Our very own Randal Kennedy, aka @FF_Terminator, brings us his Kansas City Chiefs offseason breakdown with a little more brevity. Let us know @TheUndroppables on Twitter if you enjoy the alternate format!
Running Back
Damien Williams turned the fantasy world on its head when he opted out of the 2020 season. He effectively ended one of the league’s best training camp battles before it even started. That leaves newcomer Clyde Edwards-Helaire holding the keys to one very fast Ferrari.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire may just win you your fantasy league in 2020 & for many years to come.
In the potent Chiefs offense, CEH becomes an immediate threat out of the backfield with his versatility & is worth going into the first round to get.
✅✅✅✅pic.twitter.com/uA6amKq86K
— Daily Dose🐳 (@SportsNewsD) August 5, 2020
A first round pick in this spring’s NFL draft, the former LSU standout should thrive with his ability to make defenders miss in space. His versatility will allow offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to move him all over the formation. The only potential fly in the ointment could be his inability to keep his QB upright. He ranked 314th out of 349 qualified FBS running backs in pass protection. Struggles could crack the door open for backfield mate Darrell Williams or second year pro Darwin Thompson. Both have flashed ability but neither have been able to sustain success at the NFL level.
The Legion of Zoom
The NFL’s most explosive offense has been a mixture of Andy Reid’s west coast attack with elements of a vertical spread mixed in. The 2019 Chiefs were second in yards per play and sixth in pace, but just 25th in plays per game, indicating they like to go downfield and gain chunks of yardage.
Enter Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman. Hill’s yards per catch was down slightly from the sizzling 17 he averaged in 2018, but that’s due more to his diversified route tree than any loss of ability. He’s worked hard on his game and it shows. When teams take away the deep ball, Hill is just as deadly on simple stop routes. Also, no WR ran the ball as many times as Hill did in 2020. The Chiefs incorporate a lot of fly-motion in their concepts, the idea being to get their guys one on one in space. This is something the Chiefs do very well.
One would be remiss without mentioning tight end Travis Kelce. As of this writing, the mercurial TE had just signed a four-year, $57.25 million extension. Well earned for someone who has finished as fantasy’s TE1 four straight seasons. Kelce is a mid-second round pick if you want him on your fantasy team. If you play in a TE premium league, that’s a relative bargain.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed his own 10-year, $503 million mega-deal that will keep him slinging passes in Arrowhead. One year after winning the league’s MVP, he ended the Chiefs 50-year Super Bowl drought. Even though he took a step back statistically from his monster 2018, he’s still the overall QB1 for fantasy purposes, especially in leagues that award 6 points for passing TDs.
Final Thoughts
The Chiefs seemingly locked up all their important pieces this offseason. Inking Chris Jones on the defensive side of the ball was key. Everything is in place for another Super Bowl run. It’s a great time to be a Kansas City Chief, and a great time for fantasy managers to cash in on Andy Reid’s genius.
For more of Randal’s articles, check out his offseason breakdowns of the 49ers and Chargers, only at theundroppables.com
