Kansas City Chiefs - Fantasy News

Chiefs vs. Raiders Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

10/16/17

NFL

Kansas City Chiefs

Alex Smith

Week 7 of the NFL season kicks off on Thursday Night Football when the 5-1 Kansas City Chiefs travel to Oakland to take on the 2-4 Raiders. The Raiders badly need this game to keep from falling out of the AFC West division race.

Until this past Sunday afternoon, the Chiefs were the last undefeated team in the league. Then, for the second time in ten months, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. The vaunted Chiefs offense was stymied for almost the entire game, while the defense hemorrhaged points and yards as it has been doing all season.

After beginning the season 2-0, the Raiders have dropped four straight games to drop to last place in the division. Over that stretch, Oakland has scuffled on offense and defense, though the return of Derek Carr certainly bolsters the team’s outlook this week.

We’ve identified several players to target and fade on Dober Play Cards for this matchup of AFC West rivals.

Kansas City Chiefs Week 7 Projected Fantasy Points
Alex Smith: 19.5 PFP
Kareem Hunt: 17.5 PFP
Travis Kelce: 13.0 PFP
Tyreek Hill: 11.0 PFP
Harrison Butker: 10.0 PFP
Charcandrick West: 5.0 PFP

Oakland Raiders Week 7 Projected Fantasy Points
Derek Carr: 14.5 PFP
Michael Crabtree: 13.5 PFP
Marshawn Lynch: 9.0 PFP
Giorgio Tavecchio: 8.5 PFP
Amari Cooper: 8.0 PFP
Jared Cook: 7.5 PFP
Jalen Richard: 6.5 PFP

Start 'Em: Kareem Hunt (17.5 PFP)

After an astonishing start, things have slowed down considerably for Hunt. Though he averages 147 yards from scrimmage per game, there haven’t been any touchdowns for the rookie since Week 3. We expect that to change on Thursday night. The Raiders have struggled on defense for years and just gave up 31.5 Dober Fantasy Points to Melvin Gordon. After receiving a career-low 14 touches in Week 6, expect Hunt to be fed early and often in this matchup. He should have no problems getting over 17.5 PFP.

Sit 'Em: Alex Smith (19.5 PFP)

It may not be the most popular choice to fade one of the best quarterbacks in fantasy this year, but that is exactly what we are recommending. Smith’s fantasy production this season has been inflated significantly by blown coverages and short passes that have gone for big plays. In Week 6, we saw the worst of Smith. He checked down often when he couldn’t find his first read. And when that option wasn’t open, he was either sacked, ran for a short gain or threw the ball out of bounds. The Raiders know Smith as well as any team in the league, and they will anticipate his tendencies and use them against him in this matchup.

Start 'Em: Amari Cooper (8.0 PFP)

This is a vote of confidence for Cooper, even though he’s truly done nothing this season to deserve it. However, things are hopefully looking up after he caught five of his six targets in Week 6 and had a 31-yard catch wiped out by penalty. The Kansas City secondary has been awful so far and has given up over 800 yards and nine touchdowns to wide receivers. Cooper annihilated Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters for 10 receptions and 129 yards in last year’s matchup in Oakland, and he has too much talent to stay down for long. Look for him to get off the schneid this week.

Sit 'Em: Jared Cook (7.5 PFP)

At best, Cook is the fifth-most important weapon on the Raiders offense. He has scored 7.5 DFP or more in just one of his last five games and has three receptions or fewer in three straight contests. Right now the entire Oakland offense is in a funk, depressing fantasy production across the board. The offensive line is struggling, receivers are dropping a ton of passes and Carr isn’t completely healthy. Compound that with the fact that Kansas City is one of a handful of teams in the league that hasn’t given up a touchdown to a tight end, and Cook is a solid fade on Dober Play Cards this week.