Chiefs: Eye in the Sky Report, 11-5-16
By John Cooney, Senior Staff Writer for Fantasy Football Mastermind
[Correction from last week: Coach Reid is 16-2 in his career after the bye week, not 14-2 as I had mistakenly noted last week.]
Going to Indianapolis to try and corral the Colts was not as difficult as one might have thought. The Chiefs lassoed the Colts 30-14, upping their post-bye record to 3-0 and the overall season record to 5-2. Folks, we’re right in the thick of the AFC West race for first place. Denver and Oakland, just a touch ahead of the Chiefs thanks to the bye week, share the top peg at 6-2. Those clubs go head-2-head this week. Kansas City needs to take care of its own business and keep pace this week against a back-sliding Jacksonville Jaguars squad. Before we get into this week’s homer versus the Jags, let’s hand out a few game balls for last week and do some housekeeping.
Game Balls
TE Travis Kelce dominated the Indy Linebackers in coverage, hauling down 7 of 10 passes for 101 yards and a 14 yard scoring strike. WR/KR Tyreek Hill is becoming a regular here. Hill racked up 105 Yards from Scrimmage based on 5-98 receiving, and torched the Colts for a speed-induced 34 yard TD reception. OLB Dee Ford, who I had written off just last week, ate up Indy QB Andrew Luck for 3.5 sacks; OUTSTANDING! Safety Daniel Sorensen, another regular nowadays, had 7 solo tackles and a forced fumble. ILB Derrick Johnson did one better, finishing with 8 solos and 10 total tackles. Way to go Chiefs!
Housekeeping & Injury Notes
DB D.J. White missed the last game with a broken hand and it is undetermined if he will play Sunday against the Jaguars.
RB Spencer Ware is going through the league’s concussion protocol and will be inactive against the Jaguars on Sunday.
QB Alex Smith is currently going through the league-mandated concussion protocol and will not play Sunday against the Jaguars.
OL Mitchell Schwartz is hampered by an ankle injury and it is unknown if he will be available Sunday against the Jaguars.
WR Jeremy Maclin is bothered by a groin injury and his status is undetermined for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.
ILB Derrick Johnson is battling a hamstring injury his status against the Jaguars on Sunday is clouded.
DE Jaye Howard is ailing from a hip injury and it is undetermined if he will see the field against the Jaguars on Sunday.
OLB Justin Houston has been cleared for football activities as he continues to recover from ACL surgery. He remains on the PUP list and is not expected to be activated in time for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.
OLB Tamba Hali has a knee injury and it is unclear if he will participate in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.
LG Parker Ehinger suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 and has been placed on injured reserve.
OL Jordan Devey has missed two straight games due to an ankle injury and it is unclear if he will take the field against the Jaguars on Sunday.
RB Jamaal Charles had a second surgery to repair his right knee and has been placed on the injured reserve list. Although there is a chance he could return at some point, he is likely to miss the remainder of the regular season.
QB Tyler Bray is nursing a chip fracture in his spine and there is no timetable for a return.
Whew! The KC MASH unit is filling up.
Chiefs vs. Jags
Okay, let’s get to week 9 as the Chiefs ride back home to welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to Arrowhead.
- Injuries are mounting at key spots but Coach Reid always seems to figure out how to get things done. RB Jamaal Charles is out and now is in for a 2nd surgery on his knee. It may be time to move on, gang. Charles’ knee woes are nothing new as he has had several significant surgeries to the now weakened joints.
- KC has not really missed the gifted tailback thanks to the amazing work of one-time fullback/stand-in RB Spencer Ware. But, Ware will miss this week as he suffered a head injury and is still in the concussion protocol.
- Chiefs’ fans, go West! Charcandrick West is Charles-lite, and not just a downgraded throw in. I told you about this multi-tasking back a couple of years ago even before he was signed as an undrafted free agent. West is a smart runner with excellent RB nuance. He is also a fine pass-catcher out of the backfield. I particularly enjoy watching him take on the 2nd level tacklers as he surprises would-be stoppers with his sneaky power/speed combination. He runs with determination and burst and is fun to watch.
- Joining Ware in the concussion gig is QB Alex Smith. Smith is out with slight post-concussion symptoms but it should be a 1-week thing.
- Nick Foles starts at QB and he was sharp last week coming off the bench (twice!).
- WR Jeremy Maclin has popped up with a groin and missed some practices, Keep tabs on Maclin but he sounds like he’ll suit up. Should Maclin be limited or out…
- WR Chris Conley finally gets WR1 treatment, although that’s not a huge deal in the KC offense. It’s been pretty obvious Maclin has not been his usual YAC-ing self this season and the groin may have been an issue for some time and just got progressively worse. Whatever the case, Maclin just doesn’t look “right” out there. He did score a TD last week, but only caught 3 of the 10 targets sent his way.
