Chiefs 2022 Fantasy Football Preview: Exciting and Explosive

Fantasy football season is right around the corner, so let's take a look at how the Chiefs could perform.

Mid-July is typically the "dead" part of the NFL offseason. There is no football being played, teams are on vacation and the news cycle slows down. For fantasy football players, though, the season is just beginning.

In prior years, the Kansas City Chiefs have had the same marquee players that every fantasy player knew: Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. However, with the seismic shift in player personnel on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, it's time to preview what that means from a fantasy perspective. 

Who becomes the lead running back in Kansas City? Which receiver puts up the best stat line with the departure of Hill? Can the defense take a leap to become a good fantasy play? There should be a better understanding of the answers as training camp and the preseason start, but first, let's give an overview as fantasy drafts begin to take place worldwide.

Patrick Mahomes is ranked as the second quarterback across all major fantasy platforms. From a fantasy perspective, he is behind only Josh Allen due to Allen's running prowess. In the four years Mahomes has been a starter, he has finished first, sixth, third, and fourth in quarterback points. Even with the new pieces around him, the Chiefs have the offensive line to protect him and he's too talented not to be one of the highest-scoring quarterbacks in the league. Mahomes should be the guy at the top of your quarterback list, as he has always shown the ability to perform throughout the season, even when adversity strikes.

Dec 26, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The split between the Chiefs' running backs should be fascinating. When Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a rookie, he was drafted in the first round of fantasy drafts because of his elite college pedigree combined with the team he was drafted to, but he has yet to live up to those expectations. Now, he's undervalued in the fantasy realm. He is consistently ranked in the 30s for running backs, which is RB2 or FLEX range, depending on the league's size. Edwards-Helaire will outperform his ranking. The Chiefs have given every indication that they believe him to be their guy, and Andy Reid's running backs have a history of "popping" in their third year. 

Ronald Jones is the No. 2 running back. He should be a solid player on the bench as a handcuff if Edwards-Helaire misses time. Otherwise, though, he won't be a week-in and week-out player in a fantasy lineup. Jones could have some upside in daily fantasy plays because of his ability to hit a home run at any time.

The Chiefs have reshaped their wide receiver room. The only contributor from last year that returned is Mecole Hardman, but he's not the guy to be targeting in fantasy drafts. That player is JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster has shown the ability to be a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver with good quarterback play, and now he's getting the best. His strengths align with what one would want in an elite fantasy producer: strong hands, works the middle of the field and can break a big play when given the opportunity. Smith-Schuster should be the Chiefs receiver who gets the most targets, leading to a very productive wide receiver season that could be drafted in the later rounds.

The Chiefs' offense should have a more spread-out attack, so there won't be a receiver that will give you consistent numbers after Smith-Schuster. Hardman would probably be the next-closest one in line. His versatility will help him carve out a role on the roster, as he can catch screens, break big plays and get touches on runs. If he continues where he left off at the end of last season, he may even be a fringe fantasy starter. 

Like Jones, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is best in a daily fantasy lineup. He could go for 125 yards and two scores in one game and then have one catch for 14 yards the following week. It's more than likely that Valdes-Scantling will bust as many times as he booms. Skyy Moore is the last significant piece of the Chiefs' receiver room. Moore is ideal in a dynasty league. He will have all the opportunities to become a primary force in the offense in the future. This year he will have his moments but more likely than not, he'll be putting up similar numbers to what Hardman did his rookie season.

Sep 18, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Western Michigan Broncos wide receiver Skyy Moore (24) steps out of bounds just short of the end zone past Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Cam Bright (38) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Broncos won 44-41. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Kelce has put up six straight 1000-yard seasons and is Mahomes's favorite target. If healthy, chalk him up for at least 100 catches, 1200 yards and eight touchdowns. He will be who he's always been: the best tight end in football. 

On special teams, Harrison Butker is an interesting case. Butker is a top-five kicker in the league, but being a great kicker and a great fantasy kicker are two different things. Kickers get more points for field goals than extra points. In the Mahomes era, Butker has never kicked more field goals than extra points, which is great for the Chiefs but not Butker's fantasy output. He may not provide those boom weeks, but he won't have any bad weeks either. He will be constant seven to ten points a week, helping lead a team to victory.

The Chiefs' defense also went through a massive overhaul this offseason. It flushed out almost every piece of last year's secondary, as well as veteran leaders Anthony Hitchens and Tyrann Mathieu. In addition, Steve Spagnuolo's unit is never a well-oiled machine at the beginning of the season. Considering those factors and the Chiefs' demanding schedule, the defense would not be a great choice at the start of the year. However, similar to seasons past, if they hit their stride, it may be worth a look as the schedule lightens up during the fantasy playoffs.