AFC West Dynasty Capsule: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were once in a fantasy football class of their own with stars like Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson punishing opponents behind an incredible offensive line.

Many dynasty league owners won championships being carried by those two workhorses alone. Unfortunately, those days have come and gone and the Chiefs are once again rebuilding.

Kansas City has some pieces to build around, that’s for sure.

Former Texas Longhorn Jamaal Charles had a huge breakout season last year and returns as an elite fantasy performer. While Charles is an obvious ownership target from a dynasty league perspective, there are other Chiefs that merit watching as well.

Let’s see what fantasy arrowheads we can dig up in the latest edition of the dynasty capsule.

Players in their Prime

Jamaal Charles RB

Charles exploded onto the scene with 1,120 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on just 190 carries in 2009.

Couple that with another 300 yards receiving on 40 catches and you have the definition of a breakout season. There are some questions about his long-term durability, but make no mistake he’s a permanent fixture on the dynasty landscape.

The addition of Thomas Jones brings to question the expected workload for Charles, but he’s simply too talented to keep off the field. Just remember, we were saying the same thing about Chris Johnson and his anticipated number of carries before last season.  

Charles is a borderline first round pick in dynasty leagues.

Dwayne Bowe WR

He tends to spend more time in the doghouse than Marmaduke, but there’s little doubting his exceptional receiving ability.

Make no mistake, there’s an obvious risk with him since he tends to become overweight and drop passes.

Charlie Weis brings a new element of hope, though. If he can finally keep his head on straight, he makes for a great buy low opportunity in dynasty leagues as a No. 2 receiver with No. 1 potential.

Rising Players

Dexter McCluster RB/WR/KR

Our self-proclaimed Swiss Army Knife is ready for business after an incredibly productive college career at Ole Miss. This pint-sized dynamo has exceptional power for his size and is electric in the open field. He’s worth a second round selection in rookie drafts, especially in leagues rewarding points for receptions.

Chris Chambers WR

He’s easily been one of the biggest fantasy teases in recent memory as he tends to put up monster numbers for a few games then disappear.

His tenures in Miami and San Diego were both incredibly maddening from a fantasy perspective, leading many fantasy owners to finally cut bait last year. When Kansas City picked him up, he inexplicably averaged 68 yards per game and had four touchdowns in just nine games, leaving dynasty owners scratching their heads once again.

If you average out his production for the Chiefs from last year, it equates to a season with over 1,000 yards. While you shouldn’t go overboard with Chambers, it’s not inconceivable to think he could lead the Chiefs in receiving yards if the cards fell his way.

At any rate, his value is rising as a possible No. 4 wide receiver and he shouldn’t be on the waiver wire in any dynasty leagues at this point.

Tony Moeaki TE

He’s injury-prone, but also pretty talented.

From all accounts, Moeaki was easily the best receiving tight end for the Chiefs this Spring. While he’s certainly not threatening the throne of Tony Gonzalez as the greatest tight end in Chiefs history any time soon, he should be squarely on the radars of dynasty league owners.

He makes for a good pick in the fourth round of rookie only dynasty drafts this Summer.

Players with Falling Values

Thomas Jones RB

Jones has had one of the most enigmatic and unpredictable fantasy careers in the history of dynasty leagues. In Arizona, he was a total bust. He moved on to Tampa and showed some flashes by averaging 4.6 yards per carry. In Chicago, he was great until they decided to go in a different direction. In New York, he flourished with over 3,800 yards the past three seasons.

Now, he’s in Kansas City and has taken a clear backup role to Jamaal Charles.

While Jones has shown the ability to be a workhorse and carved out a very respectable career, his years as a No. 1 fantasy running back are over.

Combine his age with his situation playing behind Charles and his dynasty value has likely taken its final downturn. He currently sits at 9,217 career rushing yards and it would be a big surprise if he makes it to 10,000 this season.

Matt Cassel QB

It’s hard to lay all the blame for his lackluster season on Cassel himself. After all, he was thrown around like a rag doll for most of the year. However, dynasty owners expected much more than the 2,924 yards and 16 touchdowns he produced last year.

Charlie Weis should help cultivate his talent and a full year of Dwayne Bowe should help out, but Cassel’s stock is way down in comparison to last offseason.

Sleeper

Jerheme Urban WR

He’s in line for the biggest opportunity of his career now that he’s out of Arizona. The Chiefs are desperate for help at wide receiver and Urban has shown flashes of potential in both Arizona and Seattle.

Keep an eye on the battle for the No. 3 wide receiver spot between Urban and McCluster this offseason. He’ll have to find a new nickname, though. The “Urban Cowboy” just doesn’t mesh on a team named the Chiefs.

Super Sleeper

Kesthan Moore RB

Dynasty league owners live for finding the undrafted running back gem and nabbing him off the waiver wire before their competitors.

Moore could fit the bill as an undrafted ex-Gator who the Chiefs are said to be pleasantly surprised with.

While certainly no threat to Charles or Jones, he has a shot to be the No. 3 running back and make the team. He’s a player to monitor this preseason. Just remember, you heard it here first.

Summary

The Chiefs are no longer a dynasty haven and they have more questions than answers from a dynasty fantasy football perspective.

Can Matt Cassel rebound? Can Jamaal Charles produce at an elite level for an entire season? Can Dwayne Bowe keep his head on straight and produce a 1,000 yard season? Will Chris Chambers keep being a difference maker?

Those questions and more will be answered this season and Kansas City player owners have to hope things start getting better quickly.