Week 6 at Minnesota
Jeremy Maclin cooled off a bit in Week 5, but still finished with eight receptions for 85 yards in an 18-17 loss to Chicago. Maclin is averaging 7.2 receptions and 96.6 yards per game, which makes him a very dependable player in PPR leagues. Standard league players want more touchdowns, however, as Jeremy has journeyed to the end zone just once as a member of the Chiefs.
Minnesota does not represent a banner matchup. The Vikings are giving up 232.3 yards per game, which places them in the top half of NFL defenses. However, of the five touchdown passes the Vikings have allowed, three have been to wide receivers, two to San Diego’s Keenan Allen and one to Detroit’s Calvin Johnson. Maclin’s touchdown total should increase as the season continues, but even if that does not happen in the Twin Cities on Sunday, he will remain a reliable WR2 in all formats thanks to volume.
Week 5 vs. Chicago
Jeremy Maclin’s slow start is now a distant memory. In his first two games with Kansas City, Maclin caught nine passes for 109 yards and zero touchdowns. Since then, he has 19 receptions for 289 yards and a score. It has not taken him long to build a nice rapport with Alex Smith.
And the rapport may grow even more against a Chicago defense that has allowed 10 touchdown passes. The Chiefs have given up 11, suggesting a high-scoring affair may take place on Sunday at Arrowhead. Maclin projects as a top WR2 who could easily make his way into WR1 territory.
Week 4 at Cincinnati
At long last, the noted Kansas City wide receiver jinx is over thanks to Jeremy Maclin. On Monday night during a loss to Green Bay, Maclin caught the first touchdown by a Chiefs receiver since Kansas City’s loss to Indianapolis in the 2013 playoffs. In addition to the touchdown, Maclin caught eight passes for 141 yards. It was by far his best game since coming to Kansas City.
While Cincinnati is 3-0, the Bengals have shown vulnerability against the pass. Baltimore’s Steve Smith just burned them for 13 receptions, 186 yards and two touchdowns. You can always count on Maclin getting a decent amount of targets with no other wide receivers on the Chiefs making an impact. View him as a WR2 with the upside for more.
Week 5 at Green Bay
In his first game with the Chiefs, Jeremy Maclin hauled in five passes for 52 yards. In his second game, Maclin finished with four receptions for 57 yards. While consistency is nice, fantasy owners need to see more from Jeremy.
Green Bay has defended the pass fairly well, yielding 209 passing yards per game and three touchdowns. Owners need to keep the faith with Maclin. This might not be the week where he breaks out, but he has the potential to improve upon the last two games. Keep him in your lineup as a WR2/WR3.
Week 2 vs Denver
In his first game with the Chiefs, Jeremy Maclin hauled in five passes for 52 yards. While Maclin did not set the stat sheet on fire, he led the team in targets and was not helped by the fact Kansas City jumped out to a lead and never looked back. Although Maclin did not find the end zone, the fact Alex Smith threw three touchdown passes is encouraging for Jeremy going forward.
Maclin will present a bigger challenge to the Broncos than what they saw last week, when Baltimore’s weakened passing game was unable to get much going. Of course, Denver cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are also going to make things tough on Maclin. Jeremy should remain in lineups and can be expected to post passable numbers, but his inevitable first big game as a Chief probably will not take place on Thursday night.
Last season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeremy Maclin torched the Texans in Houston, catching six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. We all know that Andy Reid’s offense runs at a slower pace than Chip Kelly’s, but at least we know Maclin is capable of success in what projects as a tougher matchup. Jeremy played well in the preseason and displayed chemistry with Alex Smith, especially in the week three dress rehearsal, where he caught seven passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.
While his upside is not what it was in the City of Brotherly Love, Maclin should be a steady starter for fantasy teams this week and throughout the season. The Chiefs have been lacking a receiver of his talents for quite some time and will make sure he is heavily involved.
