Chiefs Fantasy Outlook: Week 1 vs. Jaguars

Aug 30, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Kansas City Chiefs helmets during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Chiefs 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Regular season football is finally here and that means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some it means Sundays free of chores, multiple TVs and lots of football. For others, it could be listening to the “voice of the Chiefs,” Mitch Holthus, on the radio. For a very different brand of people, growing larger every year, it means the stats section of NFL.com gets worn out as they check on their fantasy football teams.

Every week this season, I will give you the inside on key Chiefs players who could have fantasy value for the upcoming game. I’m a fantasy owner myself (five leagues this season, what the heck was I thinking) and will be taking my own advice.

So without further ado, let’s get this ball rolling.

Jamaal Charles – RB

2012 Stats:

Rush Yards

Rush TDs

Rec

Rec Yds

Rec TDs

Fumbles

205

1513

5

36

236

1

3

Charles has been in the top 8 drafted players consistently across most leagues this fantasy draft season. His 205 total fantasy points last season have the opportunity to make a significant jump this season. The Chiefs are one of only about 10 teams that still feature one running back, and as Charles not only stands to get the vast majority of carries, but will also be prominent in the Andy Reid/Alex Smith passing attack, he is definitely a must start every week. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think he could rush for 1,500 yards and 10 TDs on the ground as well as 800 reception yards and another 10 TDs through the air. If you’ve got Charles, you’re sitting pretty good as he’ll get you 15 to 20 points a week, depending on your league’s scoring.

Dwayne Bowe – WR

2012 Stats:

Rec

Rec Yds

TDs

Fumbles

96

59

797

3

1

The “D-Bowe” Show was a bit of an enigma last year. Granted he was hampered by absolute terrible QB play, but he still managed over 13 YPC on his receptions last year. The stat that killed Bowe in the fantasy category was his lack of TDs. Of course, that stat overall killed the Chiefs in general in 2012, so “The Show” was just a by-product of the terrible team. There have been articles written about Bowe in the offseason questioning his fantasy value in Reid’s offensive system. While it is geared for the smaller, faster Charles and Dexter McCluster-type players, Bowe really has the opportunity to shine. While the Chiefs have Donnie Avery listed as their #2 receiver, he hasn’t really proven anything. That leaves Bowe as the primary down field target. Add to that his big-bodied ability in the red-zone and he could quickly become a favorite target of Alex Smith. I’ve got Bowe in two of my leagues and I’m pretty happy about it. I’d gladly play him over a Darius Heyward-Bey or even a Torry Smith, just because I think he has more talent and will get more looks. Again, looking at his production last year isn’t really indicative of his potential, especially because he spent the last part of the season on the sideline on the injured reserve roster. I’ve you’ve got him, I say play him.

Dexter McCluster – WR

2012 Stats:

Rush Yds

Rush TDs

Rec

Rec Yds

Rec TDs

Fumbles

56

70

0

52

452

1

1

McCluster is another player whose fantasy value will be tough to judge in 2013. Chiefs fans know he’s explosive. They know he can scoot when he hits the open field. What we don’t know is exactly how he’ll be used in Reid’s offense. From what I’ve seen, DMC is going undrafted in a lot of leagues, or least still there in late rounds. The best option for McCluster would be in a point per reception (PPR) league, just because I think he will get most of his targets in the three to seven yard area as a checkdown option for Smith.

Chiefs D/STs

This is my sleeper pick. You should see the looks of disgust I’ve gotten when I’ve drafted them. I’m not even going to post the Chiefs defense/special teams stats for last season because I don’t want to ruin your day. Let’s just say they were horrible. However, with the attacking style 3-4 that defensive coordinator, Bob Sutton is running, the “D” could rack up some points this season. However, I think where they’re going to make their money is the ST category. We’ve seen them return kick offs for TDs and nearly break more than one punt return. Stealing an extra six points per game from your defense isn’t a bad thing. I guarantee you that the Chiefs D/ST is probably still available in your league. More than anything, consider playing them this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. You should be pleasantly surprised.

That’s it for this week, Addicts. Do you have any fantasy tips? Please share them with us in the comments. Thanks for reading, and GO CHIEFS!