By Winsto (09/16/2022)
Lived up to the Hype
- Justin Herbert had a nice fantasy game, with 334 yards passing, 3 TDs and 1 INT. Not too shabby! He did suffer a mid-section injury and seemed to be in some pain toward the end of the game–though that did not stop him from throwing hist 3rd TD. Preliminary reports are that it is not considered serious, but you should be mindful of it during next week’s injury reports. Fortunately, he will have 10 days to recover.
- The notion that Mike Williams would benefit from Keenan Allen’s absence proved correct, as hauled in a TD to go along with 113 yards receiving on 8 receptions. He definitely rebounded from last week. Look, this is who he is. He will have big games (particularly against Kansas City in recent years), and he will have ho-hum games. We have to learn to just accept that, though if Allen misses next week, he could possibly put together solid games.
- As for Gerald Everett, 6 catches for 71 yards, in this TE landscape, are stats that you are probably happy to take.
Not Great, but not Awful
- I think many of us were expecting more fantasy production from Patrick Mahomes here. That said, he was able to produce 235 passing yards and 2 TDs against a very solid defense, which produced considerable pressure all game. Considering there were a few close calls with INTs and the pressure he faced, we should probably be thankful this was not worse.
- Most in the fantasy community looked at Travis Kelce as the number one ranked TE heading into this week. His final stat line consisted of 5 receptions for 51 yards. Not great, but not awful. Just disappointing, considering what we hoped for.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a capable professional running back, but I am not sure he will ever be elite. It does not help that he typically receives fewer goal line opportunities than a typical starting running back, and this game continued that trend. He was able to have an okay day, with 74 yards rushing, aided by a big 52 yard rush, and 44 yards receiving. Going forward, he is probably a RB2/RB3, and one that has limited upside. Still, there is value there, as he seems to have a solid hold on the starting position, at least for now.
- As for Austin Ekeler, 14 carries for 39 yards and 9 catches for 55 yards is solid, but unspectacular. He is actually touching the ball slightly more per game than 2021 through 2 weeks. The concern, however, is that he may not receive as many red zone touches this season with Sony Michel and Joshua Kelley. It is only 2 games, but expecting a number remotely close to last season’s 20 TDs (12 rushing and 8 receiving) may be extremely wishful thinking. He is still a top 10-12 fantasy RB, but if this sort of red zone usage continues, he would be hard pressed to be a top 5 fantasy RB.
Ugh!
So the concern here is that there will be a lack of consistency from Kansas City’s receiving corps. JuJu Smith-Schuster had 3 receptions for 10 yards. Marquiz Valdes-Scantling had 2 for 13. Mecole Hardman had 3 for 49. If you started Justin Watson, who had 2 for 50 and a TD, then well played!
I still think Smith-Schuster is the closest to an alpha receiver Kansas City has, and this may just be one lousy game. It will be interesting to see how he rebounds next week.
As for Skyy Moore, he does not seem to be fantasy relevant at this point, as it appears Justin Watson is even ahead of him on the depth chart. Still, it is a long season, and though there are capable wide receivers on this team, there is no clear cut WR1. There is a window for opportunity. I am just not sure if or when Moore will take advantage of it.
Final Thoughts
The LAC-DST is going to be solid this year. In addition, the KC-DST may be serviceable when not playing elite offenses.