The Chiefs added Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore with the 54th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Moore played QB and CB in high school but transitioned to WR as a freshman at Western Michigan. He made an immediate impact, leading that 2019 squad with 802 receiving yards. Moore played in just 5 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, averaging 5.0 catches, 77.6 yards and .6 TDs per. Those marks ranked 2nd behind 5th-year senior D’Wayne Eskridge. With Eskridge finally off to the NFL, Moore turned in a big 2021, ranking 9th nationwide in catches (95), 14th in receiving yards (1,292) and 21st in receiving TDs (10). He finished 3rd in Pro Football Focus receiving grade behind only Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and USC’s Drake London. Moore is just 5’10 but is well-built at 195 pounds. That helped him lead all WRs with 26 missed tackles forced last year, per PFF. Moore is also an explosive route runner and has 4.4 speed to win downfield. He was effective from both outside the numbers and the slot at Western Michigan and should bring position versatility to the NFL. The only real knock on Moore is that he faced lower-end competition in the MAC. This is obviously a strong landing spot alongside HC Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs added EDGE George Karlaftis with the 30th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Karlaftis tallied 12 sacks and 27 total tackles for loss in his 2 full seasons with Purdue. (Injury and COVID limited him to just 2 games in 2020.) Karlaftis ran slow in pre-draft testing which could point to a limited IDP ceiling. But he lands in a situation with opportunity as soon as he proves ready.
The Chiefs moved up to the 21st pick of the NFL Draft to select CB Trent McDuffie. The 3-year Washington corner offered little from a numbers standpoint in college, totaling just 2 INTs and 8 passes defensed -- with 6 of those coming last year. We're not betting on big IDP value from McDuffie, though he should enter the lineup quickly.
The Ravens have traded WR Marquise Brown and the 100th overall pick to Arizona for the 23rd pick in the NFL Draft. Brown lands in an offense with DeAndre Hopkins as the incumbent #1, but Hopkins showed signs of potentially slowing down in an injury-riddled 2021. Brown should slot in ahead of the remaining Cardinals WRs in targets. He heads into the 4th season of his rookie contract, with the 5th-year option lingering. We'll see about Baltimore's plans with the new Round 1 pick and the rest of this draft. Brown's departure certainly increases opportunity for Rashod Bateman, though.
ESPN's Dianna Russini reports that the Chiefs are "calling teams" trying to trade for a "top receiver." We could speculate on whom that might mean, but who would have ever guess that this offseason would include Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill being traded. For now, it's just a signal that we shouldn't get too comfy with the idea of either JuJu Smith-Schuster or Marquez Valdes-Scantling leading Kansas City in targets this season. Keep this possibility in mind as you decide where to value the recently signed wideouts in current best-ball drafting.
Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster announced Friday that he's signing with the Chiefs. He should face little competition -- at least among what's currently rostered -- for the #2 wideout position. That hasn't been a high-upside role with Andy Reid's Chiefs, though. No K.C. WR besides Tyreek Hill has finished higher than 47th in the PPR rankings since 2015. That #47 finish came last year from Mecole Hardman, who should lose some target share to Smith-Schuster. WR Byron Pringle's departure for Chicago leaves some targets available, but he drew just 8.9% of the looks last year. We'd bet on Smith-Schuster overtaking Hardman as the team's 2nd-most targeted wideout. The landing spot should boost the average target depth for Smith-Schuster after that number dwindled to 5.5 and 6.5 yards the past 2 seasons. He was at 8.8 and 9.7 his 1st 2 years in the league. The Chiefs also like to move their WRs around. So we'd bet on Smith-Schuster coming down from the 80+% of time he spent in the slot the past 2 seasons. He's also likely to jump up the ADP charts with the K.C. landing, so be wary of overpaying in best-ball drafts going forward.
The Chiefs have agreed with S Justin Reid on a 3-year, $31.5 million deal (with $20 million guaranteed), according to multiple reports. Still just 25 coming off his 4th pro season, Reid posted career-low fantasy production in 2021 amid injury and team issues. In K.C., he should occupy an upside IDP spot next to S Juan Thornhill. His arrival also almost certainly means that Tyrann Mathieu is heading elsewhere in free agency.
