saints.

Gates was targeted seven times, but held to 22 yards or fewer for the second time in three games as Philip Rivers focused his attention deeper downfield. Gates appeared to double his yardage total on San Diego's final drive, but had a roughly 25-yard gain negated by a laughable offensive pass interference call. It's another frustrating effort for fantasy owners, but Gates appeared as healthy as he has all season, and ran well against a Saints' pass defense that's been surprisingly effective at shutting down tight ends. It's still not time to bail if you're an owner. Gates will get the Broncos in Week 6, whom he beat for six catches, 49 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 last season.

Antonio Gates caught three passes for 22 yards in the Chargers' Week 3 loss to the Falcons.

Don't blame Gates' ribs. He was running well, but was only able to haul in three of his seven targets as he struggled to separate. Gates is a good bet for a bounce-back game against the Chiefs next week.