Kansas City Chiefs - Fantasy News

Chargers at Chiefs Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

12/15/17

NFL

Kansas City Chiefs

Kareem Hunt

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Chargers will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. Both teams are 7-6 and tied for the lead in the AFC West. The winner of this game will control its own destiny in the AFC playoff picture.

After an 0-4 start, Los Angeles has pulled off one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history. Only one team in the last 30 years has made the playoffs being winless after four games, but the Chargers are on pace to do just that. Behind a Philip Rivers resurgence and several dominant defensive performances, Los Angeles looks like a legitimate contender for the AFC Championship game.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are headed in the opposite direction. They started 5-0, then lost six of seven games before picking up a win against the hapless Raiders in Week 14. Teams have befuddled Alex Smith and Andy Reid by playing a ton of zone coverage, while the Kansas City defense has crumbled after several key injuries.

Los Angeles Chargers Week 15 Projected Fantasy Points
Philip Rivers: 17.5 PFP
Keenan Allen: 17.0 PFP
Melvin Gordon: 12.5 PFP
Nick Novak: 10.0 PFP
Hunter Henry: 8.5 PFP
Tyrell Williams: 7.5 PFP
Austin Ekeler: 7.5 PFP
Travis Benjamin: 6.0 PFP

Kansas City Chiefs Week 15 Projected Fantasy Points
Alex Smith: 18.5 PFP
Travis Kelce: 12.5 PFP
Tyreek Hill: 12.0 PFP
Harrison Butker: 10.0 PFP
Kareem Hunt: 9.0 PFP
Albert Wilson: 6.5 PFP

Start 'Em: Hunter Henry (8.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 7.7

Quietly, Henry is establishing himself as one of the best all-around tight ends in the league. He began the season behind Antonio Gates, but since Gates broke the record for tight end receiving touchdowns, Henry has been the go-to guy at the position. While Gates has just four receptions in his last five games, Henry has scored more than 8.6 DFP seven times in the last 10 contests. He now gets a matchup against a Chiefs squad that just gave up 16.0 DFP to Jared Cook of all people. A focal point of an offense that is currently rolling, Henry is a great bet to get over 8.5 PFP this week.

Sit 'Em: Tyrell Williams (7.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 7.08

A 6-foot-4 speedster, Williams has revealed himself to be a very limited receiver. He has two receptions or fewer in six of his last seven games and has fewer than 7.5 DFP in eight of 12 games this season. Since Week 1, Williams ranks fifth on the team in targets behind Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon, Hunter Henry and Travis Benjamin. When fading Williams, there is always a risk he breaks a 75-yard touchdown, but we recommend fading him on Dober Play Cards at a PFP that is banking on a big play on broken coverage.

Start 'Em: Kareem Hunt (9.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 16.12

Following the trajectory of the entire Chiefs team, Hunt has been wildly disappointing for fantasy players lately. In the five games between Weeks 8 and 13, Hunt didn’t have a single game with more than 77 scrimmage yards and failed to score even one touchdown. However, he broke out in a big way against the Raiders last week, parlaying 28 touches into 138 yards and a touchdown. Hunt has scored more than 9.0 DFP in nine of 13 games this season. When these two teams met in Week 3, he had 18 touches for 183 yards and a score. We don’t think Hunt will have an enormous game like he did in the first meeting with Los Angeles, but he doesn’t need to in order to get over a deflated PFP.

Sit 'Em: Tyreek Hill (12.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 13.82

There are few players in the league with the speed and quickness of Hill. Unfortunately, he has failed to establish himself as an Odell Beckham Jr.-type that can get open on a variety of routes and impact the game on a weekly basis. With the exception of a punt return touchdown in Week 5, Hill has done all of his damage on fly routes. While he gets a handful of screens, quick hitches and rush attempts per game, he hasn’t done anything of value with them. Wide receiver groups facing the Chargers haven’t tallied more than 10 receptions or 140 yards in their last four games. In addition, Los Angeles has allowed just one wide receiver touchdown since Week 6. This doesn’t look like a great opportunity for Hill to break off a big score, so we recommend fading him on Dober Play Cards.