After a banner season last year with the Philadelphia Eagles that saw him catch 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, free agent Jeremy Maclin decided to come home to the Show Me State. Maclin played his high school ball in Kirkwood, outside St. Louis, and then migrated to the University of Missouri. But his move to Kansas City is more than a homecoming. It is also a reunion with his former Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs were starving for a top wide receiver, and Jeremy should fit the bill. But will Maclin be able to match the numbers he posted in the city of Brotherly Love?
2015 Upside
Maclin had some moments last year where he carried fantasy teams. Against Arizona, he caught 12 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 158 yards and two scores when he played the Houston Texans. When most players head to a new team, they have to learn a new scheme. Maclin’s learning curve is not going to be steep because of his history with Reid. After spending a large amount of money to bring Jeremy to town, you can be sure the Chiefs will do everything they can to make sure he gets plenty of targets. Maclin worked with a number of different quarterbacks in Philadelphia. It will help with his transition that Alex Smith is locked in as Kansas City’s starter. And even if something happened to Smith, Maclin would not drop off the face of the earth, as current backup Chase Daniel played with him at Missouri.
2015 Downside
Of Maclin’s 10 touchdowns last year, only three came from within the 10-yard line. With Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce already established as strong weapons near the goal line, it is hard to see that total suddenly spiking. Antonio Brown, widely regarded as fantasy’s top receiver, scored six of his 13 touchdowns from within that range, and also scored on 11 and 12-yard plays. Jeremy will have to keep scoring on longer plays to retain last season’s level of vitality. That could be a problem given Smith’s conservative nature and the slower pace of Kansas City’s offense. When he was with the Eagles, Maclin was not always the focal point of defenses, as other targets such as DeSean Jackson and Jordan Matthews were around. He is the main attraction in Kansas City outside of Kelce and will be defended as one. The Chiefs have a very rough schedule to start the season.
Bottom Line
Maclin no longer has the high level of potential he did during his Philadelphia days and is going to regress. If everything breaks perfectly, he will still have a shot at being a low-end WR2. Most likely, he will be one of the better WR3s. In most leagues, Maclin’s ADP will be in the sixth/seventh round range, which may be slightly high. He certainly would not be an awful pick in that range, but it might be better to let someone else take the plunge.
Week 17 - Maclin vs. NY Giants
Jeremy Maclin caught four balls for 62 yards last week. He was targeted six times. It was just an OK game for Maclin owners as Riley Cooper was a surprise contributor against Washington with two TDs.
This week, Maclin gets the Giants who are in the bottom half of the league in allowing fantasy points to WRs. Maclin should be a safe play and should get a decent enough workload as the Birds say they are going to play starters. Back in Week 6, Maclin had just two catches for 16 yards in a blowout win over the Giants so it's not a great measuring stick. He's a borderline WR1.
Week 16 - Maclin vs. Washington
Jeremy Maclin caught four balls for 98 yards on six targets last week. About 70 of those yards came on one play where the CB went for an interception. Maclin ended up a half-yard away from a TD on the play.
This week, Maclin gets a great matchup as the Skins are just 28th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. This should be an area where the Birds attack but they will need a good game from Mark Sanchez who has struggled the last two weeks. Maclin comes in this week as a low-end WR1 in our rankings. He's produced pretty solid fantasy numbers with Sanchez at QB, so he's a fairly safe play this week as the Eagles number one option. Be sure to monitor the weather for this Saturday evening game.
Week 15 - Maclin vs. Dallas
Last week Jeremy Maclin had a TD to salvage what would have been a terrible fantasy day. He only finished with three catches for 21 yards on six targets. It was Maclin's 10th TD catch of the season.
This week Maclin gets the Cowboys, a team he just posted a 8-108 line on two weeks ago on Thanksgiving. It's a decent matchup for Maclin as the Cowboys are 15th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. Maclin comes in as a very good WR2 option on our rankings and should bounce back in a home, prime time matchup.
