It's not the preferred method of some teams, but the San Diego Chargers are going to implement a timeshare in their backfield this season. According to head coach Norv Turner, the carries will be spread between running backs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert . "That's the mindset now," Turner told the team's official website about using multiple runners. "Certainly (Week 1 opponent) Minnesota hasn't done that. Teams with that featured guy are continuing to let the featured guy run. I think if you have guys that are diverse, you can use two. "I don't know if [Mathews] will be one of the leading rushers because I think the emergence of Tolbert gives us a chance to have a one-two punch. Tolbert gives us a nice changeup. Obviously, he's a physical, hard-to-tackle, punishing runner, and Ryan has great speed, so it's a good situation."

Fantasy Analysis:

You could see this coming. Mathews arrived at training camp out of shape, failed the initial conditioning test and has already been bothered by injuries. Right now, the different reasons why he hasn't been able to play have overshadowed anything he's done on the field. He won't play in the Chargers' first preseason game as the team errs on the side of caution with the current muscle strain in his leg. Mathews hasn't shown the desire and work ethic to be San Diego's clear No. 1 running back. And if he's not going to take the job, he's not going to get it. I still think Mathews will lead the team in carries -- if he can stay healthy. But Tolbert will have a rather large workload and will be a force once again around the goal line. While Mathews is one of my top players to avoid, considering that many are taking him within the first three rounds in drafts, Tolbert becomes a player I really want, and you can still get him at a pretty good value.