Gates caught nine passes (on 11 targets) for 92 yards and two touchdowns in his return from suspension Monday night against the Steelers.

Gates took little time to make his return to the lineup felt, as he scored his 100th career touchdown with a 12-yard reception early in the first quarter Monday. Then, after reminding onlookers of his unmatched and unwavering chemistry with quarterback Philip Rivers throughout Monday's contest, Gates found pay dirt again in the fourth quarter with an 11-yard touchdown reception. Overall, the 35-year-old led all players in all receiving categories Monday night, evidencing the strong impact he continues to have 13 years into his NFL career.

Gates was officially added to the Chargers' active roster Monday.

In a corresponding move, the team waived safety Adrian Phillips, with the transaction confirming that Gates will be available for Monday night's game against the Steelers. The 35-year-old tight end thus returns from a four-game suspension to start the season, on the heels of a 2014 campaign in which he caught 69 passes for 821 yards and 12 TDs. In his lineup re-entry, look for Gates to see his share of work in the Charger' Week 5 attack, though fellow TE Ladarius Green should remain in the team's pass-catching mix as well.

The Chargers are looking forward to Gates making an impact both on and off the field when he returns from suspension in Week 5, ESPN.com reports.

Gates is finally set to come back from his four-game suspension just in time for a Week 5 match-up with the Steelers, and the Bolts are thrilled to welcome him back. "We'll be excited to have him back in there," Philip Rivers said. "He helps us on the field and in the locker room. We've certainly missed him. So it will be a plus. We're acquiring a Hall of Fame free agent here in about 24 hours." Ladarius Green performed well in Gates' absence, but his return is coming not a moment too soon as the Chargers were scrambling for healthy pass catchers in their Week 4 game against the Browns. Gates will take over as the top tight end in San Diego and should immediately assert himself as one of Rivers' favorite targets.

Gates is using his four-game suspension as motivation to come back better than ever, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Gates believes that his testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance will cause some people to doubt whether or not he can continue to play at a high level if he is clean. "At the end of the day, I know who I am." said Gates. "But in a sense, (the suspension) is something that I can kind of use. I can say, All right, I've got something to prove." To be sure, Gates draft day value will take a big hit due to the fact that he is guaranteed to miss four games, but a little extra motivation to prove people wrong is usually a good thing, and the extra time off might actually be good for the 35-year old's body.

Gates will be suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season after violating the league's substance abuse policy.

With the suspension of Gates the Chargers will look to Ladarius Green and David Johnson to fill the void at the onset of the season. Gates' value should certainly take a hit come draft day, but his 12 touchdowns and 821 receiving yards from last season proves that he could still be a legitimate pick in the final rounds of standard-sized leagues for the upcoming campaign. The first opportunity for the veteran to make his 2015 debut comes against the Steelers on Oct. 12.

Gates has four receptions on six targets for 67 yards but did not score a touchdown on Sunday in San Diego's season ending defeat at Kansas City.

Gates did all of his damage in the second half of this game as the Chargers tried to once again make a big comeback, but they ultimately fell short. The veteran Gates had another great season, finishing with 69 receptions for 821 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Bolts have Ladarius Green seemingly waiting in the wings at tight end, but it doesn't seem like Gates is ready to be sent out to pasture just yet. The 12 touchdowns were the second most of his illustrious career, and he once again stayed healthy for the entire year, playing in all 16 games for the second consecutive season.

Gates was targeted nine times in Saturday's 38-35 overtime win in San Francisco, finishing with seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Gates was instrumental to the Chargers' massive second-half comeback, notching both of his scoring receptions after halftime. After breaking his scoring drought last week he now has three scores in his last two games and a total of 12 receiving touchdowns in 15 games this season. The old man still has a lot left in the tank and should again be a solid TE1 option in next Sunday's crucial showdown with the Chiefs.

Gates caught 6-of-7 targets for 54 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-10 loss to the Broncos.

Gates provided the lone offense for the Chargers, hooking up with Philip Rivers on a five-yard slant in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was Gates' first since he scored twice against Denver on Oct. 23. Rivers tried to go to Gates on a second touchdown in the final couple of minutes, but was picked off in the end zone. The veteran TE led San Diego in receptions and yardage Sunday, as Keenan Allen left the game and did not return with an ankle injury. Regardless of Allen's status next week at San Francisco, Gates should see his usual six-to-eight targets.

Gates caught 5-of-8 targets for 34 yards in Sunday's 23-14 loss to the Patriots.

