Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 26th at 4:00 PM ET
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Betting Odds: KC -6.5, 54.5 Total on Oddshark
Network: CBS
Los Angeles Chargers
QUARTERBACK
Justin Herbert (Start)
The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks than all but one-third of the league, a clear indicator that Justin Herbert will finish in the Top Ten this week. Add in a projected game script that should yield plenty of points for both sides, and we can’t find a single reason to keep Herbert out of lineups.
RUNNING BACKS
Austin Ekeler (Start, RB1), Justin Jackson (Sit), Larry Roundtree (Sit)
We’re excited to watch the Chiefs and Chargers light up the scoreboard, and no one will have a bigger role in helping his team rack up points than Austin Ekeler. After a slow start due to injury, we expect Ekeler to consume a greater share of targets as he returns to full health, resuming his role as one of the go-to weapons in the passing game. We expect Top Ten numbers from Ekeler this week, and a Top Five finish wouldn’t surprise us in the least. Justin Jackson and Larry Roundtree can be safely considered afterthoughts as long as Ekeler is healthy and playing.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Keenan Allen (Start, WR1), Mike Williams (Start, WR3/Flex), Jalen Guyton (Sit), Jared Cook (Sit)
Working out of the slot, Keenan Allen should see a lot of Chiefs slot corner L’Jarius Sneed. We don’t want to jinx anything, but Sneed has allowed a 100 percent catch rate to receivers he’s covered so far this year, according to Pro Football Focus. Expect Allen to leapfrog Mike Williams this week and retake his role as the Chargers’ main target hog.
Allen already leads the team with 239 air yards, currently ninth-best in the NFL to date. While we expect a Top Ten finish from him this week, we’re fading red-hot teammate Williams just a bit. Williams has been the recipient of 22 targets through two weeks, currently tied for second-best in the NFL. Defenses can no longer ignore the size/speed mismatch he represents when healthy, and Ekeler will become more of a factor as he returns to full health. With our expectations appropriately in check, we still like Williams as a high-end WR3 this week.
We’re not ready to roster Jalen Guyton, but we’re more optimistic about Jared Cook. The former New Orleans Saints tight end is not a choice Week 3 start in our eyes, but fantasy managers bitten by the injury bug could do far worse at the position.
Kansas City Chiefs
QUARTERBACKS
Patrick Mahomes (Start)
The Chargers have allowed the second-fewest fantasy point total to opposing quarterbacks through two weeks. That might shake some people up, but you don’t really need us to tell you to start Patrick Mahomes, do you?
Good. Let’s move on.
RUNNING BACKS
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Start, RB2), Darrel Williams (Sit), Jerick McKinnon (Sit)
Few players have been as disappointing in fantasy football circles as Clyde Edwards-Helaire. For the second season in a row, the 2020 first-round pick has failed to live up to the hype; the LSU product has been a relative non-factor in fantasy football box scores so far in his career. We support the logic behind adding Darrel Williams and/or Jerick McKinnon to benches but can’t recommend either in starting lineups until they start proving capable of consistently commandeering significant percentages of snaps, carries, and targets away from Helaire.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Tyreek Hill (Start, WR1), Mecole Hardman (Sit), Byron Pringle (Sit), Demarcus Robinson (Sit), Travis Kelce (Start)
A fairly tough WR/CB matchup against Derwin James might give some a reason to pause, but we like the odds of Tyreek Hill bouncing back from a forgettable Week 2. Odds are extremely high that he’ll at least double last week’s paltry target total of four, re-establishing himself as a Top 5 wide receiver in all fantasy football formats.
We’re nowhere near as high on the trio of Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, and Demarcus Robinson. We support taking a flyer on any of the three as upside bench stashes, but we don’t feel comfortable rolling out any of the three on a weekly basis. Like Mahomes, Travis Kelce is another no-brainer. Only Darren Waller and T.J. Hockenson have seen more tight end targets to date. If you’re not starting the consensus top tight end in football, it’s time to go sit in a corner and re-evaluate your life choices.