Regardless if Travis Kelce plays tonight or not, the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to score over 25 points. That allows multiple pieces of their offense to have fantasy football appeal. If you’re looking at this backfield for value behind Isiah Pacheco, where should you be looking?
Jerick McKinnon Fantasy Outlook This Week
Jerick McKinnon was the darling of the fantasy football world last season as he came on at the perfect time. And if you had the confidence to stick with him, you were racking up the wins.
The scoring, of course, was unsustainable, but it did show off McKinnon’s potential in an offense that is going to always present scoring opportunities.
That said, this profile is a thin one at best. McKinnon didn’t have a game with more than 10 carries last season and saw less than four targets 10 times. By no means is he a high-volume or safe play, but McKinnon is attached to the quarterback of this generation, and his athleticism is no secret.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire Fantasy Outlook This Week
While it’s true that the Chiefs are averaging nearly four red-zone trips per game during the Mahomes era, it’s difficult to see Clyde Edwards-Helaire getting a crack at those valuable carries. The former first-round pick averages just one score every 33.7 carries for his career. This despite the Chiefs giving him every opportunity to establish himself as a viable option in close.
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The playing time has dwindled for CEH as Pacheco has come on, and without a stable role in the passing game (17 catches in 10 games last season), it’s hard to pencil Edwards-Helaire in for quality or quantity when it comes to touches.
Which of the Chiefs’ Secondary RBs Should You Start?
Early picks are locked in! More to come
Check out my NFL 2023-24 Week 1 picks on @tallysight https://t.co/Fbms0gMocg
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN)
I’m bullish on Pacheco in this spot, and I’m really not interested in starting a secondary option in this backfield unless really pushed. If that’s the case, give me McKinnon. Not only is he the more explosive player, he could also walk into a few more targets with Kelce’s status being what it is and the projected tempo of this game.
Pacheco is an RB2 for me with a high floor (and is also viewed as viable in our PFN Consensus Rankings) while McKinnon is a hopeful Flex, and CEH is outside of the players in which I am considering as viable fantasy football options for Week 1.
