Team news: Kansas City Chiefs | Page 17

Standing before a horde of media Tuesday for the first time since being acquired during an offseason trade, Justin Fields essentially said he sees an open competition with Russell Wilson for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job.

The reality of the situation is that — barring injury — there is no chance that Fields will be the starting quarterback over Wilson for the season opener Sept. 8 in Atlanta.

The beat reporter's assurance should boost Wilson up the rankings a little bit, but let's not get ahead of our skis. The veteran looked terrible during his two seasons in Denver and could still cede time to Fields. Neither is worth more than a speculative add in deep SuperFlex leagues.

With the Chiefs kicking off their organized team activities today, WR Rashee Rice will be attending and participating in all activities.

Related Players: Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, Kadarius Toney

Rice is dealing with legal issues, including a hit-and-run and an assault charge. We assume that he will be suspended, but the length of that suspension is still up in the air. What looked to be a promising sophomore season is now in question, making him a tough click on fantasy draft boards as it stands.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reiterated that Russell Wilson “has pole position” to be the starting QB. Not against competition. And “when it’s time to compete, Justin will be given an opportunity to show his capabilities.”

He said Justin Fields “oozes talent.”

Wilson deserves to have competition after his showing in Denver, but in the early stages, it looks as if it's his job to lose. He should be considered off the radar in typical 1QB leagues, but if anything were to happen that granted Fields the job, the latter would be right back in QB1 conversations.

Cardinals WR Hollywood Brown is signing with the Chiefs, another high-octane target for Patrick Mahomes. One of the most talented WRs available, Brown lands in a perfect spot on a 1-year deal worth up to $11M with a chance to cash in next year.

Related Players: Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Justyn Ross

The first addition for the Chiefs WR room has finally come, in the form of Brown. This is unlikely to be the last piece they add, but the immediate impact is bad news for Skyy Moore and Justin Watson, who technically hold the outside roles as it stands prior to the signing.
Hollywood set a new career high by lining up out wide on 79.8% of his snaps last season, and should offer big-play potential in fantasy. His exact value is going to depend on who else the team targets over the next two months.

Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached agreement a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Related Players: Travis Kelce

Cincinnati seemed like a positive landing spot for Smith last season but fantasy goodness did not come to fruition. This impacts Noah Gray dynasty shares more than it does Travis Kelce's immediate outlook.

Patriots informed WR DeVante Parker that they are releasing him Wednesday and he now has been given permission to talk to other teams.

Related Players: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Pop Douglas, Tyquan Thornton

New England has a lot of work to do to make this WR room approachable from a fantasy standpoint, and this will go a little bit of the way to clearing room for new pieces. Expect the Patriots to target at least one pass-catcher in the NFL Draft.

Speaking to the media following the conclusion of the game Monday afternoon, Reid confirmed what was feared regarding running back Isiah Pacheco. The second-year man has a concussion that forced him out of action.

Related players: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, La'Mical Perine

Monday marked Pacheco's first game since Week 13, as the former seventh-round pick missed two consecutive games with a shoulder issue, the story said. Late in the third quarter, Pacheco hauled in a short pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes on a second-and-14 play. After turning upfield, Pacheco's helmet came off and he was hit in the head by the right knee of center Creed Humphrey. Pacheco's status for Week 17 is now certainly in doubt, especially considering it's a short week.

Andy Reid on RB Isiah Pacheco (shoulder): "He'll be back this week."

Related players: Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Reid went on to say Pacheco will be, "good to go, unless there's further setbacks. But right now, everything's positive for him to go." It's good news for owners who have survived to this point of the playoffs. McKinnon's stock seems to be rising much like it did last season at this time, so he'll likely resume his RB2 role with CEH probably falling to RB3.

Chiefs ruled out RB Isiah Pacheco for Sunday’s game at New England due to his shoulder injury.

Related Players: Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The RB split in Week 13 operated basically the way we expected it to, with Edwards-Helaire taking the majority of the between-the-20s looks and McKinnon finding the end zone on limited touches, which seems to be his modus operandi. With Pacheco out again, both back-ups make for worthy FLEX consideration.

WR/PR Pop Douglas has cleared concussion protocol, per Bill Belichick.

Barring a setback in Friday’s practice, the path is clear for Douglas’ return after missing the last two games.

Related Players: Tyquan Thornton, DeVante Parker

The Patriots had an offensive explosion in Week 14, scoring 21 points. Which is a funny sentence to type in 2023. Douglas could very well return to the WR1 role in New England, but that only makes him a FLEX option in deep leagues.