Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce edged WR JuJu Smith-Schuster for the Week 1 target lead, 9-8, with WR Mecole Hardman checking in 3rd (with 6). It was WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, though, playing more snaps than any offensive skill player besides Patrick Mahomes. MVS edged Smith-Schuster by 1 route and Kielce by 2, according to Pro Football Focus. Hardman checked in 4th in that category, with the rest of the team far behind. Valdes-Scantling might well remain behind Kelce and Smith-Schuster in target distribution. But his 5.5-yard Week 1 average depth of target suggests he won't merely be the downfield player he was in Green Bay. (MVS' ADOTs with the Packers went 13.8, 16.6, 18.2, 18.2.) Keep MVS in mind more than you would most WRs who open the year with 4 targets and 2 other significant receiving threats in the lineup.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes delivered 360 yards and 5 TDs on 30-of-39 passing in Sunday's laugher at Arizona. Mahomes largely spread targets around, dealing 9 to TE Travis Kielce, 8 to WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, 6 to WR Mecole Hardman -- with 3 other guys drawing at least 3. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire snagged 2 of the TD throws, with 1 apiece going to Kielce, Hardman and TE Joe Fortson. It was a soft Cardinals defense, but Mahomes let fantasy football players know we need not worry too much about life after Tyreek Hill.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss "about 2 months" with the MCL sprain he suffered in Sunday's loss at Chicago. Jeff Wilson Jr. stepped in after Mitchell left the game, though WR Deebo Samuel nearly matched his carry total (9-8). We'd bet on Samuel remaining significantly involved in the run game, which isn't great for his chances of staying healthy. We'd also expect rookie Tyrion Davis-Price to be activated for Week 2, after being a healthy scratch in the opener. RB Jordan Mason was active ahead of him but didn't play a snap on offense. Wilson is the only 49ers RB worth considering for Week 2 use. Don't expect him to land high in our Week 2 rankings when they hit the site Tuesday, however.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss "a few weeks (or more)" with the knee injury he suffered in Sunday's opener vs. the Bears, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Mitchell is undergoing an MRI on Monday to get a full view of the damage to the knee. We should get a more concrete timeline for his return over the next couple days, but fantasy owners need to start making replacement plans. Jeff Wilson is the favorite to take over as San Francisco's lead RB, but Jordan Mason and Ty Davis-Price are also worth stashing.

Chiefs K Harrison Butker was injured on the opening kickoff of today's game vs. the Cardinals. He had to be carted to the locker room and figures to be done for the day. S Justin Reid is handling kicking duties now.

Update: Butker was able to return and nail a 54-yard FG.

Chargers LB Drue Tranquill (back) is active for today's game against the Raiders. He remains a low-end IDP option, though.

The 49ers have declared RB Elijah Mitchell out for the rest of today's game with a right-knee injury. We'll see about the severity.

The Chargers list LB Drue Tranquill as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders. He turned up on the injury report after hurting his back Friday, which doesn't bode well for his outlook in the opener. Tranquill is listed as a ILB starter on the team's "unofficial" depth chart, next to Kyle Van Noy. His absence would leave room for either Kenneth Murray or Troy Reeder, but we wouldn't plan on using either in Week 1 IDP lineups.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan (knee) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was limited in practice all week but is evidently set to play vs. the Vikings on Sunday -- 10-and-a-half months after tearing an ACL. Tonyan just returned to practice in mid-August, so it's unclear if he's ready for a full-time role just yet. Despite Green Bay's WR issues, we'd try not to use Tonyan in Week 1 fantasy lineups.

Update: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Tonyan "will likely have a limited role" in the opener.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. His status for Sunday's opener vs. the Vikings remains uncertain -- but it at least looks like he's close to making it back from last October's torn ACL.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) put in a full practice on Wednesday. It's confirmation that he's ready to rock for Sunday's opener vs. the Cardinals.

The 49ers kept 5 RBs on their initial 53-man roster: Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon, Ty Davis-Price and Jordan Mason. Mitchell is the clear lead back heading into Week 1, but keeping 5 RB is another sign that San Francisco is worried about Mitchell holding up. Unfortunately, there's no clear-cut handcuff to Mitchell at this point.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was back on the practice field Monday. He missed a little over a week with what the team called a "sore knee." But, barring a setback, he should be ready to roll for the start of the season.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan returned to 11-on-11 work on Sunday for the 1st time since tearing his ACL last October. But HC Matt LaFleur was non-committal when asked Monday whether Tonyan will be ready for Week 1. "It's a little early to say that right now," LaFleur said. "That was his first action in team periods. We'll see how he responds." Tonyan shouldn't be in your early-season fantasy plans, but he's capable of emerging as an asset later on.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) returned to practice on Sunday. He'd been out for over 2 weeks and missed all 3 of San Francisco's preseason games. Barring a setback, though, he should be ready to operate as the 49ers' lead back come Week 1.

ESPN's Field Yates reports that the Chiefs and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster have adjusted the wideout's contract to double his per-game roster bonus from $30,000 to $60,000. Smith-Schuster signed his original 1-year deal before the team traded WR Tyreek Hill to Miami, so clearly he has gained value to the Chiefs simply because of that move. This seems like a relative good-faith gesture: We'll reward you better if you produce. We're not sure there's any projections adjustment needed on this news, though.

Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie sustained a concussion in Thursday night's preseason finale vs. Green Bay. The rookie still has 2 weeks to make it through the league protocol before the regular-season opener. He's expected to start if ready.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid didn't sound concerned about WR JuJu Smith-Schuster's sore knee and expects him to be ready for the start of the season, according to insider Herbie Teope. Smith-Schuster has been sidelined since the day after Kansas City's preseason opener but recently "turned the corner" in his recovery, Reid said. We'll keep an eye on JuJu but haven't adjusted his 2022 projections.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that RB Elijah Mitchell is "on schedule” to play Week 1. He’s missed time with a hamstring injury, but it’s not expected to be a long-term issue. He remains a fringe RB2.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster missed several practices this week with what the team deemed a "sore knee," according to Chiefs Wire. HC Andy Reid said Thursday that Smith-Schuster is progressing, though it seems unlikely he'll play in Saturday's 2nd preseason game. We'll keep an eye on the situation beyond that, but the issue doesn't appear serious.