Kansas City Chiefs

When the Kansas City Chiefs signed wide receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) as a free agent this offseason, he immediately became their most accomplished and experienced wideout. The Chiefs are expecting Brown back in their lineup early in the season but not necessarily in time for the Sept. 5 regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said the Chiefs are feeling his absence. "We lose a little bit of that veteran-type receiver in that room," Mahomes said on Thursday. "We have other guys that can replace him a little bit, but to have that much talent and have a good understanding of what I want hopefully we're getting him back sooner rather than later." Mahomes dealt with a league-high 35 dropped passes by his pass-catchers in 2023, and he'll likely have to lean on tight end Travis Kelce as well as receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy to begin 2024.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver coach Connor Embree says that rookie Xavier Worthy has impressed him most with his ability to pick up the playbook quickly. Embree says he'll do more than Rashee Rice did as a rookie, but they're not going to overload him. With Marquise Brown (shoulder) sidelined for up to six weeks, however, Worthy may now have to take on a more pronounced role for the Chiefs in Year 1 than expected to begin the season. It's worth noting that Rice was consistently held under 60% of KC's offensive snaps per game during the first half of last year as a rookie before the team finally unleashed him during the second half. Worthy profiles as a young DeSean Jackson in many ways, and the 21-year-old first-rounder's stock is certainly on the rise in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts as quarterback Patrick Mahomes' likely top deep threat to start 2024.

The early beneficiary of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown's (shoulder) injury in training camp practices has been Justin Watson, who is taking many of the snaps that would have gone to Brown. Watson last year was tied for second among the team's receivers in catches with 27. With Brown's status up in the air for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, KC may have to keep seven receivers to open the year. Others competing for roster spots include Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Nikko Remigio and Justyn Ross. Hardman, Moore and Ross played for the Chiefs last year, but none of them were very consistent. Watson will see increased chances with Brown out, but rookie Xavier Worthy will be asked to be the team's big-play wideout, and he's the much better late-round target for fantasy managers.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Carson Steele had his most reps with the first- and second-team offenses on Tuesday out of all the days of training camp. The Chiefs are giving him a long look after his standout preseason game on Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "What I like about him is, right now, he's doing a lot of good things and being in the right spot at the right time, and you can trust him," offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. The 21-year-old saw four carries last Saturday and turned them into 29 yards and a touchdown. It's notable that he saw more work over Deneric Prince and Keaontay Ingram, but it helped that Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been sidelined with an illness. For now, Steele is merely a player to watch in dynasty/keeper formats. He'll have to do plenty more to rise up KC's RB depth chart by the start of the regular season.

ESPN's Mike Clay believes that Denver Broncos running back Samaje Perine could become available before the regular season begins. Perine is currently a part of a crowded backfield in Denver alongside starter Javonte Williams and change-of-pace backs Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. With an expiring contract and no obvious future with the Broncos, Perine is a potential cap casualty for this summer ahead of roster cuts in late August. The veteran power back did quietly make a big impact a year ago, however, turning in the second-most yards per touch (6.7) over 103 touches and most yards per route run (2.04) across 223 routes among qualifiers at his position, so he could be a valuable asset to another team needing backfield reinforcements.