JuJu Smith-Schuster Ruled out for Chiefs vs. Jaguars After Suffering Concussion
Nov 13, 2022
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster makes a catch during the NFL football team's mandatory minicamp Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars after suffering a concussion, according to the team.
Smith-Schuster appeared in just five regular-season games for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2021 season, catching 15 passes for 129 yards before undergoing what was considered season-ending shoulder surgery.
However, he battled back from the injury early to play in Pittsburgh's 42-21 wild-card loss to the Chiefs.
Smith-Schuster signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal with Kansas City during the offseason that includes another $7.5 million in incentives, marking the end of his five-year Steelers career that saw him catch 323 passes for 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns in 63 games.
"I just thought this opportunity fit more for me," Smith-Schuster said of signing with the Chiefs in March. "In the sense of coming here and playing for Andy [Reid] and obviously the OC [Eric Bieniemy] and everyone else. Seeing the opportunity where I can prove my skills and see what I can do."
The 25-year-old added that it was hard to turn down the opportunity to catch passes from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He came into Sunday's game with 44 catches for 582 yards and two scores.
Smith-Schuster is Mahomes' top target alongside tight end Travis Kelce. An extended absence will require an uptick in production from wideouts Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney.
Chiefs WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman Trade Advice Before Fantasy Deadline
Nov 11, 2022
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: JuJu Smith-Schuster #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Fantasy managers searching for depth at wide receiver before the Nov. 30 trade deadline would do well to look at what's happening with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite some questions coming into the year about what the offense would look like without Tyreek Hill, things have more or less been the same as they ever were.
Patrick Mahomes leads the league in passing yards (2,605) and passing touchdowns (21) through eight games. The bulk of his targets are going to Travis Kelce, but the receiving options on the outside have been better than expected.
Week 3 was a sloppy performance for the Chiefs in a 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but it wasn't a major cause for concern going forward.
Kelce is leading the team with 77 targets, 57 receptions, 659 yards and seven touchdowns. Given how dire things have been at tight end around the NFL, no one with him on their roster should think about dealing him unless it's a ridiculous overpay.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was a great buy-low option coming into 2022 after leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers and whatever Ben Roethlisberger was trying to do last year. The 25-year-old has 582 yards on 44 receptions through eight games.
Smith-Schuster has been a WR2 in fantasy this season. He ranks 20th in total PPR scoring (112.2) and 25th in average PPR scoring per game (14.0), per FantasyPros.com.
Adding to Smith-Schuster's value is how well he's played lately. The USC alum has 325 total yards in his past three games and is averaging 7.3 receptions on 8.3 targets during that span.
If you are trying to acquire Smith-Schuster for the second half, it's going to cost you a lot.
Mecole Hardman will certainly be easier to get in a trade, but he's not been nearly as impactful as Kelce, Smith-Schuster or even Marques Valdes-Scantling. The 24-year-old has scored five touchdowns in his past three games, but he would need to keep up that pace to have significant value going forward.
Hardman's most productive game as a wide receiver came last week against the Tennessee Titans. He turned nine targets into six receptions and 79 yards with a touchdown.
The lack of week-to-week consistency from Hardman over the course of the entire season makes him too volatile for me to bet on him as a regular starter. If you want to acquire him as a flex option down the stretch, you might be able to get him for a fairly low price.
Valdes-Scantling was a boom-or-bust player in four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He has the speed to take the top off defenses (career average of 17.5 yards per reception).
Much like Hardman, Valdes-Scantling continues to be hit-and-miss from week to week. He had a season-high 111 yards in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, but he followed it up with one catch for 12 yards against the Titans.
Valdes-Scantling also is yet to find the end zone this season, despite averaging 16.6 yards per reception.
If you have decided you need to add one Chiefs receiver before the trade deadline, Smith-Schuster is the best player to target. Hardman is worth adding if you need depth, but he's a player who you should only be starting if there is a favorable matchup.
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Kadarius Toney, JuJu Smith-Schuster's Updated Chiefs Fantasy Value After Trade
Oct 27, 2022
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 18: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Kadarius Toney #89 of the New York Giants in action against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium on September 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Panthers 19-16. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs made a major splash on Thursday, trading for wideout Kadarius Toney, according to multiple reports:
Breaking: Kadarius Toney To Chiefs, source tells @theScore. #Chiefs trade their conditional 3rd round pick and 6th to #Giants.
