Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's knee injury is "not believed to be a long-term" issue, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Kelce's availability for Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions is "in doubt," per Rapoport, but at least we're not looking at an extended absence from the fantasy first-rounder. "They’ll wait for swelling to go down and go from there," Rapoport adds. We knocked one game off of Kelce's season-long projections and have removed him from the Week 1 rankings for now. Stay tuned for further updates.
UPDATE: ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted on Tuesday evening that the Chiefs "believe Travis Kelce’s ACL is intact" but that there is inflammation in his knee. The team will test Kelce again tomorrow to determine his fitness for the opener.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce hyperextended a knee in practice Tuesday, HC Andy Reid told reporters. The injury leaves Kelce's status "uncertain" for Thursday night against the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It'll help that it's the first game of the week, so fantasy managers will still have all other lineup options available before locking in that TE starter. We'll keep tracking the situation. Backup TE Noah Gray makes sense as a waiver-wire option this week for deeper leagues.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones remains away from the team as K.C. prepares for Thursday night's opener against the Lions. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the player and team are still "not close on a deal" for boosting Jones' contract. The situation adds obvious risk to Jones in IDP leagues. We haven't moved the veteran down our IDP rankings, though, because plenty of upside remains whenever he does return. You'll need to decide how to balance the risk with the upside on Jones at draft time. Not having Jones, of course, would hurt the Chiefs' team defense. You shouldn't be looking to use them against Detroit in Week 1 anyway, though.
Chiefs RB Isaiah Pacheco (shoulder, hand) shed his non-contact jersey for Monday's practice. HC Andy Reid said afterward that there's a chance Pacheco plays in Saturday's preseason finale. He's clearly on track to be ready for Week 1.
Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star reports that Chiefs WR Skyy Moore has worked consistently ahead of teammates Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross. He says Moore "has been with 1st every rep at training camp when KC has had 2 WRs." Rice and Ross, meanwhile, "have occasionally mixed in with 1st but overwhelmingly been with 2s." Kadarius Toney, of course, has been out since suffering a setback with the knee that has needed two operations since the end of last season. So it looks like Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the Chiefs' top two WRs at least for now. Keep that in mind for your fantasy football drafts. Moore leads all Chiefs in our WR rankings and sits much further ahead of Rice there than he does in best ball ADP.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach confirmed on Monday that RB Isiah Pacheco is expected to play in the season opener vs. the Lions. Pacheco underwent offseason surgeries on his shoulder and hand and missed spring workouts. He's been participating in training camp, albeit in a non-contact jersey, and has looked good by all accounts. NFL Network's James Palmer reported last week that Pacheco is expected to be fully cleared by August 20. We're projecting Pacheco as if he'll be a full-go come Week 1.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco has yet to shed his non-contact jersey at training camp. The team is taking is easy on Pacheco, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery. NFL Network’s James Palmer tweeted recently that Pacheco “should be cleared for contact” by August 20. The second-year rusher carries a reasonable Underdog Fantasy ADP of RB30.
NFL Network's James Palmer reports that Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is expected to be fully cleared by August 20. He underwent offseason surgeries on his hand and shoulder. The hand has been cleared, per Palmer, but the shoulder is still a couple of weeks away. Pacheco has been participating in training camp with a non-contact jersey. It sounds like he'll be full-go by the time we get to Week 1.
Chiefs OC Matt Nagy gave his take on rookie WR Rashee Rice. “[Rice] comes from a no-huddle offense (Southern Methodist University). Yet it’s a little bit different with the tempo here and now, a huddle play,” Nagy explained. “Getting to the line of scrimmage, running your route, having conversions with it and yet being on time, jogging back and doing it again… He came in phenomenal shape here to this training camp — and I think every day, he’s made incremental improvements. It’s exciting for us because the sky’s the roof for his talent.” The Round 2 pick projects in a rotational role out of the gate, but there are snaps up for grabs in the Chiefs’ WR corps.
