LeSean McCoy, Damien Williams, Darwin Thompson's Fantasy Outlooks with Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs added a veteran presence and proven fantasy asset to their backfield late Saturday night. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported LeSean McCoy is headed to the Chiefs on a one-year, $4 million deal, with $3 million of that guaranteed.

McCoy was released by the Buffalo Bills, whom he had played for since 2015, earlier Saturday. As a member of the Chiefs, he will reunite with head coach Andy Reid. The two were together with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2009 until Reid took over for the Chiefs in 2013. 

Under Reid, McCoy surpassed 1,000 rushing yards twice (2010, 2011) and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 17 in 2011.

The 31-year-old two-time All-Pro running back will split touches with Damien Williams and Darwin Thompson in Kansas City. The former was signed to a two-year extension in December after he impressed in the wake of Kareem Hunt's release on Nov. 30, while the latter is a rookie sixth-round draft pick out of Utah State. 

Below is an overview of how McCoy's arrival in Kansas City could impact each of those three Chiefs backs' fantasy value.

LeSean McCoy 

McCoy's days of carrying a fantasy team are most likely behind him, but he's still widely owned despite the six-time Pro Bowler being fresh off the worst campaign of his NFL career.

He rushed for 514 yards and three touchdowns on 161 carries across 14 games last season in Buffalo. However, the two seasons before that, he exceeded 1,000 yards, tallying 1,267 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2016 and 1,138 yards and six scores in 2017. 

Which version of McCoy will show up in Kansas City?

In four seasons with the Bills, McCoy was always indisputably the primary back. That won't be the case with the Chiefs, as he will serve as Williams' backup.

Even so, it's possible that rejoining forces with Reid and aligning with quarterback Patrick Mahomes—the reigning league MVP—will make McCoy's career-low 2018 an anomaly.

McCoy's upside to start the season is as an RB3 behind Williams, but that could change depending on how the touches are distributed in the Chiefs' offense. 

Damien Williams

This entire fantasy forecast hinges on Williams' ability to endure as a starting back for a full season.

The 27-year-old started three games to close out the 2018-19 regular season. His best performance came against Seattle: 103 yards on 13 rushes but no touchdowns on the ground, paired with seven catches for 37 yards and a score through the air. He's never started more than four games in a single regular season. 

Williams is ranked at No. 42 on Matthew Berry's Top 200. ESPN previously projected him to score 224.7 fantasy points, noting:

"It's fair to be a bit suspicious of the now-27-year-old Williams after the small sample of success, but he's positioned well as the favorite to be the lead back in Andy Reid's high-scoring and running-back-friendly offense. There's some risk here, but if Williams fends off Carlos Hyde and Darwin Thompson and earns 15-plus touches per game, he'll be a quality RB2 with RB1 upside."

Berry changed his tune following the McCoy news:

Given McCoy's history with Reid, Williams is all but guaranteed to see fewer touches. That alone hurts his fantasy value. Should McCoy revive his career and start producing like the Shady of old, Williams will drop considerably.

At the outset, though, Williams will be the Chiefs starter and favors an RB2. 

Darwin Thompson

Throughout the preseason, Thompson had been pegged as a fantasy darling. When the Chiefs traded Carlos Hyde earlier Saturday to the Houston Texans, NFL Media senior fantasy analyst Michael Fabiano relayed that the move "solidifies" that Thompson "needs to be owned in all fantasy leagues." 

That narrative changed when McCoy entered the mix:

Thompson is a speedster with exceptional burst. According to NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha, the 5'8", 200-pound player is Reid's preferred type of back.

"He looks every bit like the steal [in the draft]," Chadiha said (h/t Kansas City Star). "He basically has everything Reid loves in running backs. He’s a tough, elusive runner, especially after contact. He’s a good pass receiver. He's better in pass protection than coaches thought he’d be by this point, and he’s a big-play threat."

Per Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Thompson recorded 765 yards after first contact last season at Utah State.

With all that going for Thompson, the Chiefs having a back like McCoy to feed will hurt him the most. He figures now to be featured most as an explosive change-of-pace playmaker. 

At this point, Thompson can be categorized as someone to watch on the waiver wire as the season progresses.  

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