KANSAS CITY (at Sea.): Schedule has played some role in Kansas City's 5-0 start (only Denver of their opponents has a winning record; two are the league's remaining winless teams). They'll be tested here, although Seattle is also just .500. But not an easy matchup, with the Seahawks very sound defensively, allowing an average of exactly 2 TDs and 20 points per week. Seattle is a 2-point favorite, with the over-under suggesting a 22-20 type of game.
Would be hard for Kenneth Walker to be much better than he's been so
far. He's averaging 133 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per attempt, both
league-best figures, and has scored 8 touchdowns (in five contests). He's
averaging an additional 3 catches and 19 yards as a receiver. But if he can't
be better, he can be a little more motivated, which returning to Seattle to
face the team that used him in a committee and let him walk in the offseason
should result in. Not a great matchup, though, with Seattle allowing an average
of 96 rushing yards (10th), and with the best numbers put up by Patriots and
Chargers teams whose quarterback ran for 40-plus. No one is sitting Walker down
at the moment, but definitely a
defense that should hold him below his usual. Emmett Johnson (4 carries
and 1 reception per week) won't be taking many snaps, certainly not against
this opponent.
Seattle hasn't allowed a 200-yard passer yet this year, a stat which will
probably end this week. Three of their opponents (Nix, Herbert and Mariota) aren't
doing it against anyone else, but holding Maye, Brissett and Purdy down is impressive. Patrick Mahomes, though, is pretty
much in MVP form, averaging 262 yards and 2 total touchdowns per game. That's
while backed by a defense that's allowing under 17 points per week; Mahomes
hasn't been involved in many shootouts, with only two opponents scoring more
than 10. It won't be easy, with Seattle having 16 sacks and a league-best 11
takeaways, while Mahomes will be missing one or two of his top wideouts and
possibly operating with a backup left tackle again. If the ball is around the
goal line, there might be some extra effort to let Walker punch in a short
touchdown rather than going play action. But with Seattle also tough defending
the run, Mahomes will likely still grade out as a decent starter in many
leagues. After running for 40 yards and a touchdown his first two games he
seems to have thought better of it (17 total his last three).
Rashee Rice hasn't practiced for two weeks (with the bye), listed
with both hamstring and knee injuries. We're including him, but the lean is he
won't be available; rankings will be adjusted on Friday if he's practicing and
looks like a candidate to suit up. They looked perfectly fine with Xavier
Worthy catching all 7 passes thrown his way against the Chargers, for 73
yards. That's 70-plus in back-to-back games for the current No. 1, and he's
caught at least 4 passes in three of four. Just 1 TD, and Seattle has only
allowed 4 to wide receivers, although some lesser passing games were involved. Jalen
Royals and Andrew Armstrong (up off the practice squad) played the most other than Worthy last week, without impact (each
caught 1-2 passes). Fifth-rounder Cyrus Allen is the more intriguing
possibility, but the team evidently doesn't trust him yet. He also caught 2
passes against the Chargers, but played only 9 snaps.
Travis Kelce had one of his better games (4 for 53) last week,
anticipated with the wide receiver injuries. He's gone over 50 yards four times
in five games, with 2 TDs. Noah Gray is also involved, with exactly 3
targets in three straight weeks, resulting in 8 catches for an average of 36
yards. Just 2 TDs by tight ends against Seattle, and none in the last four
games.
Harrison Butker has missed
3 field goals, though all were outside 50 yards. He's made 10 others, and 14
extra points, averaging nearly 9 points per week. Seattle isn't a good matchup,
allowing just 8 field goals all season.
The Kansas City Defense is allowing under 17 points per week, and
only seven teams have allowed fewer yards. Schedule has helped, but they're
good. They're light in sacks (8), but have 9 takeaways, and should be able to
add to both against Sam Darnold. In his last four games he's thrown 7
interceptions and taken 13 sacks, prompting some fans to call for Drew Lock --
no, seriously. Kansas City doesn't have a notable returner.
This report is just a small snippet of the Week 7 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly, part of the In-Season Analyst & Super Fanatic Packages. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 20-plus pages of matchup previews, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
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