Antonio Gates is doing all he can, or rather all he's able to do. He wants to play but he knows that he's not physically right at the moment. He's dealing with left ankle and toe ailments as well as a torn right plantar fascia. He can't run or prepare like he wants, and it's starting to get to him. "I'm just in a situation where I really don't even know how this thing is going to play out, really," Gates said. "It's frustrating for me because I'm normally in a situation where I play and then I come back. But when you have that two-week rest and you still have to rehab almost as if you've played a game, it gets frustrating because I want to be out there and I want to try to do things to help." Gates told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday he considers himself 50-50 for this Monday's game versus Denver. He didn't practice Wednesday, settling for some work in the pool instead.

Fantasy Analysis:

No real surprise here. Gates won't practice for yet another week and will be a true game-time decision once again. His playing status pretty much depends on his pain tolerance. If he plays, you know you want him in your lineup. But since he doesn't go until Monday, it's probably best to choose a safer route than gamble on Gates being active. The insurance policy for him is Randy McMichael , who scored two touchdowns in the game before San Diego's week 10 bye.