In week 17, San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. He showed what he could do when entrusted to handle most of the work out of San Diego's backfield. But according to Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee, the team probably won't go down that road next season. Although Mike Tolbert is a restricted free agent, Acee fully expects him to be back in San Diego with Mathews and that the "plan going forward would be to rotate them based on who's hot and which defense the Chargers are facing." If you take out his week-17 performance, Mathews totaled just 558 rushing yards and four touchdowns during an injury-plagued rookie campaign. Tolbert picked up much of the slack while Mathews was limited or inactive, scoring 11 touchdowns.

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Acee also said it's "unlikely" that free agent Darren Sproles will stay in San Diego considering the money that probably awaits him on the open market. Mathews was a huge bust this season. When he played, he showed good burst and serviceable receiving skills. But for as long as the Chargers keep Tolbert in the picture, Mathews' value will be limited. Along with splitting carries, Tolbert gets the valuable goal-line touches. But remember that all of this is just one man's opinion, even if that one man is extremely plugged into the Chargers. We'll find out a lot more about this backfield next fall.