- The Chiefs wideouts should be able to get after the Jaguars secondary as the JAX D has given up 10 TDs to WRs this season; 3 in last 2 games. An opposing WR has hit 80+ yards on JAX DBs 3 times in last 3 games.
- Tyreek Hill: one of my favorite players this season, rookie WR Tyreek Hill is fast becoming a playmaking item and his targets/touches are increasing. Hill passed WR Albert Wilson in snaps during a game last week, 21-20. Hill topped 100YFS and scored a TD in week8 and is sooo dangerous just being on the field. His 34-yard TD reception was a result of his 4.2 speed, and poor adjustment by the Colts on defense. Indy lined up in a 5-up, 2-deep formation and that left Hill Iso’d on a CB, who expected help over the top from the safety. Hill’s blazing wheels were just too fast for the safety to even get into his top bracket position and Foles was quick to recognize Hill streaking down the left sideline wide open. OUTSTANDING!
- Travis Kelce: JAX has allowed just 1 TD score to TEs on the season. Travis Kelce broke out last week, netting 7-101-1 TD on 10 targets and has a TD 3 of last 5 games.
- JAX secondary, while not great blanketing WRs, checks QBs pretty well. QBs gain just 6.6 YPA on JAX and have just 11 TDs thrown.
- QBs v Colts: Last week QBs Smith and Foles combined for 350 yards passing and 3 TDs Let’s not get overworked about how many times Smith and Foles dropped back to throw as game-flow called for voluminous passing. That should not be the case this week. Foles averaged a chunky 10.1 YPA last week against Indy. RB West gained 60 YFS on 16 touches and is poised to gain more this week JAX has let in 5 RB rushing TDs over last 3 games but a quick pursuing LB unit have cut RBs off before scoring on pass plays.
- RB Situation: it is interesting that KC has no other healthy RB on the roster behind West this week, other than Titan castoff and ex-Patriot practice-squader, Bishop Sankey. I wouldn’t be surprised to see WR De’Anthony Thomas pressed into backfield action ala GB WR Ty Montgomery. Remember, Thomas was drafted as a RB out of Oregon. Rookie WR Hill is also likely to see a few snaps out of the backfield; he is a pure mismatch to the tenth degree on a LB.
- Tyreek Hill! The guy is as dangerous with the football in his hands as they come. He is not only 4.2-fast, but he has RB vision with the rock and a tough, RB mentality to boot. I like to use the phrase “microwave” production when talking about players who can whip up fantasy points with minimum touches. That’s Tyreek Hill… zapped fantasy football points. Pop him in and hit “start”. This is a game to watch for the similar RB issues as GB experiencing right now. Keep in mind Coach Reid’s ties with the Packers. Thomas and Hill may play bigger roles this week than expected.
The Defense
Defensively, the Chiefs field several week 9 players that can have an impact for IDP purposes. Obviously, OLB Dee Ford is one to watch. Yes, he was terrific getting to Andrew Luck last week for 3.5 sacks. Now, can he follow-up with another strong game? Ford doesn’t need another 3 sacks to succeed, but it would be great to see the talented backer get consistent pressure on QB Blake Bortles this game. The Jags’ o-line is pretty bad, so the opportunity and matchup is there for the taking.
CB Marcus Peters will lock up with WR Allen Robinson. Robinson is having a lousy campaign, plagued by drops and the poor play of Bortles. Watching tape, it’s clear Bortles has regressed back to his mechanical flaws from college and is showing lazy footwork on top of his broken motions. He is also making poor, lazy reads and often anticipates a route adjustment incorrectly. Do that with Peters and Bortles will have a pick-6 coming back at him. Book it!
Nice to see Phillip Gaines out there and playing closer to his quality cover skills. With Gaines back SCB Steve Nelson was able to go back to a support role; thank goodness! Safety Daniel Sorensen is playing awesome football and has become an unexpected IDP play. He is always around the football and makes things happen at the point of attack. Check on ILB Derrick Johnson and his injured hammy. If he is limited fellow interior backer Ramik Wilson will be flying all over the place.
The Jags are a mess right now and KC should be able to continue their misery in week 9. Tyreek Hill seems to make something happen now on a weekly basis. He is due to break off a big one as a returner. And how about that Cairo Santos! He offers a solid FFB kicker each game.
This should be a fun game to watch. I’m excited to see Charcandrick West in a lead role and how Coach Reid will handle the shortage in the backfield depth. 3-0 after the bye and on a roll. Let’s enjoy the ride.
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John Cooney is a Senior Staff Writer for Fantasy Football Mastermind.