The Colts traded QB Carson Wentz to the Commanders. Indianapolis is receiving "a package of picks that is thought to include two third-round picks," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Washington is also paying the full $28 million that Wentz is owed for 2022. The 29-year-old was just ok for the Colts last season, posting a 62.4% completion rate, 6.9 yards-per-attempt average and 27 TDs vs. 7 INTs. Pro Football Focus graded Wentz 20th among 31 qualifiers. He's not a difference-maker at the position but should be an upgrade over Washington's Taylor Heinicke-led QB room last year. Consider Wentz's arrival a slight boost for WR Terry McLaurin, RB Antonio Gibson and the rest of the Commanders' skill-position players. Wentz should provide some spot-start fantasy value but isn't an exciting pick in early drafts. We'll see what the Colts plan to do at QB. They're currently left with Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan.
Update: Per Schefter, the Commanders are getting Wentz and a 2022 2nd-round pick in exchange for 2022 2nd- and 3rd-rounders and a 2023 3rd-rounder that becomes a 2nd if Wentz plays 70+% of the offensive snaps this season.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said from the Combine that he was encouraged by WR Mecole Hardman's growth last season. "Mecole did a good job, continually got better throughout the year and worked hard and it paid off for him," Reid said. "We found that groove as coaches of things that he did best and tried to utilize him in those positions." Hardman set career highs in 2021 with 59 catches and 693 receiving yards. But he still finished just 47th among WRs in PPR points -- and his best fantasy outing came in Week 18. In 3 playoff games, Hardman never topped a 57% snap rate and totaled just 9 targets. Reid's comments make it sound like the Chiefs like him in that limited role. We'll see if we hear anything to the contrary.
NFL Network's James Palmer hears that Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) is "good to go" for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bills. "They're not really looking at a snap count ... it's gonna be play it by ear," Palmer adds. It doesn't sound like Edwards-Helaire's shoulder will be a factor, but he might still lose snaps to RB Jerick McKinnon after McKinnon's strong showing in the Wild Card win.
Chiefs RB Darrel Williams (toe) is listed as questionable for Sunday night's Divisional Round game vs. the Bills after getting in just a limited practice on Friday. Meanwhile, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) was a full participant all week and will play against Buffalo. It's unclear exactly what this backfield split will look like after RB Jerick McKinnon's impressive showing in the Wild Card win over the Steelers.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire has put in a pair of full practices to open the week leading up to Sunday night's clash with the Bills. That comes after CEH was inactive for the Wild Card round win over the Steelers with his shoulder injury. Darrel Williams, meanwhile, sat out practice both Wednesday and Thursday with the toe injury that limited him to just 8 snaps against Pittsburgh. Jerick McKinnon, of course, emerged as the workhorse for that game. We'll see, though, how touches get distributed now that Edwards-Helaire appears on track for full availability.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That seemingly puts him on track to return for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bills. It's unclear, though, how touches will be divvied after RB Jerick McKinnon's impressive performance in the Wild Card Round. RB Darrel Williams (toe) did not practice on Wednesday.
Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs. We'd be surprised if he played anything close to a full slate of snaps in his first action since early October.
The Steelers have activated WR JuJu Smith-Schuster from IR, making him eligible to play in Sunday's game against the Chiefs. He had previously said he'd take part. It's tough to know just how much we can expect, though, from a guy who is coming off October shoulder surgery. Smith-Schuster is no more than a fringe fantasy football consideration for what will likely be Pittsburgh's lone playoff game.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) is out for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Steelers. It looks like he suffered a setback after putting in a limited practice on Wednesday. CEH's absence again leaves Darrel Williams as Kansas City's lead back. Williams will be playing through a toe injury, so it's possible that we see more of RBs Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon.
After being limited on Wednesday, Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) did not practice on Thursday. It's unclear if he suffered a setback with that shoulder or just got the day off. RB Darrel Williams (toe) remained limited on Thursday. We'll get another update on the Chiefs backfield on Friday afternoon.
Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) returned to practice on Thursday. He's been out since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5 that required surgery. He was supposed to miss the rest of the season and still seems like a big long shot to play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. But we'll keep an eye on him.
Chiefs RBs Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) and Darrel Williams (toe) were limited in Wednesday's practice. That seemingly puts them on track to play vs. the Steelers on Sunday, but we'll get another update on both guys tomorrow.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Monday that RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is "making great progress" with his shoulder injury. But Reid stopped short of saying that Edwards-Helaire will be ready for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Steelers. "I think we'll be able to get a little work out of him this week, but we'll see how the next couple days go," Reid said. We'll see what CEH is able to do in practice this week.
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