Jamaal Charles, Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce Post-Week 3 Fantasy Advice

The Kansas City Chiefs were clearly the inferior team on the field during their 38-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, but that didn’t stop some of their top offensive playmakers from racking up impressive fantasy totals.

Here is a look at the final stats from Jamaal Charles, Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce:

Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing Touchdowns	Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdown Catches	Targets	Fantasy Points
11	49	3	5	33	0	7	26.2

Player	Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns	Targets	Fantasy Points
Jeremy Maclin	8	141	1	11	20.1
Travis Kelce	6	80	0	10	8

Maclin did the incredible Monday and actually caught a touchdown pass as a Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver. ESPN Stats & Info noted it was the first time a Kansas City wideout had caught a touchdown since Dwayne Bowe did so in Week 14 of the 2013 season, while the NFL put that streak into perspective:

Fantasy owners can look to that and hope Kansas City has finally recognized Maclin’s talents, especially since he is coming off a 1,318-yard, 10-touchdown campaign in 2014. However, wait on more proof that Maclin has turned the corner in this new offense before automatically inserting him into your lineup.

Those numbers from last year came in an uptempo Philadelphia Eagles attack, and he didn’t reach 60 yards in either of the first two games this season. The Chiefs were playing from behind throughout Monday’s game, which meant they were forced to throw more than they typically do. That led to some inflation in Maclin's numbers.

Wait at least one more week until you trust Maclin, who is playing alongside Alex Smith in an offense that rarely utilizes its wide receivers near the goal line.

Smith’s reluctance to throw deep balls toward receivers has been to the advantage of Kelce owners, though. The tight end posted 106 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 and a solid 58 receiving yards in Week 2. He followed that up with a solid effort in defeat Monday.

Kelce isn’t putting up Rob Gronkowski numbers, but the fact that he was targeted 10 times against the Packers is an indication that Smith likes to look his tight end’s way. The increase in passes because of the deficit factors in here as well, but Smith’s hesitation to throw downfield leads to more passes landing in his tight end’s hands on shorter routes and critical third-down conversions.

Kelce posted a solid 862 receiving yards last year and is on pace to shatter that number in 2015. In fact, he is on pace for 1,301 receiving yards this season, with 244 through three games. He is a reliable fantasy play every week.

The shorter passes and ball-control offense from the Chiefs also mean Charles is a must-start in fantasy circles. In addition to his electrifying and consistent rushing abilities (he topped 1,000 yards in each of the last three years), he gets involved in the passing attack, which was evident Monday with seven targets. He notched a combined 110 receptions in the last two years, so it was business as usual.

It was encouraging for fantasy owners that Charles found the end zone three times Monday even in a comeback effort that led to more passes than usual. But there was no reason to panic in the first place, given his track record and heavy role in the offense. As long as he stays healthy, the fantasy points will follow.

Make sure Charles is in your lineup when they do.