With Keenan Allen blanketed by Darrelle Revis, Gates drew a team-high eight targets from Philip Rivers' 33 pass attempts. The veteran tight end was largely held in check, and he was fortunate to recover his own fumble on a play in the second quarter. Week 15 brings a home game against the strong Denver defense, but the matchup should lead to plenty of passing. Gates posted five receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns against Denver in a 35-21 Week 8 loss.

Gates had seven catches on eight targets for 83 yards Sunday against the Ravens.

Gates' 83 yards were the most he's had since Week 2 against the Seahawks, but he's now gone four straight games without scoring a touchdown, which was preceded by a four-game run that saw him catch six touchdown passes over that span. He remains a very popular option in the passing game, though he's not always a high-yardage receiver, which makes him pretty dependent on touchdowns to make much of a fantasy impact. He'll look to get back in the end zone in Week 14 against the Patriots in San Diego, where he's scored six of his nine touchdowns this season.

Gates had two catches on his only two targets for 14 yards without a score in Sunday's win against the Rams.

Gates was held in check by a Rams team that very nearly pulled off another upset. Keenan Allen did most of the damage for San Diego in this game, catching six passes on nine targets, but Gates is healthy and remains a solid option as the season goes on.

Gates had three receptions on three targets for 32 yards and did not score a touchdown in Sunday's win against the Raiders.

It was not a huge game for Gates, though he did have a pretty big catch late in the fourth quarter which moved the chains and helped the Chargers salt away a surprisingly close game as they tried to run out the clock. The San Diego offense is in a bit of a slump as they have not had a big game since Week 6. Gates will look to get it going next week against a Rams team that has been pretty stingy on defense.

Gates had three receptions on five targets for 28 yards and failed to score a touchdown in Sunday's loss at Miami.

This game snappped Gates' four-game touchdown streak as the Bolts were thoroughly dominated on both sides of the ball by the Dolphins. Overall, Gates is still having a productive season with 35 catches for 445 yards and nine touchdowns, but the Chargers are heading into their bye week in Week 10. After that, a favorable Week 11 matchup with the Raiders awaits Gates and the Chargers.

Gates caught 5-of-8 targets for 54 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday's 35-21 loss to the Broncos.

Gates reached the end zone for a fourth consecutive game, with his eighth and ninth touchdowns of the season providing his third multi-TD performance of the year. Last year's total of just four scoring receptions was quite fluky, but what he's doing thus far in 2014 -- scoring more than a touchdown per game -- is perhaps even less likely to hold up. Outside of the touchdowns, Gates has produced similar numbers to last season's, albeit with fewer receptions and more yards per catch. He's undoubtedly a huge threat in the end zone, but will likely fall at least a few touchdowns short of his current pace for 18.

Gates caught three passes on five targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

Gates was spectacular right before halftime, making back-to-back 27-yard catches, including his touchdown grab on a tipped pass in the end zone. Otherwise, he was quiet, but he still extended his touchdown streak to three straight games. In Week 8, he'll have his hands full with a strong Broncos' pass defense.

Gates had three receptions on eight targets for 27 yards with a touchdown in Sunday's 31-28 win at Oakland.

Gates was shown a lot of attention by the Raiders, and took a couple of big hits throughout the game, but his one-yard touchdown late in the third quarter helped out his fantasy owners. Through six weekss, he's has had three big games and three quiet performances, so he's showing some inconsistency. Still, he's playing in one of the most prolific offenses in the league, and has Phillip Rivers, who is playing better than ever. He'll look to extend his touchdown streak next week, facing Kansas City at home.

Gates had four catches on six targets for 60 yards with a pair of touchdowns in Sunday's 31-0 win against the Jets.

Gates scored the first two touchdowns for San Diego, as they jumped all over the Jets. After scoring three times in Week 2, Gates had been unproductive in the last couple of games, before busting out again Sunday. Next week, he'll face the Raiders, a team that he's performed well against in the past, with 90 receptions for 1,214 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 22 career games.

Gates had three receptions on five targets for 30 yards and did not score on Sunday against the Jaguars.

The wide receivers lead the way in this game as both Keenan Allen and Eddie Royal went over 100 yards receiving. Since a huge Week 2 performance against the Seahawks, Gates has been relatively quiet, but the Chargers figure to throw the ball more than they run at least until Ryan Mathews gets healthy, so Gates remains a solid option week to week.

Gates (hamstring) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

As is Ladarius Green, with Gates a Week 4 bounce-back candidate, given the issues the Jags have had containing tight ends to start the season.

Gates (hamstring) is probable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, the Chargers' official site reports.

Gates' Week 4 status appears secure, which is more than can be said of fellow TE Ladarius Green, who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jags (who have had trouble containing tight ends thus far) after not practicing Friday.