Jaguars @ Chiefs
Final Score: Chiefs 27, Jaguars 17
Writer: Brett Ford (@fadethatman on Twitter)
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took care of business at home on Sunday afternoon, dispatching Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-17, though the game was not as close as the final score indicates. Despite the Jaguars going deep into their bag from the jump (successfully converting an onside kick on the opening kickoff), the Chiefs quickly built up a three-score lead and held on through the second half to secure the victory.
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Despite putting up decent points, the Kansas City offense continued to frustrate fantasy managers with the widespread distribution of touches and scores. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville passing attack benefitted from the negative game script as Trevor Lawrence was forced to sling it all over the yard in the second half.
Let’s dig in.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence: 29/40, 259 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Carries, 26 Yards
Trevor Lawrence reached 20+ fantasy points for just the third time this season, completing 29 passes (his second-most completions in a game in his career) for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The offensive line struggled to protect him at times, allowing a season-high five sacks.
Lawrence missed a couple of throws that should have been completed but was accurate on other more difficult throws. His inconsistency is something that has frustrated his fantasy managers, though if he ends up in these negative game scripts as he has for most of the season he could end up being a valuable fantasy asset down the stretch. With soft matchups against the Lions and Texans on the docket later this year, he’s definitely worth consideration for streaming in 10 or 12-team leagues.
Running Back
Travis Etienne Jr.: 11 Carries, 45 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards
JaMycal Hasty: 1 Carry, 4 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, -1 Yards
Jamal Agnew: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 4 Yards
Travis Etienne had a disappointing day after leaping into the upper echelon of fantasy running backs a few weeks ago. He finished with just 45 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards on three catches, his lowest fantasy output since Week 4. The Jaguars got away from the run early, only handing it off to their star running back 11 times while backup JaMychal Hasty rushed just once. Etienne is still a top running back in fantasy but has another tough matchup with the Ravens next week. If you can survive until Week 13, he’ll get a juicy matchup against the Detroit Lions’ porous rush defense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Christian Kirk: 12 Targets, 9 Receptions, 105 Yards, 2 TD
Zay Jones: 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 68 Yards
Marvin Jones Jr.: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 33 Yards
Evan Engram: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 14 Yards
Dan Arnold: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Christian Kirk is a bonafide WR1. It’s no longer a question. Kirk pulled in a season-high nine catches on 12 targets for 105 and two scores – by far his best fantasy output of the season. Kirk was used mostly on intermediate routes, 10-15 yards deep, pulling in an average of 11.7 yards per reception with a long of 24. His first touchdown was a three-yard fade to the pylon where he beat the defender outside from the slot for a score.
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His second touchdown catch was a dime from Lawrence, which Kirk made a nice adjustment on and caught over his shoulder for a late score.
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Zay Jones looked like a legit WR2 as well, pulling in eight catches on 10 targets for 68 yards. He was used mostly on underneath routes in short-yardage areas and is most useful in PPR formats in a Hunter Renfrow-esque role.
Evan Engram had a touchdown catch nullified by an offensive lineman who missed the play call and blocked a linebacker eight yards downfield for a penalty. Instead, he finished with a boring day – just three catches for 17 yards.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 26/35, 331 Yards, 4 TD, INT | 7 Carries, 39 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Patrick Mahomes had perhaps one of the quietest four-touchdown games of the season. He topped 25+ fantasy points for the third-straight start, posting 31.14 points for his managers. He completed 26 of 35 passes for 331 yards and scampered for 39 yards, including a 19-yard pickup on the Chiefs’ first drive of the day. If he can continue his pace from the last three games, he will be in contention for a real-life MVP award, while propelling his fantasy managers to a likely playoff berth.
Mahomes spread the love with nine different receivers hauling in at least one pass and four different pass-catchers finding the end zone. Most of the scoring damage came against what appeared to be zone defense, with Mahomes patiently waiting and picking apart the defense with his pinpoint accuracy.
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His costliest mistake of the day came in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs were attempting to ice the game away. After evading a pair of pass rushers, his pass, intended for Jerick McKinnon out of the backfield, was late and picked off by a Jacksonville defender.
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Running Back
Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 0 Carries, 0 Yards | 2 targets
Isiah Pacheco: 16 Carries, 82 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Jerick McKinnon: 1 Carry, 2 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 56 Yards
Isiah Pacheco is the undisputed starting running back for the Chiefs. If there was ever a doubt, not only did Pacheco get 16 of Kansas City’s 18 running back carries, Pacheco also coughed up a fumble in the red zone on the Chiefs’ opening drive and STILL got the lion’s share of the running back opportunities. Pacheco ran well, showing better vision than we’ve seen previously, hitting the hole and running downhill with some violence behind him.
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Clyde Edwards-Helaire practically got the week off, with zero carries and no catches on just two targets out of the backfield. With just 10 carries and five targets in his last three games combined, CEH is now waiver-wire fodder as Pacheco has taken control of the early-down role in this backfield. For what it’s worth he was in formation for a goal-to-go carry that looked as if it would have been a run but Mahomes fumbled the snap… and he was never heard from again.
Jerick McKinnon was effective and useful in PPR formats as the pass-catching back, making six catches for 56 yards on a team-high eight targets.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Travis Kelce: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 81 Yards, TD
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 60 Yards, TD
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 33 Yards
Noah Gray: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards, TD
Justin Watson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
Jody Fortson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Skyy Moore: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Shiny new toy Kadarius Toney will be used in a number of different ways moving forward, highlighting his athleticism and play-making ability out of the slot, backfield, and out wide. He caught a touchdown on what appeared to be a busted coverage after moving in pre-snap motion. He also rushed for a massive 32-yard gain on an end-around, showing his versatility.
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The Kansas City tight ends had a big day combining for two receiving scores. The problem is that they were split between Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. Kelce snapped his drought with a short-yardage score, sitting down in a soft spot in the Jaguars’ zone. He added a long 46-yard reception, finishing with six catches for 81 yards and a score… relatively average for his standards, though I’m sure it thrilled his fantasy managers after his stretch of scoreless weeks.
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Gray leaked behind the linebackers into the corner of the end zone for a nice touchdown completion at the end of the second quarter, finishing with three catches for 20 yards and a score. Gray has shown flashes of brilliance and may be worth an add in deep-league dynasty formats. If he ever gets out of Kelce’s shadow he might end up being a top-15 tight end.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster caught two passes on four targets before he was removed and placed in the concussion protocol for the remainder of the game. This injury situation is something to monitor moving forward, especially with the crackdown that we’ve seen league-wide this season.