Chiefs reporter Pete Sweeney writes that the connection between QB Patrick Mahomes and WR Skyy Moore “seems to be getting better every day.” Moore looks poised for a prominent early-season role given the recent injury to Kadarius Toney. A Year 2 leap into WR3 range is within Moore’s range of outcomes.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones did not report to training camp with the rest of the team Saturday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Jones has been looking for a new contract ahead of the final season on his existing deal. Schefter reports that the "two sides remain far apart." We'll see how this one progresses for one of the league's top D-linemen. For now, we're not moving Jones down our IDP rankings.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco was on the field for the start of training camp on Wednesday. He was sporting a non-contact jersey after undergoing offseason labrum and hand surgeries. But there was otherwise "no sign of injury," according to insider Pete Sweeney. We'll continue to keep an eye on Pacheco, but it looks like he'll be back to 100% ahead of Week 1.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid isn't yet sure when RB Isiah Pacheco will be ready to get back on the field. He underwent offseason surgeries to repair a broken hand and a torn labrum. “We’ll just make a decision with Pacheco as we go forward here,” Reid said. “I think we’ll have enough time, but let’s see how this all goes. I’ll be curious to talk to [Pacheco]. I haven’t seen him yet. [Head trainer] Rick [Burkholder] is likewise going to talk to him.” We'll keep a close eye on Pacheco over the next month and a half. The situation adds some intrigue to RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire as an end-of-draft flier. Undrafted rookie RB Deneric Prince reportedly had a strong spring and is worth monitoring in camp. Jerick McKinnon is seemingly locked in as Kansas City's pass-catching back.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce will turn 34 in October but has shown no signs of decline. He just registered his second-best Pro Football Focus receiving grade and fourth-most yards per route run of his career last season. Those marks ranked first and second, respectively, among 32 qualifying TEs. From a fantasy perspective, Kelce easily led all TEs in PPR, half-PPR, and non-PPR points. He's now finished as a top-2 fantasy TE in seven straight seasons, including six No. 1 finishes. Just how high should Kelce go in 2023 fantasy drafts? Check out where he sits in the overall rankings.
The Chiefs "hope" RB Isiah Pacheco will be ready to return by the "middle" of training camp, according to The Athletic's Nate Taylor. Pacheco continues to rehab from offseason surgeries to repair a torn labrum and broken bone in his hand. He missed all of spring workouts, and it sounds like he won't be cleared to return until some time in August. His health will be worth watching closely next month. Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and undrafted rookie Deneric Prince are the next men up in Kansas City's backfield.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor believes Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is “skilled enough to be the Chiefs’ top passing option” for two more seasons. “An argument can be made that Mahomes is so brilliant, from the pocket and improvising out of the pocket, that perhaps he and Kelce can continue to connect for at least 1,000 yards the next three years,” Taylor concludes. Kelce, 34 in October, has hit 1,000 yards in seven straight seasons. He showed no signs of decline last year, but that’ll be a topic worth revisiting each offseason. For now, Kelce remains king of the TE rankings.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach suggested that the team views rookie WR Rashee Rice as a potential replacement for WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. “He was a guy that the contested catch and the run-after-the-catch (skill) was something that really stood out," Veach said. “We did lose JuJu. It makes sense to find a guy that can do a lot of things that he can do on the inside game. He’s almost like a running back after the catch." Rice has reportedly spent time out wide, in the slot and even attached to the line of scrimmage at rookie minicamp. He played 82% of his snaps out wide at SMU last year but was in the slot for 94% of his snaps back in 2021. That positional versatility can only help Rice's chances of earning a significant role as a rookie.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is recovering from offseason surgeries on his hand and labrum, HC Andy Reid said. According to Rutgers Wire, Pacheco played "much of the season" with a torn labrum and then broke a bone between his wrist and thumb in the AFC Championship Game. "He's making progress," Reid said. "We'll just see how he does with it. I can't even give you a timeline on it, but he's doing well." Pacheco emerged as Kansas City's lead back over the second half of last season, averaging 13.6 carries over the final 12 games (including playoffs). He ceded most of the passing-down work to RB Jerick McKinnon, who just re-signed with the Chiefs last week. We'll likely see a similar arrangement this season, assuming Pacheco is back to 100% by Week 1. We'll keep an eye on his recovery.
The Chiefs selected SMU WR Rashee Rice in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Rice is coming off a huge 2022 season: 96 catches, 1,355 yards, and 10 TDs. He ranked ninth among 286 qualifying WRs in yards per route run (3.05) and seventh in Pro Football Focus receiving grade. He also led SMU in catches as a sophomore and junior. Rice isn’t a burner (4.51-second 40 time) but has the leaping ability, body control, and ball skills to win contested balls downfield. He led the FBS with 18 receptions 20+ yards downfield last year. Rice helped himself at the Combine with a 95th percentile Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by elite marks in the vertical and broad jumps at 6’1 and 204 pounds. He joins a depth chart featuring Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore. There’s room to climb into a fantasy-friendly role as soon as 2023. Longer-term, you’re chasing a potential full-time starter alongside Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs spent the final pick of Round 1 on Kansas State Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The former Wildcat posted nice numbers over the past two years, totaling 25.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks over that span. He didn't run a 40-yard dash leading up to the draft because of right foot and left hamstring issues. But Anudike-Uzomah otherwise tested well, including a 91st-percentile 3-cone drill. There's room for him to carve out an early role in Kansas City. Landing in Round 1 figures to move Anudike-Uzomah up our rookie IDP rankings.
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