Team news: Kansas City Chiefs | Page 26

Chiefs’ HC Andy Reid told reporters that Travis Kelce hyper-extended his knee at practice today and his status for Thursday night’s opener vs the Lions is uncertain.

Related players: Noah Gray

Well, this will get the heart pumping... With most drafts in the books at this point, owners may want to jump on the wire ASAP and make sure you have a backup plan. Gray is next up on the Chiefs depth chart and should be available in typical leagues. He may be worth grabbing if you didn't address a TE2 option on your roster to this point and you play in deeper leagues. Hopefully we get more news leading up to Thursday night. At the very least we'll know Kelce's status 90 minutes before the start of the game.

Judging from how the Chiefs utilized their receivers in training camp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson will get the most playing time. Kadarius Toney missed all of camp after having surgery for a torn meniscus, but is back at practice and should be available to play against the Lions.

It’s less clear how much the others might play. But they all bring something to the group. Richie James has the most single-season catches of the group, having caught 57 passes for the New York Giants last season. The Chiefs tried to get the ball to Rashee Rice on plays like screens and pop passes during the preseason to highlight his ability to run after the catch.

Justyn Ross is big at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. Veach suggested he could take the red zone role held last year by Jody Fortson, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Rice, a second-round draft pick, is a rookie. Ross is playing his first season with the Chiefs. He joined last season as an undrafted rookie but didn’t play because of injuries.

The Chiefs claim they will use their WRs based on defenses and who they are playing, allowing them to attack in different ways. While a lot of the young WRs got attention over the summer at some point - either working with the first team or just standing out - the story said Rice and Ross, especially, could see their roles be limited early in the season or at least until the coaches are comfortable with giving them a bigger workload. The Chiefs receivers could be a frustrating group for fantasy purposes, at least early on in the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs have clarified the picture at running back after a competitive preseason in which there appeared to be multiple lead changes, so to speak, on the team's depth chart. In the end, the team decided to waive Deneric Prince rather than leave him on the active roster—at least by the league's deadline.

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

Prince was getting headlines recently as he was running with the first team. But as of late the rumors started flying that he wasn't going to make the team and he's officially waived. Some thought Prince could cut into McKinnon's work on passing downs.

Through two preseason games, Prince hasn’t managed a memorable snap. He has generated just 34 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Prince also appears to have lost his spot as the primary kickoff returner to Richie James, the six-year veteran receiver.

“As a rookie, the volume (of plays during camp) starts to hit you a little bit and it can slow you down,” Nagy said of Prince. “We have a great room of running backs. There’s great competition, and we’re trying to give all the guys (an) opportunity in different spots.”

Related Players: Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire La'Mical Perine

The article goes on to mention that La'Mical Perine has jumped over Prince on the running back depth chart, and even he is trying to make a case as the team's No. 4 option if they were to keep a fourth running back. Prince had positive buzz after handling some first-team reps earlier in the Summer, but that has faded after uninspiring reps in the preseason.

Corey Davis announced his intentions on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.

"For some time now I've been contemplating stepping away from the sport of football," Davis wrote. "This decision has not been easy. Although I am a deep person, I am a man of few words. I've been searching my heart for what to do and I feel that stepping away from the game is the best path for me at this time. I have more blessings than I could have ever imagined -- I have an amazing family, a beautiful wife and two healthy children that I look forward to spending more time with. I am truly grateful for all the opportunities I have had and will continue to have on my journey. Thank you to my family and friends and the Jets organization for supporting me through this process."

Related Players: Irvin Charles, Jason Brownlee

Though Davis wasn't necessarily in the fantasy spotlight leading up to the retirement, he had two different impactful seasons (2018 and 2020) in which he accounted for 65 receptions with the Tennessee Titans.

Andy Reid said Isiah Pacheco will no longer work in a yellow, non-contact jersey, a positive sign for him ahead of the Sept. 7 season opener against the Lions.

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

Pacheco seems like he's on track to play Week 1 and looks to have a pretty clear path as the team's RB1. McKinnon, or the often cast-off Edwards-Helaire, will likely see some work as well and primarily catch passes. Prince has faded a bit from the headlines after getting some first-team reps recently.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce played every snap of the first two drives with starters, including all 3rd-downs. A change from last year, when Pierce only played on about 25% of 3rd-downs.

Devin Singletary then came on and played every snap of the third drive with starters.

Related players: Mike Boone, Dare Ogunbowale

It's tough to read into how much this will matter once the season starts. There are many in the fantasy world who are saying to stay away from Pierce, probably more when it comes to his dynasty value. Singletary is likely to have a big role in the offense as well, but if he takes away passing down value - that would obviously hurt Pierce. The good news is there isn't a whole lot to worry about fantasy value-wise behind Pierce and Singletary.

It's not much of a surprise, but the Indianapolis Colts have made it official, naming rookie Anthony Richardson their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2023 regular season.

Related players: Gardner Minshew

According to our own John Paulsen: Richardson throws a nice deep ball, but according to the experts he misses too many “layups” on shorter throws given his scattershot accuracy. His rookie quarterback model projects 29.3 rushing yards per game, though it should be noted that the model underpredicted Jalen Hurts by about 17%, projecting 43.3 rushing yards to his actual 52.3 rushing yards per game in his first season as the Eagles’ starter. That’s relevant because Richardson will play for Shane Steichen, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Eagles. If Steichen runs Richardson over projection by the same amount, he could be looking at roughly 34 yards per game. That number could rise further if Steichen elects to run Richardson as much as he did with Hurts–10.1 attempts per game from 2021-22.

Richardson comes in as our QB12 making him a low-end QB1 this fantasy season.

RB Marlon Mack is done for the season with an Achilles injury. Brutal injury for a guy who was here a few days.

Related Players: Keaontay Ingram, Corey Clement

Mack had a legitimate shot at earning the RB2 role in Arizona with a depth chart that is severely lacking. While Ingram could see more run in the short term, don't be surprised if the team is back on the hunt for a veteran presence.

The Kansas City Chiefs expect running back Isiah Pacheco to play in their regular season opener against the Detroit Lions. Pacheco had offseason surgeries on his hand and shoulder. He has been a limited practice participant through camp and has yet to be cleared for contact.

Related Players: Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Deneric Prince

Pacheco led the Chiefs in rushing last season as a rookie. He ran for 76 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Practically everyone in this backfield is worth a flier at their current ADPs, including late-round darts on UDFA Deneric Prince who has impressed in camp during Pacheco's absence. Pacheco himself still garners RB2 upside if he is indeed ready for the regular season.