Chiefs
Mahomes: Clearly the different offseason had no effect here. Mahomes looked like the MVP and reigning champion that he is. The only thing worth noting is that the yards per attempt and completion were lower than normal. That involved a long touchdown drop by DeMarcus Robinson though. No worries there.
Running Backs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire was great, but not entirely in the way I expected. 25-138-1 rushing line with zero receptions on two targets. I certainly would have expected 5+ targets. Darrel Williams was the #2 back and put up 30 yards on 9 touches. Surprisingly he got a good bit of the third down work. While CEH was great today, that could be concerning long-term. Both of CEH’s targets came in the second half where he saw more snaps compared to Williams. Darwin Thompson received 0 snaps and is the clear #3. Don’t expect a breakout for him.
Wide Receivers: Sammy Watkins surprisingly led the way with 9 targets for a 7-82-1 line, clearly outshining Tyreek Hill. Watkins has now strung together four straight games of 76 or more yards dating back to last year’s playoffs. Prior to that he didn’t eclipse 80 receiving yards after Week 1 of last year when he had a monster 9-198-3 against Jacksonville.Overall I am not at all concerned about Tyreek, who still had a touchdown. I’m kind of buying into Watkins as a legitimate player right now.
Disappointingly, Demarcus Robinson was still the WR3 and played poorly to boot. What’s it gonna take to get Mecole Hardman in there!? As the WR4, Hardman caught his lone target for 6 yards. The pass was from behind the line of scrimmage so he wasn’t even thrown to deep. Robinson had two touchdown drops. If that keeps up we will see a shift in these two players.
Tight Ends: It was the Travis Kelce show of course. He had a very reassuring game with two targets from inside the 10 yard line, leading to one touchdown. He had just five touchdowns last year but he should comfortably exceed that and return to a level where he had 18 touchdowns over 2017-18.
Texans
Deshaun Watson: He ended up okay in fantasy points but that is about all that can be said. He racked those points up in garbage time. Watson was sacked 4 times and that is troubling for a QB that has a higher sack% than anyone else min 1000 attempts since 2017. He also had a bad interception where he was hit as he threw. The Texans were down 31-7 before Watson started moving the ball down the field and recorded his only pass touchdown of the night. The Texans have a tough schedule with Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Minnesota up next. It could be a slow start for Watson.
Running Backs: Somewhat of a surprise, David Johnson was the guy and looked great on the ground despite his team’s offensive struggles. In total, David Johnson put up 109 yards on 14 touches and looked really good. His gain was Duke Johnson’s loss. Duke had just 14 yards on 5 carries and 1 target. Of course, David Johnson hasn’t been the picture of health the last few years so Duke may still get his opportunity. But for now, Duke is droppable even in deeper redraft leagues and certainly relegated to the bench everywhere.
Wide Receivers: Will Fuller WR1? Watson to Fuller has always been an incredibly successful combination. The problem is there haven't been a whole lot of games where both were active and healthy (mostly Fuller’s fault). Fuller's 8 receptions for 112 yards led all players. For as long as he stays healthy, he needs to be in your lineups.
After Fuller, there wasn’t much success. Brandin Cooks debut was quiet with just 20 yards on 5 targets. Kenny Stills and Randall Cobb were near invisible which was surprising. The WR depth for the Texans should be a strength. Stills and Cobb aren’t world beaters but they are really good as your 3/4 options. DeAndre Carter saw some playing time in Q4 with the game out of hand.
Tight Ends: Jordan Akins and Darren Fells led a 2TE offense. They combined for 4 receptions for 58 yards. Akins scored the lone pass TD of the night for Houston. The 28 year old Akins had a 36-418-2 line last year. He is worth owning in deeper dynasty leagues for sure, but I’m not ready to call him a starting fantasy tight end.
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