Fantasy Football: Five Kansas City Chiefs To Play Vs Chargers
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
As the Fantasy Football season comes to a close, here are five Kansas City Chiefs to play against the San Diego Chargers.
As the 2016 NFL regular season closes out this week for the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the league, many Fantasy Football are in their final games. This is championship week in Fantasy Football, and it comes with a whole new batch of challenges. Many players are scrambling right now to change their rosters as they find out certain players are being shut down to end the year.
It happens every season. There are a number of NFL franchises who simply have nothing to play for. These teams will bench many of their key personnel to avoid injuries, get in extra rest, or simply to see what they have in their young backups. While these reasons are all perfectly acceptable in the NFL, it drives fantasy owners completely crazy.
However, the Kansas City Chiefs likely won’t fall into that category. The Chiefs have something to play for this week as they are still looking at a scenario in which they can claim the AFC West. That, plus a Week 16 thrashing of the Broncos, should have many fantasy owners checking out the Chiefs roster for late additions to their fantasy teams.
Play At Your Own Risk
Because I am sure that someone has figured out a way to make this happen, I am forced to advise you that Dontari Poe is not a safe play at quarterback. Let’s face it, we all know that there is that one Fantasy Football player out there that has figured out how to do this and is telling everyone around them. Yes, “Bloated Tim Tebow” was a fun play…that doesn’t make moving Dontari Poe to quarterback a smart move.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Dontari Poe. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Week 16 Top Scorers – 78 points
Travis Kelce – 22 points
Fantasy Football owners were ecstatic to see Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce finally find his way to the endzone. The fact that it came on an 80 yard pass play didn’t hurt anything either. Over the second half of the season, Kelce has emerged as the top tight end in the NFL. He has already eclipsed the 1000 yard mark on the season.
Alex Smith – 21 points
He has taken a ton of heat this season, but Alex Smith was certainly locked in last week. Unfortunately, his receivers weren’t quite as locked in, or else his point total would have been much higher. Still, Smith was able to put up points through the air and on the ground. That was a nice reward to his fantasy owners.
Tyreek Hill – 15 points
Another week, another big game for Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The rookie speedster has been phenomenal this season and is closing the gap with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot in several categories. Hill should end up being a serious rookie of the year candidate, though Elliot likely wins the award.
Chiefs D/ST – 11 points
The Kansas City Chiefs defense will surrender a lot of yards, but ultimately they keep opponents out of the endzone. This unit also creates a lot of turnovers, can score points on their own, and are able to get after the quarterback. So it should be no surprise to Fantasy Football owners that they consistently put up good fantasy performances.
Demetrius Harris – 9 points
You know, it’s really quite a shame. Demetrius Harris actually left quite a few points on the board. A dropped touchdown pass, an earlier fumble, and a lucky hand on Harris’s shoulder with his knee still down leaves him as the “what could’ve been” player of the week. If Harris had maximized his opportunities, he would’ve crossed the 20 point mark. Still, not a bad night for a backup tight end.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jeremy Maclin – WR
Projection: 6 Catches for 60+ yards and 1 TD
It has been a rough season for Kansas City Chiefs receiver Jeremy Maclin and his Fantasy Football owners. The Chiefs top receiver has struggled with a groin injury for much of the year, and has also seen his work load and production drop. All in all, it’s hard to not be disappointed in the year that Maclin has had. However, I think he is going to go out on a high note.
Jeremy Maclin was reportedly “visibly upset” with his lack of targets last week. There are few players on this team with enough pull to take a complaint to Andy Reid, but Maclin is certainly one of them. Given that Maclin had a strong performance against the Chargers in Week 1, I think Andy Reid is going to be more than willing to give his star receiver a few more looks this week.
It has been a rough season for Jeremy Maclin, but don’t give up on him. He has shown that he does still have the ability to make things happen. I like him a lot as a cheap third receiver option or FLEX player this week, especially in DFS leagues. The Chiefs still have something to play for this week, and they will certainly want Maclin to have some momentum heading into the playoffs.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Smith – QB
Projection: 25/30 for 250+ yards and 2 TD; 4 rushes for 10+ yards and 1 TD
While Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has not been the best Fantasy Football option this year, I’m telling you to put him in this week. Smith is coming off of a very strong performance, and has played well in the past against San Diego. With a chance at winning the division on the line, I expect Smith to be at the top of his game this week.