The trade offers Patrick Mahomes yet another speedy offensive playmaker and will have fantasy players questioning whether Toney is a must-have waiver addition this week and if the other Chiefs receivers, namely JuJu Smith-Schuster, will be impacted by the trade.
Toney is a fascinating option. His hamstring issues have limited him to just two games this season, and it has to be a concern that the New York Giants were willing to cut ties in their 2021 first-round pick's second season. Toney has also offered a mixed bag when he has played, though the flashes of upside have been tantalizing.
We all scream about Kadarius Toney's talent. He had one game in which the league fell in love with that talent against the Cowboys, and since then he has failed to live up to that standard.
The Giants were done. Apparently, Toney was as well.
Kadarius Toney could be huge for the Chiefs IF he can ever get healthy.
But the fact that the Giants, who are desperate for WR help, would just dump him rather than wait to see if he could get healthy, shows how much he quickly wore out his welcome with the new regime. https://t.co/vmKbDbO3tI
In October last year, for instance, he torched the Dallas Cowboys to the tune of 10 catches for 189 yards. The rest of his rookie season didn't come close to matching that, however, as he finished with 39 receptions for 420 yards in 10 games, never finding the end zone.
Toney has real playmaking potential, though, and he'll have the team's bye week to get up to speed. His new quarterback is certainly happy to have him:
He should be added on waivers in all formats as a speculative addition. There is enough talent here to intrigue, and he's landed with an offense famous for getting the most out of dynamic wide receivers. If any team is going to extract his full potential, it's the Chiefs.
Andy Reid’s track record of dealing with difficult personalities might be more important to Toney’s potential success in KC than the wide receiver’s health.
It shouldn't affect Smith-Schuster's impact much—the two are far different players. The veteran wideout has appeared to develop real chemistry with Mahomes in recent weeks, emerging as a solid flex option for your team.
If anything, Toney could see some of the touches that have been going to Mecole Hardman or Skyy Moore. But Smith-Schuster's role in the Kansas City offense seems secure at this point.
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Andy Reid Says Tyreek Hill Trade Gives Chiefs 'a Little Juice' to Rejuvenate Offense
Aug 15, 2022
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 13: Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on prior to a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Trading Tyreek Hill didn't just provide the Kansas City Chiefs with five draft picks.
It also gave coach Andy Reid some motivation.
The Chiefs coach told Peter King of NBC Sports he has "a little juice" to keep the Chiefs' offensive momentum rolling without Hill in the 2022 season.
"It's good for him and it'll be good for us," Reid said. "It's a win-win. I think it'll help him in his career with the Dolphins. Financially it's phenomenal for him and his family.
"For us, it gives you a little juice that maybe you need when you've been someplace for 10 years."
Reid, 64, is heading into his 10th season in Kansas City after spending 14 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. It's his 24th consecutive season as an NFL head coach, so it would be hard to blame him if he were more burnt out than motivated to revamp his offense.
That does not appear to be the case. The Chiefs went about replacing Hill with a sum-of-all-parts approach, signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency and adding versatile speedster Skyy Moore in April's draft.
It'll be impossible to replicate Hill's combination of generational speed and route-running. It'll be even harder for the Chiefs to find a player who meshes with Patrick Mahomes' intuitive improvisational skills.
That said, Reid seems determined to keep the Chiefs as dominant as ever. We'll see if the veteran coach can still pull out some new tricks.
Chiefs Offense Is Full of Fantasy Football Options with Good Value
Aug 15, 2022
KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 15: Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11), JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) and Mecole Hardman (17) during minicamp on June 15, 2022 at the Chiefs Training Facility in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs no longer have a Big Three in terms of fantasy football contributors. However, with the departure of wideout Tyreek Hill, managers can find good middle-to-late-round value in this offense for the 2022 season.
In 2020 and 2021, Hill commanded 135-plus targets, so obviously, his absence means a lot more targets to go around for other Chiefs pass-catchers. When it comes to player production, fantasy managers prefer certainty, but they also salivate over opportunities for new or rising assets.
