The void in the Chiefs’ receiving corps is gargantuan heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Saints. Rashee Rice was placed on the IR earlier this week after the knee injury he suffered in Week 4, where he joins offseason addition Hollywood Brown, who has yet to play a regular season snap for Kansas City. Woof.
Rice was able to log just four offensive snaps in that contest against the Chargers, which at least gives us a rough outline of what the team’s succession plan might look like at wideout. A larger role for Xaiver Worthy was easy to predict — and it was the rookie that lead the unit in snap share — but who else stood to gain? JuJu Smith-Schuster? Skyy Moore?
It seems like Justin Watson was actually Andy Reid’s first choice in the WR pecking order. In Week 4, Watson saw season-highs in snaps (43), snap rate (69.4%) and routes (25). However, despite all that, Watson finished with only two receptions for 27 yards on three targets, as the Chiefs fell into a very familiar game plan with so many wide receivers unavailable: Peppering Travis Kelce with opportunities.
Kelce, who entered Week 4 with eight total catches for 69 yards, functioned as Kansas City’s first and second option in the passing attack in a 17-10 victory. He wound up with seven receptions for 89 yards, as he was targeted on a season-best 28.1% of his 32 routes. It feels like strategy will likely return to the forefront in Week 5’s tilt against the Saints.
It’s also worth exploring the Chiefs’ aerial attack as a whole. This isn’t quite the fantasy wonderland it used to be, where any receiver with some volume and a pulse was viable in DFS or season-long formats. Without his top weapons, Patrick Mahomes is in the midst of the worst statistical campaign of his career — by far. Through four games, Mahomes is averaging a paltry 226.0 passing yards per contest and a microscopic 5.92 adjusted net yards per pass attempt.
While I’m confident that Watson will be on the field during Monday Night Football, his fantasy profile feels very touchdown dependant, as it’s unlikely he’ll see more than four or five targets. This is still the Chiefs and Mahomes, so reputation alone might make Watson a FLEX consideration, but the floor is nonexistent in this spot. Be warned.
Start or Sit Justin Watson? Sit.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
