The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.
Everyone has a favorite old sweatshirt, or a movie they’ve seen a dozen times. Maybe it’s a comfort food recipe, or a greatest hits playlist.
The 2024 Kansas City Chiefs call that their offense. Forget fancy new menu items, give us Mac and Cheese.
It was death by 1,000 cuts in Monday’s 26-13 victory over the Saints, with Kansas City holding the ball for 78 scrimmage plays and outgaining the visitors, 460-220. The Chiefs piled up 28 first downs and should have scored more points — they settled for five field-goal attempts (missing one), and there was an interception at the goal line.
Here’s what you need to know:
Old favorites carry the Chiefs: Kareem Hunt controlled the backfield, rolling to 117 total yards and a score on 28 touches (Carson Steele had just five opportunities). Hunt graded RB4 for the week. And 18 of 34 pass targets were steered at Juju Smith-Schuster (7-130-0, WR14) and Travis Kelce (7-90-0, TE7). Juju was galloping free most of the night (partly from scheme, partly from mishaps in coverage), and Kelce’s target share has exploded since the Rashee Rice injury. Xavier Worthy was limited to seven opportunities; one of them was a short rushing touchdown.
Smith-Schuster (rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues) quickly regained Circle of Trust privileges with a blowup game and is a priority add for Week 6.
Mahomes still not getting home: Maybe Patrick Mahomes will spike after a Week 6 bye, but the league’s signature player has been a fantasy frustration in 2024. He finished QB19 this week and hasn’t been better than QB13 all season. His last top-10 fantasy finish dates back to Thanksgiving week last year. Remember, our game is about numbers, not names.
Saints holding their breath: Derek Carr suffered an oblique injury in the loss and will have an MRI. Jake Haener played late in Monday’s game, and Spencer Rattler is also on the roster. Carr has never been a fantasy darling, but this entire offense takes a hit if he misses time.
Who’s No. 1 in New Orleans? I understand all the Chris Olave love, a dreamy route runner and a terrific real-life player. But the offense keeps clicking with Rashid Shaheed (4-86-1, WR13) while Olave is an afterthought (2-10-0, four targets). For the year Shaheed is WR15, Olave WR33 — Olave has four more catches, but Shaheed leads in targets, yards and touchdowns. Time to flip them in the rankings? The Saints host Tampa Bay next with questions about their QB situation looming.