Though quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce will continue to be a top fantasy stack (a quarterback-pass-catcher tandem), Kansas City has several new faces who can put up numbers in this aerial attack. Managers may still see these newcomers on the board after the seventh round. Don't pass on them at that point in your drafts.
Since Mahomes took over the full-time starting job in 2018, the Chiefs have finished top-six in passing yards and touchdowns every year. In three of those seasons, Kansas City has ranked in the top nine in pass attempts. Meanwhile, the team's rushing offense hasn't ranked higher than 16th in total carries or yards with Mahomes as the primary starter.
Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy justifiably have pass-heavy play-calling tendencies with one of the league's best signal-callers at the helm. That isn't likely to change even with the departure of Hill. Other pass-catchers cannot replicate the dynamic All-Pro receiver's skill set, but a committee of playmakers will fill his void.
In Saturday's preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Mahomes completed six of seven pass attempts for 60 yards and a touchdown, connecting with different pass-catchers on each completion, which provides a glimpse of how he'll run the passing attack during the upcoming campaign.
After the 19-14 loss to Chicago, Mahomes spoke about his intended ball distribution with reporters:
Great insight from Patrick Mahomes when I asked him about the diversity of his receiving corps - and what fans can expect with #ChiefsKingdom ‘O’ this season. He had 6 completions to 6 different receivers in his short appearance against the Bears today… @nflnetworkpic.twitter.com/aeqzw2b5BV
Mahomes will tap into his inner point guard, but who's going to benefit most behind Kelce?
Let's start with JuJu Smith-Schuster, whom the Chiefs signed in March. Known for his TikTok dances, the wideout's public persona has somewhat overshadowed what he can do on the field.
Smith-Schuster's receiving numbers dipped after his 2018 Pro Bowl year (111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns) while he played with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had been on the decline leading up to his retirement in January. The 25-year-old wideout also missed 12 games last year.
Now healthy, with a quarterback early in his prime, Smith-Schuster may rediscover his Pro Bowl form as the best wide receiver on the Chiefs roster. He has an 8.05 average draft position (ADP), which is great value for a lead wideout in a pass-heavy offense.
Against the Bears on the first drive, Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (12.08 ADP) played the most snaps, per Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, which is an indicator of the pecking order at wide receiver:
For fantasy managers concerned about Smith-Schuster's underwhelming production as the No. 1 wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers following Antonio Brown's departure to the then-Oakland Raiders in the 2019 offseason, he could benefit from heavy coverage on arguably the league's best pass-catching tight end in Kelce.
Kansas City also signed Valdes-Scantling in March. He'll likely provide big plays over the top. In four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, the 6'4", 206-pounder averaged 17.5 yards per reception and led the league in that category for the 2020 campaign (20.9 yards per catch).
Yes, Valdes-Scantling has experienced some drop issues, which also came up during training camp, per ESPN's Adam Teicher, but he's a boom-or-bust target for managers who want a high-ceiling player in a flex spot.
Because of Valdes-Scantling's ability to stretch the field, he doesn't need five-plus catches to make a significant fantasy impact. The fifth-year pro can easily post a stat line of three catches for 100 yards and a touchdown against a vulnerable pass defense.
With that said, Valdes-Scantling seems like the probable No. 2 wide receiver on the depth chart, which means he could see a steady volume of targets in a Mahomes-reliant offense.
Valdes-Scantling's snap count in Saturday's game raises questions about Mecole Hardman, a roster holdover with three years of experience as Mahomes' teammate.
The Athletic's Nate Taylor (via KC Sports Network with BJ Kissell at 8:55), acknowledged that the Chiefs surprised him when they didn't list Hardman as one of the top two wide receivers on the preseason depth chart (for whatever it's worth).
Taylor's observation, coupled with Saturday's wide receiver snap counts, is reason enough to tentatively bump up Valdes-Scantling in your draft queue, but managers shouldn't write off Hardman just yet. Remember, he knows the offense, has 4.33 speed and averaged 20.7 yards per reception as a rookie.
Also, Taylor noted Hardman improved his intermediate route-running this offseason. If Valdes-Scantling struggles with inconsistency, the former could jump into the No. 2 wide receiver spot. Hardman has extra motivation in a contract year, too.
