Kansas City Chiefs

Fantasy Football: Five Kansas City Chiefs To Play Vs Steelers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs offer a number of solid Fantasy Football match ups against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are the top five.

Fantasy Football owners are likely to have their eyes glued to the Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Apart from being a solid match up in a prime time slot, the game features a number of interesting Fantasy Football scenarios.

Those scenarios include the return of two of the best running backs in the NFL: the Steelers Le’Veon Bell, and the Chiefs Jamaal Charles. The two dynamic running backs have been holding roster spots on their respective fantasy owners’ teams. That certainly has to have been frustrating, as both players are normally bell cow running backs in Fantasy Football.

However, don’t be so sure that either player will get that much playing time this week. While both have gotten in some practice time over the past few months, neither has been in a full game this year. Le’Veon Bell seems more likely to see extended playing time, but with DeAngelo Williams running well, Pittsburgh may play it safe.

For the Chiefs, Spencer Ware has been carrying the load with Jamaal Charles out. He’s done a solid job of it too, meaning there is no real hurry to get Charles a full work load yet. However, he should get some opportunities against a very suspect Steelers defense.

This week has the potential to be huge for the Chiefs in terms of Fantasy Football points. The Steelers defense is not very good, especially against the pass. To be specific, the Pittsburgh Steelers have given up 100 yard receiving games to running backs in back to back weeks. So if you have both Jamaal Charles and Spencer Ware, there may be some reward to risking playing both.

That is just one aspect of this week’s Fantasy Football value for the Chiefs. Here are your top five players for Week 4…

Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Jamaal Charles – RB

Projection: Watch List

Many Fantasy Football owners are excited about this week as star Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is set to return. Charles has sat out the first three games of the season, meaning many fantasy owners were without one of their top picks for the early stretch of the year. When on the field, Charles is a focal point of the Chiefs offense.

The question here is how much work will Charles get? I really do not know. However, reports are that he has been anxious to get back on the field for the last two weeks. That tells me he is ready. With a not particularly scary Steelers defense, the opportunity is definitely there for Jamaal Charles to rip off a big play…or two. He is a threat in both the run and pass games.

To be honest, I wasn’t going to include Jamaal Charles on this list. However, given the number of running back injuries around the league, he is going to have some value. If you have another good back to play in his place, make that move. However, going off the injury reports…there’s a good chance you don’t. DFS players, play him at your own risk.

Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Spencer Ware – RB

Projection:

Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware has stumbled a bit these last two weeks. Well, I say “stumbled” but it’s really “fumbled”. Ware has cost his Fantasy Football owners points as he has coughed up the ball. This past week was particularly painful as Ware fumbled just before crossing the goal line.

This week is going to change that. Spencer Ware is set to again be the featured back for the Chiefs, and I expect him to be running angry. Fellow backup Charcandrick West appeared to get banged up last week, so he is likely to be even more limited than normal. That means the return of Jamaal Charles won’t cut too much into Ware’s carries.

Spencer Ware’s usefulness to Fantasy Football owners has about run its course. Play him this week, but you probably don’t want him in the starting lineup next week. I would keep Ware on the roster though because this year has been tough for running backs. He may end up getting some more use in.

Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Cairo Santos – K

Projection:

Kickers are rarely that valuable in Fantasy Football, but having a guy hitting 100% is never a bad thing. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos is doing just that. Santos didn’t get many chances last week, but I expect that to change this week. The Chiefs had a couple of drives against the Jets that ended in boneheaded moves rather than Field Goal opportunities.

The Steelers defense isn’t particularly daunting this year. That means the Chiefs offense should move the ball well again this week. I would expect Cairo Santos to have a lot of opportunities to score points.

Long term, Cairo Santos is a great player to own in your fantasy league. He is showing range and accuracy, so don’t let him go. For DFS players though, I would weigh my options. Santos is going to become expensive for a kicker, and there is no reason to pay extra at that spot. Save your money and get a better wide receiver or running back.

Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Kelce – TE

Projection:

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a strong Fantasy Football performance last week. Sometimes I get these wrong, and I did with Kelce. However, I don’t intend to make that mistake again. The Steelers have struggled against opposing passing offenses. Tight ends have found solid gains against Pittsburgh, and none of them have been on Kelce’s level.

After finally hitting his groove this past week, I expect Alex Smith to exploit this match up a lot. The Steelers secondary is weak and the linebackers aren’t great in coverage. Travis Kelce should have a lot of mismatches that will get him open. Especially now that the Chiefs have started to implement their multiple tight end looks more often.

Travis Kelce should be an elite tight end for Fantasy Football owners. If you own him, play him. Simple as that. I’m also going to recommend him as a DFS play this week. An excellent player with a favorable match up, Kelce should go off against the Steelers. This may be a high-scoring game, which only adds to Travis Kelce’s value.

Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Maclin – WR

Projection:

The Kansas City Chiefs star receiver struggled for the second week in a row, giving many Fantasy Football owners concerns. However, I’m predicting that Jeremy Maclin has his bounce back game this week. He was close to having it against the Jets with a pair of deep opportunities at the end of the first half. Unfortunately, both passes went incomplete.

This week should be entirely different. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending the pass. Jeremy Maclin is light years better than Steelers top corners. On top of that, Pittsburgh knows that they will have to gameplan to stop both Travis Kelce and Spencer Ware. That should leave Maclin with plenty of one on one opportunities.

Jeremy Maclin should be on your roster for fantasy league owners. He has been in a slump these last two weeks, but remains one of the top backup options in the NFL. I am also recommending playing him in your DFS league as he is a good value option.

Fantasy Football: Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Who To Sit

Chiefs Defense/Special Teams

Simply put, Fantasy Football owners should forget about the Kansas City Chiefs defensive performance last week. Not that it was a fluke, but it is very unlikely to happen this week. The Chiefs are facing a dynamic offense that has some elite playmakers. The Steelers are going to put up yards and points.

Chris Conley – WR

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley hasn’t had his Fantasy Football breakout performance yet. However, he did put up 40 yards last week and is showing signs of getting more comfortable. Conley should be on your watch list because it won’t be long before he gets a big game under his belt.

Alex Smith – QB

The decision to sit Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith this week is actually a tough one for Fantasy Football players. The Chiefs have a lot of guys who are poised for a big day, and that should be a good sign for Smith. However, I’m recommending sitting him this week. Sometimes Smith will be too conservative.

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This is a great match up for the Kansas City Chiefs. This should be a huge week for Fantasy Football points from KC playmakers. Of course, the Chiefs still have to deliver. The offense has not been living up to its potential thus far, and that will have some fantasy owners concerned. However, a struggling Steelers defense should be the perfect cure for that.