Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) was present at Monday's training camp practice but wasn't participating on the field. Brown suffered a sternoclavicular injury in the team's preseason opener on Aug. 10 and was given an initial timeline of four to six weeks, so his availability for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Thursday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens is very much in question. At this point, it would be a surprise if the 27-year-old suited up. However, barring a setback, Brown should make his KC debut at some point in September. His injury has made both rookie Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice more attractive in fantasy drafts. The injury to Brown has surely put a damper on his fantasy value entering the year, but he's still worth a late-round flier as a WR4/flex. When healthy, he could be one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes' top targets.

Free-agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is heading back to Kansas City for a reunion with Andy Reid and the Chiefs. According to Jordan Schultz, the reigning Super Bowl champs are adding the seven-year veteran to their receiving corps. Smith-Schuster last played for the Chiefs in 2022, when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl for the first half of their back-to-back wins. Last year, the 27-year-old experienced the worst season of his career with the New England Patriots, when he caught just 29 of 47 targets for 260 yards and one touchdown across 11 appearances. He was cut by the Patriots this offseason, which led to him being available for the Chiefs to scoop up. It's unclear how many opportunities he'll see, but the chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes is already there. He'll still have to compete with Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and eventually Marquise Brown (shoulder) for targets.

Nate Taylor of The Athletic projects that Kansas City Chiefs rookie Carson Steele will make the initial 53-man roster as a depth running back or primary fullback. The Chiefs seem to have hit the jackpot with Steele, an undrafted free agent whose physicality is nearly unparalleled at the running back position. Kansas City still lists him as a fullback, but he never played there at UCLA. Furthermore, Taylor projects the Chiefs to release all running backs not named Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, meaning Steele would function as the de facto RB3 in Kansas City. Regardless of the exact depth chart dynamic, Chiefs fans and fantasy football managers alike have to be very excited about what they've seen from Steele this preseason. He's an intriguing speculative addition in dynasty formats.

Kansas City Chiefs tight ends Noah Gray and Jared Wiley "can be interchangeable within the offense as the second tight end in some formations," according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Gray had an impressive campaign in 2023, and although Wiley hasn't necessarily stood out in his first training camp, it sounds like the coaching staff trusts him enough to get on the field over Gray at times. Of course, the exact depth chart doesn't matter much for fantasy football purposes since Travis Kelce is the clear-cut alpha tight end and remains the only Chiefs tight end worth rostering in redraft leagues. Even if Kelce misses time in 2024, the fact that Gray and Wiley are interchangeable would make it difficult to trust either in fantasy football.

New York Jets wide receiver Jason Brownlee caught three of his five passes for 29 yards in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. Brownlee produced a long gain of 16 yards through the air in Saturday's victory over the Giants. The 25-year-old former Southern Mississippi standout hardly played for the Jets in his rookie season in 2023, coming down with five of his eight passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in seven appearances, and Brownlee will likely be buried on New York's depth chart once again if he makes the roster in 2024.