If you're on the hunt for a rookie sleeper at wideout, listen to NBC Sports' Peter King because he spoke directly to the fantasy football folks when he put the spotlight on Skyy Moore (11.10 ADP) after his time at Chiefs camp:
If King is right, Moore has the most upside among the Chiefs wide receivers. Moreover, following a breakout as a redshirt sophomore at Western Michigan with 96 receptions for 1,293 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021, he has some momentum coming into the pro ranks. Against the Bears, the rookie second-rounder caught all three of his targets for 23 yards.
We can make the argument that none of the Chiefs' top four wideouts should go undrafted.
On the flip side, managers should stay away from Josh Gordon despite the widespread familiarity with his name. In his segment on KC Sports Network (at 5:53), Taylor said it's "not looking optimistic" for the 31-year-old receiver.
Justin Watson will go undrafted in most leagues, but King believes we should keep an eye on him, and perhaps he's right. Against the Bears, the 6'2", 215-pounder recorded five receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown with a highlight moment:
Shane Buechele threw a rocket for a TD and @PatrickMahomes is loving it.
Chiefs running backs may not excite fantasy managers as much as their wide receivers, but you can find good value in the club's backfield as well.
Like Smith-Schuster in the receiver room, Clyde Edwards-Helaire seems like the safest option among the running backs. He's the probable starter who will likely take most of the snaps at the position. The 2020 first-rounder could see an increased role in the short passing game with more targets available. He’s caught 55 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns in 23 career outings.
As the Chiefs' lead running back and a three-down playmaker, Edwards-Helaire has decent value with a 5.06 ADP. After him, the Chiefs depth chart gets muddy.
Ronald Jones (9.07 ADP) could open the season as Kansas City's No. 2 back, but Taylor doesn't think the fifth-year veteran is a lock to make the roster, and the team may trade him (starts at 5:01).
In his Week 1 preseason takeaways, Taylor wrote about Jones' missteps on the field.
"Ronald Jones entered camp as the projected second running back, but he finished Saturday’s game with only 1 rushing yard on four attempts, as he didn’t break a single tackle and didn’t display a burst through the line of scrimmage. In pass protection, Jones missed a block on defensive end Dominique Robinson, who sacked Buechele for a 12-yard loss."
With Jones possibly on shaky ground, managers should take a flier on rookie seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco (13.09 ADP), who's looked impressive at camp.
According to NFL Network's James Palmer, Pacheco has exceeded early expectations, and The MMQB's Albert Breer compared the rookie to Kareem Hunt with more burst.
#chiefs rookie RB Isiah Pacheco had some run with the 1's again today. He's picking up the offense and the protections faster than they thought. He's physical & their fastest back. They know he'll run hard, but they want to see if he'll break tackles in the NFL. Guy to watch
In his preseason debut, Pacheco logged two carries for six yards and caught a pass for five yards, which doesn't seem like much, but Reid seemed pleased with his performance.
"I thought he ran hard and played fast," Reid told reporters. "He didn't look like he shied down from anything. Pretty accurate with the things that he did, so I thought he did a nice job."
Notably, Pacheco took the field after Edwards-Helaire over Jones.
Fantasy managers in point-per-reception leagues should also consider Jerick McKinnon (14.03 ADP) late in drafts. He's primarily a pass-catching running back with 188 career catches for 1,344 yards and seven touchdowns, but he had a strong showing in all three of the Chiefs' playoff games in the prior campaign.
As a starter in each of those outings, McKinnon amassed 315 yards and a touchdown from scrimmage. In two of those contests, he played with the first unit over Edwards-Helaire, who was coming off a shoulder injury.
For late fantasy drafters out there, if Jones doesn't make the final roster, get familiar with Pacheco or pick up McKinnon because of his veteran experience. Edwards-Helaire has missed 10 games in two regular seasons. The Chiefs may need to call on their No. 2 back to contribute in a big way at some point this year.
Fantasy managers may miss what Hill brought to the points column during his time in Kansas City, but don't abandon the team's skill-position players. With several additions at running back and wide receiver, you could land a couple of hidden gems in the middle or late rounds of the draft.
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