Saints @ Chiefs
Final Score: Chiefs 26 – Saints 13
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp on Twitter)
Monday Night Football was a close to one-sided affair with the Kansas City Chiefs getting the win over the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs would dominate the time of possession for 40 to 20 minutes. We finally got some life out of Travis Kelce, but the real winners were a couple of former Chiefs. Juju Smith-Schuster and Kareem Hunt looked elite. The Saints were flashy at times but couldn’t get anything going consistently on offense. The run game was ineffective, and the only player Derek Carr could throw to was Rashid Shaheed. The Saints’ offensive woes continue on this current three-game losing streak.
Three Up
- Kareem Hunt – After a great Week 4, Hunt backed it up with a heavy workload, showing he will be the RB1 in Kansas City.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster – Smith-Schuster showed that he could play and thrived in the Rashee Rice role. He is rising for the rest of the season.
- Travis Kelce – Kelce turned back the clock and dominated in Week 5. The high target share tight end is the one we have been waiting for this season.
Three Down
- Patrick Mahomes – Mahomes continues to do great for the Kansas City Chiefs but not for fantasy. Mahomes continues to have mediocre production.
- Chris Olave – Olave seeing four targets in a negative game script is a concern. Olave continues to show inconsistency in being a fantasy star.
- Xavier Worthy – Worthy did have a touchdown in this game, but it looks like his role isn’t going to change with Rashee Rice being done for the season.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 18/28, 165 Yards, 2 TD, INT
Derek Carr finished with decent fantasy production, but he didn’t look all that great tonight. He had a couple of nice throws on his touchdowns while under pressure. The pressure was tough for Carr overall, and he was forced to make quick throws before the play would develop. Carr’s pick was due to pressure, and he forced it up high, resulting in the turnover. Carr sustained a potential rib/chest injury in the fourth quarter that would knock him out of the game’s final six minutes. Carr’s fantasy value can be a real headache moving forward in fantasy.
Jake Haener: 2/7, 17 Yards | 2 Carries, 11 Yards.
Back up Jake Haener would see a few drives with Carr knocked out of the game. Haener didn’t look all that great, getting a few chances in the game. He would throw the ball in poor situations, but he showed that he could move in the pocket better than Carr. Haener could have a chance to start in Week 6 if something is really wrong with Carr.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 11 Carries, 26 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 40 Yards
Alvin Kamara got off to a hot start on the ground during the team’s first drive of the game. He would start with 11 yards on his first two carries. His nine other carries would go for 15 yards. Kamara did have his role in the passing game with six receptions. Kamara was better in space on dump-offs than actually running the ball. Kamara often met Chiefs defensive linemen as soon as he handled the ball. Tonight wasn’t Kamara’s night, but he was going up against an elite run defense. Kamara will bounce back and have better games.
Jamaal Williams: 2 Carries, 9 Yards
Williams did not touch the ball after early in the second quarter. He was fine on his two runs. He is not valuable at all in a negative game script in fantasy.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Olave: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards
The Chiefs planned to take Chris Olave out of the equation for the Saints offense. He only finished with 10 yards in this game. Olave would see more double teams and disappear in the offense. Olave did have a shot to get a 20-yard-plus play during the game but dropped it. Olave is going to be a little inconsistent due to the quarterback play. Olave had chances, but things didn’t go his way tonight.
Rashid Shaheed: 9 Targets, 4 Receptions, 86 Yards, TD
Rashid Shaheed was the winner for the Saints offense tonight. He had a big game with 86 yards and a touchdown. He was able to score on a 43-yard touchdown. He showed off his speed and was able to beat the safety deep for the touchdown. Shaheed has been a little inconsistent in fantasy, but the nine targets are a great sign of things to come. There were a few plays where Shaheed just received a bad throw from his quarterback.
Juwan Johnson: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 31 Yards
The Saints tight end Juwan Johnson put up his best fantasy performance of the season. He saw most of his targets on short underneath throws to get Carr out of a jam. Johnson should not be on fantasy radars.
