Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) is out for Sunday night's game vs. the Chargers. No surprise after he sustained his 4th documented concussion last week. We'll see if Smith-Schuster can get cleared for Week 12. With WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen, illness) on IR, Kansas City is down to WRs Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson and Skyy Moore. See where they sit in the Week 11 WR Rankings.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. He's operated as Kansas City's #3 WR all year, averaging 4.3 targets per game (10% share). Hardman's absence leaves WRs Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. We're expecting a committee to replace Hardman, leaving Toney, Moore and Watson as low-floor fantasy plays. But Toney is our preference if choosing between them. Hardman has played 49% of his snaps in the slot this season. Toney was in the slot for 4 of his 9 snaps last week. Moore has played 39% of his snaps in the slot this season; Watson 40%.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice. HC Andy Reid described Hardman's issue as "soreness," but it certainly seems like he's in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars. His absence would leave #3 WR duties to some combination of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson.
Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster delivered 113 yards and a TD on 5 catches in Sunday's loss to the Bills. He caught all 5 targets, with the biggest strike a 42-yard catch-and-run TD. TE Travis Kelce doubled Smith-Schuster's targets (10) and finished with 8 catches for 108 yards. WR Mecole Hardman checked in 3rd on the team with 4 targets, catching 3 for 42 yards and the Chiefs' other TD. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling went catch-less on 3 targets. He did nearly score on a reception that got wiped out by an ineligible-man-downfield penalty. Valdes-Scantling also had an end-zone target intercepted later on the same drive. Rookie WR Skyy Moore matched MVS' 3 targets, catching 1 for 24 yards.
A week after climbing to a season-high 28% of offensive snaps in the win over Tampa, Chiefs WR Skyy Moore got to 35% in Monday night's win over the Raiders. He still trailed well behind Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster but pulled closer to Mecole Hardman, who did come off the field in the 2nd half with a foot or heel injury. That might have factored into some of the snap split between the 2 receivers. Either way, Moore is not yet playing enough to become a fantasy factor. But a continued increase in opportunities could put him in the mix over the 2nd half of the season. He's an interesting stash in deeper fantasy football leagues.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (heel) did not practice on Wednesday. His status for Sunday night's game vs. the Bucs is uncertain. Hardman's absence would free up snaps for WR Skyy Moore and/or WR Justin Watson.
Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster tied Travis Kelce for the target lead (8) in Sunday's loss to the Colts, tied Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the reception lead (5) and paced the team with 89 receiving yards. He remained close to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman in routes: 35 for MVS, 33 for Smith-Schuster and 28 for Hardman. Valdes-Scantling drew 7 targets for the 2nd straight game, while Hardman garnered just 1. QB Patrick Mahomes spread his attempts around less than in the Week 2 win over the Chargers. With Hardman back healthy -- he was in and out of the Week 2 contest -- WR Justin Watson played just 10 snaps; Skyy Moore 8.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore played 13 snaps in Week 1 and just 2 in Week 2. "Moving forward, I guarantee you'll see more than two snaps," OC Eric Bieniemy said Thursday. It's not a major surprise that a rookie from the MAC is off to a slow start. Moore remains an intriguing prospect -- and none of the other Chiefs WRs have stood out so far. Moore shouldn't be in Week 3 fantasy lineups, but he's worth stashing in fantasy leagues of 10+ teams.
The Athletic's Nate Taylor believes Mecole Hardman will open the season as the Chiefs' #2 WR -- behind JuJu Smith-Schuster but ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore. "Because he’s the fastest in the group and has been in the Chiefs’ system the longest," Taylor writes. We'll be keeping a close eye on the route and target counts in this group early in the season. But Smith-Schuster will be the only reliable Week 1 fantasy starter.
Chiefs starters played 1 possession in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the WRs with 11 snaps, followed by Marquez Valdes-Scantling (9), Mecole Hardman (4) and Justin Watson (1), according to Pro Football Focus. Skyy Moore did not get onto the field with that unit. We'll see how that usage pattern develops through the preseason.
Insider Peter King believes WR Skyy Moore will be a "Swiss army knife" for the Chiefs this season. "He has played all over the map," King said after attending Chiefs camp. "In the backfield, in the slot, set out wide, running the jet sweep stuff. He's going to be a really interesting weapon for a team that is kind of reinventing itself on the fly." We've seen numerous videos of Moore taking handoffs from the backfield in camp. WR Tyreek Hill averaged 15.5 carries over his 6 seasons in Kansas City, so perhaps Moore can pick up some of that work. The rookie remains an intriguing pick at his 11th-round ADP.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (hip) practiced Wednesday following an early departure on Tuesday. Moore confirmed that he was fine in a social media post yesterday, and this is further proof. He remains a candidate for significant early-season snaps.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore injured his right hip in Tuesday's practice. Here's video of the play. We'll update Moore' status as soon as we know more. The rookie had been off to a strong start to camp.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore was on the field for the start of training camp on Sunday. The rookie missed most of the offseason program with a left hamstring strain, but that looks to be a non-issue now. Moore is battling for snaps with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman in Kansas City's remade WR corps.
Beat writer Nate Taylor called Marquez Valdes-Scantling the best-performing WR of Kansas City’s offseason program. Taylor writes that MVS “offers a combination of speed and size that [Patrick] Mahomes has never had before.” The former Packer is currently a value pick in Round 12 of FFPC best ball drafts. Surprisingly, he’s going ~1.5 rounds behind rookie WR Skyy Moore.
Per beat writer Nate Taylor, Chiefs WR Skyy Moore missed most of the offseason program with a left hamstring strain. He’s expected to be fine for the open of training camp later this month. There, he’ll battle with a host of others to be the #2 target behind Travis Kelce.
Per NFL insider Albert Breer, the Chiefs have seen a “more mature version” of WR Mecole Hardman this offseason. Breer writes that Hardman “had a lot of growing up to do coming into the NFL,” even beyond his rookie season. It’s a huge year for the 24-year-old, as his contract is set to expire in 2023. But following the additions of Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, it’s clear that Kansas City isn’t expecting a major leap from the incumbent.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave his assessment of rookie WR Skyy Moore at minicamp. “He looks strong,” Reid said recently. “You see that — the way he’s built physically. That transfers. You see those 10 [inch] hands that he has. He catches everything… and he’s a good route runner, a smart kid. He seemed to pick it [the offense] up well.” Moore will battle JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman for targets in training camp. Currently, the rookie projects as a fringe top-50 fantasy option.
Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride says that his "way too early" picks to lead the Chiefs in receiving yardage this year are TE Travis Kelce and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. This is likely based primarily on watching minicamp practices to date. It's worth noting that Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman have missed some time with hamstring issues, though both have been on the field this week for mandatory minicamp. We'll keep watching for reports on expected target distribution within Kansas City's rebuilt WR corps. Sweeney also said last week that "no new Chiefs pass-catcher looks more comfortable with Mahomes" than MVS.
Per Nate Taylor of the Athletic, the Chiefs believe rookie WR Skyy Moore “can excel as a secondary slot receiver behind Smith-Schuster and be a possible deep threat on the perimeter in one-on-one matchups.” Moore’s undersized — both in height and wingspan. But he brings blazing speed and quicks and sure hands. Marquez Valdes-Scantling profiles as the field-stretcher with JuJu Smith-Schuster working the short to intermediate routes. Moore’s usage figures to be diverse in an offense that lost 260 targets with the offseason departures of Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson. The rookie is battling a minor hamstring tweak at the moment, but there's no cause for concern.
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