363 yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and 1 rushing touchdown. That’s what Alex Smith did to the Chargers the last time these two teams met. With the emergence of Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce playing up to his potential, I think this game could get out of hand. The Chargers have no answer for the Chiefs top two weapons, and Smith should be able to exploit that.
Alex Smith is probably never going to be a premier option in Fantasy Football. However, he can be a very valuable backup to your fantasy team. In some cases, he can be a good starter as well, depending on the match ups. As a DFS play this week, I think Smith can provide you with a very good option at a quality price tag.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs Defense/Special Teams
Projection: 6 Sacks, 2 INTs, 1 FF, & 1 TD
Fantasy Football owners should be pretty excited about the Kansas City Chiefs defense and Special Teams this week. For whatever reason, this unit tends to go off when it comes to facing Philip Rivers and the Chargers. Bob Sutton will be wanting his unit to finish the season strong, so expect an aggressive approach this week.
The Chargers are without top receiving threat Keenan Allen and potentially without running back Melvin Gordon. That should seriously limit their offensive capabilities this week, which will give the Chiefs a big advantage. Kansas City will likely send a lot of pressure against Philip Rivers as the Chargers quarterback is not fleet of foot.
This is an excellent match up for the Kansas City Chiefs to end the Fantasy Football season on. I expect a dominating performance where the Chiefs defense simply takes the game over. This is a group that fantasy owners should be keeping their eyes on for next year as they likely get even stronger in 2017. I love them this week as a DFS play.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Tyreek Hill – WR
Projection: 2 Catches for 30+ yards; 4 carries for 60+ yards and 1 TD
While he’s not getting the hype he deserves yet, Fantasy Football owners know that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill belongs in the Rookie of the Year conversation. The Chiefs speedy rookie has been phenomenal this year. He is currently tied for 11th in the NFL in touchdowns scored.
I don’t see where the Chargers have any kind of answer for Tyreek Hill. Not as a receiver, not as a running back, and not as a return man. In fact, I’m wondering why I haven’t increased his projection for this week. There is absolutely no reason to expect Tyreek Hill to be anything less than phenomenal this week.
If you are playing in a keeper league in Fantasy Football, you would be an idiot to not consider Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs use him in so many different ways that is virtually impossible for him to not get plenty of opportunities. There may not be a better FLEX player in the history of Fantasy Football. As a DFS option this week, he should be almost automatic.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Travis Kelce – TE
Projection: 8 Catches for 100+ yards and 1 TD
Over the second half of the season, there has been no tight end more dominant in Fantasy Football than the Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce. Kelce has recorded 100+ yard receiving in five of his last six games. He is currently eighth in the NFL in receiving yards on the year. As a centerpiece of the Chiefs offense, this is an easy call to make.
The Chargers are coming into this game without much to play for. The team is beat up, has been out of the playoff picture for several weeks, possibly moving cities, and just not that good. Overall, it’s hard to see San Diego putting up much of a fight, even if they want to play spoiler to a division rival.
As we get to the end of the Fantasy Football season, many players are looking ahead to their “keepers”. Depending on how your league is set up, Travis Kelce could be an amazing option in that role. As the eighth leading receiver in the league, he is clearly up there in value with the top end wide receivers. Make your investment wisely, but keep Travis Kelce in mind.
Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Who To Sit
Chris Conley
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The Kansas City Chiefs second year wide receiver has still not broken through yet. In fact, Chris Conley has yet to find the endzone all year. While some may think that he’s due (and he is), I would hardly say that is a safe bet for your Fantasy Football lineup. Hopefully 2017 will be better for Conley, because this year was definitely disappointing.
Demetrius Harris
It came out of nowhere this past week, but Demetrius Harris played a major role in the Kansas City Chiefs game plan. However, I wouldn’t bet heavily on that being the case this week. He’ll likely get some looks, but probably nowhere near as much as he did against Denver. Take a safer option.
Cairo Santos
For whatever reason, Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos has been off the mark recently. Last week against the Broncos, Santos missed a fairly easy field goal and an extra point. Those kinds of misses are troubling for a guy who has been largely reliable for most of the year. With this being championship week, go with a more reliable option if you can find one.
The Kansas City Chiefs are playing for a shot at the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs, which is good news for Fantasy Football owners. Week 17 can be tricky as many teams that aren’t playing for anything will bench starters. So identifying the match ups where players will be getting their normal playing time is absolutely key.
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