Mason Tipton : 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Rookie Mason Tipton got involved when the Saints ran three wide receiver sets in this game. Tipton’s stats don’t look great, but he did have one catch that would have gone for a big play had he been able to stay in bounds. He doesn’t offer much fantasy value.
Foster Moreau: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards, TD
The Saints other tight end, Foster Moreau, was able to secure a touchdown on Sunday. Moreau’s production has come and gone from the Saints offense this year. He’ll likely disappear next week and shouldn’t be considered a legitimate weapon in this offense.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 28/39, 331 Yards, INT | 6 Carries, 22 Yards
As a quarterback, Patrick Mahomes played fantastic for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes did Mahomes-like things on the field tonight. He was able to move around the pocket would ease and make the big throws downfield. Unfortunately, he finished without a touchdown in this game. Mahomes’ issue in fantasy was having a full-game finish with yards and touchdowns. He had plenty of time in the pocket, as the Saints did not put a ton of pressure on him. He would miss his receivers downfield a few times in the early portion of the game.
Running Back
Kareem Hunt: 27 Carries, 102 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 15 Yards
Kareem Hunt came to play in Week 5. He carried the ball 27 times, showing his ability to handle a big workload. Hunt would look fast and explosive on his runs. He showed off power up the middle of the field to gain five to seven yards easily. He didn’t see much work in the passing game, but he would have a solid dump-off catch that would go for 15 yards. Hunt should be the workhorse running back for the Chiefs as long as Isiah Pacheco doesn’t come back anytime soon. Hunt is a high-end RB2 upside moving forward.
Samaje Perine: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 24 Yards
Samaje Perine would play most of the third down and long plays the Chiefs would get into. Perine would have been better off if the Chiefs had been in an equal or negative game script. He had his yardage due to a crazy trick play that led to Travis Kelce having a catch and tossing the ball in the middle of the field to Perine.
Carson Steele: 5 Carries, 12 Yards
Carson Steele came in for relief at times for Kareem Hunt. It was clear that Hunt was the RB1, and Steele was a backup in the offense. He didn’t look great on his runs, and he almost had a fumble after a poorly run trick play on the offense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Travis Kelce: 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 70 Yards
The Chiefs made it a point to get the ball to Travis Kelce early and often. He had 3 of the first 6 targets in this game. Kelce would be fantastic in space, finding the opening over the middle. We are hoping that Kelce can do more than that, but it’s a solid start. Kelce would have an almost touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but he was stuffed. If Kelce can keep this up, then he should be back on track to being the top target for Mahomes.
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 130 Yards
The return of Juju Smith-Schuster seems to have worked for the Chiefs. Smith-Schuster would slide into the Rashee Rice role and thrive in fantasy. He was consistently open on crossing routes and used his speed to make big plays for fantasy. He would, unfortunately, cost a turnover in this game. He would be the reason Patrick Mahomes would throw an interception in the endzone. Smith-Schuster would have the catch thrown to him, but he could not hang on to the ball. Smith-Schuster would finish with a team-high in yards and should be someone to pick up during the Week 6 waiver Wire.
Xavier Worthy : 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 25 Yards | 1 Carry, 3 Yards, TD
Rookie Xavier Worthy did not see the expanded role I thought he could have had in this game. He was third in targets and stayed on the field as the Chiefs’ trick play/deep ball player. A few times, Worthy easily beat his defender, but Mahomes didn’t look his way. Worthy had a few solid catches that showed off his speed in the open field. He was used on a Wild Cat play that led to a touchdown. Worthy will continue to be a boom or bust WR3/4.
Noah Gray: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 29 Yards
The Chiefs often used three and four tight end sets in this game. Noah Gray had two solid catches, and they were among the top ten big plays in this game. Gray has potential but is limited, with Kelce rebounding in fantasy.
Mecole Hardman: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 33 Yards
Mecole Hardman had a few nice short catches in this game. Hardman is likely not fantasy-relevant unless more Chiefs get hurt.
Jody Fortson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Jody Fortson returned to the Chiefs and played in this game. He isn’t much of a fantasy option.
Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@justparadesigns on Twitter/X)