Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The New England Patriots are releasing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Friday, according to a source. The writing was on the wall all offseason after the Patriots snagged rookie wideouts Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in April's NFL draft. Smith-Schuster was a non-factor for the Patriots last year, even after Kendrick Bourne (knee) tore his ACL, finishing with just 29 catches on 47 targets for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games (seven starts). The 27-year-old wasn't targeted at all in the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers while playing 11 offensive snaps. He'll look to latch on with another organization before the start of the 2024 regular season, but even if he does, he'll likely be off the fantasy radar. The release of Smith-Schuster is good news for Jalen Reagor and KJ Osborn as they look for roles in New England's receiving corps.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said at Wednesday's practice that each quarterback will get a quarter of action against the hosting Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday at EverBank Stadium. That means Patrick Mahomes will appear in the first quarter, Carson Wentz will get the second quarter, and so on. Mahomes is unlikely to see more than a drive or two of play on Saturday, but Reid has been known for having his star and veteran players active in some capacity during exhibition games in the past. With an improved supporting cast around him following a career-low 4.5% touchdown rate and 7.0 yards per attempt over 16 starts for the Chiefs last year, Mahomes looks like a clear positive regression candidate among top-tier fantasy QB1 picks for 2024. Kansas City ran the second-most team pass plays per game (37.4) last season.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan relayed to reporters on Tuesday that San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) has been dealing with a strained hamstring. While it's unknown if Mitchell will miss any time because of this injury, but the fact that Christian McCaffrey (calf) is also set to miss the preseason with a calf injury and the team adding former 49er Matt Breida to the running back stable raises the level of concern. The pecking order for the backup running back behind McCaffrey has heated up with Mitchell, Jordan Mason, rookie Isaac Guerendo, and now Breida. Mitchell has been the primary backup since McCaffrey arrived in San Francisco in a 2022 mid-season trade, but the hold on that job has loosened by the day. Keep an eye on any news regarding the injury status for Mitchell, but Mitchell does carry a slight edge as the contingency running back for the 49ers in case CMC isn't ready for Week 1.

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker agreed to a four-year, $25.6 million deal that includes $17.8 million guaranteed, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The deal makes him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL in terms of average salary ($6.4 million), passing Baltimore's Justin Tucker ($6 million) and Philadelphia's Jake Elliott ($6 million). The 29-year-old has been a part of all four Chiefs' squads that made it to the Super Bowl, and he has made 32 of his 35 field goal attempts in postseason action. Butker remains one of the best fantasy football and "real life" kickers in the NFL, and he is set to stay in Kansas City long-term.

When Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked by reporters who would fill the void of the 3rd-down running back role left by Jerick McKinnon, he praised Isiah Pacheco and his readiness to take on the responsibility. "He's ready to be able to do all that. He's good with the protections, he's good with the technique and fundamentals, he can run all the routes, he's got great hands." Pacheco out-targeted McKinnon (49-to-32) in 2023 and led him in receptions and yardage. Though McKinnon did outscore the Rutgers product 4-to-2. If what Reid means is that Pacheco is meant to absorb this workload, that would be fantastic news. The third-year Chiefs running back is the RB10 in RotoBaller rankings and the No. 27 overall player in NFFC ADP (RB11). Pacheco had 49 receptions last season and would see his fantasy floor and ceiling rise if his snap share increases.