1 fantasy football footnote for every AFC West team

NFL training camp season has arrived, ladies and gentlemen. Prepare for the onslaught of information, rumors and hype pieces. But fantasy football managers shouldn’t be wary of the influx of info — Scott Pianowski has you covered with one key nugget to know for every team. Next up is the AFC West.

[NFC fantasy footnotes: South | East | North | West ]

[AFC fantasy footnotes: South | East | North | West ]

Kansas City Chiefs

Although the Chiefs ended last season with a victory parade, it wasn’t a signature year for the offense, Kansas City ranked ninth in yards and 15th in points, the least-efficient Andy Reid offense in about a decade. It also slotted 26th in rushing touchdowns, and that’s the worst Reid rank in that stat since his third season with the Eagles, way back in 2001.

Of course, the offense came around in the second half and postseason — that’s why the Chiefs are the defending champs. And Isiah Pacheco was a big part of that rebound. Over his final 10 starts (including the playoffs), Pacheco went for 933 total yards and eight touchdowns. Some injuries held him back in the second half, but Pacheco had three top-eight fantasy performances in the final two months, including an RB2 finish in Week 17.

All running backs carry notable injury risk and perhaps Pacheco has a little more risk tied to him, given his aggressive, contact-seeking running style. But after two years he’s clearly established himself as the featured back in an offense helmed by Reid and Patrick Mahomes, and we’d like exposure to that type of player. Pacheco is a reasonable pick in the late-second round of Yahoo drafts (his current ADP is 20), and a nifty value if he slips into the third round of your league.

Denver Broncos

A shrewd fantasy player often looks at a nebulous backfield and sees potential for profit. After all, the crowding issue generally keeps the draft cost down, and if one player gets a favorable runout, fantasy profit can result. But it’s possible the 2024 Denver backfield is one collective dead end.

The Broncos struggled to run for touchdowns last year, scoring just eight on the ground. That was opposed by 28 passing touchdowns, despite the obvious limitations of since-departed Russell Wilson. The fresh Denver roster has four backs in completion for touches, and it’s possible no one will see significant volume.

Javonte Williams had a major knee injury two years ago and never got in gear last year, stuck at 3.6 yards per carry. Sophomore Jaleel McLaughlin is more explosive but probably has a capped workload upside given his 5-foot-7, 187-pound frame. Rookie Audric Estimé could see some of the inside work, but you don’t project a plodding fifth-round rookie (4.71 40-time at the combine) to take the league by storm. And if Samaje Perine makes the team, he’ll likely be the trusted man in hurry-up packages, in part because of his pass-blocking skills. There isn’t a proactive pick in this motley crew.

Los Angeles Chargers

It might look strange to see Justin Herbert currently the QB18 in Yahoo drafts, but if anything that ranking might not go far enough. Jim Harbaugh, of course, is a running coach, and he hired a run-first offensive coordinator in Greg Roman. In Roman’s 10 years as an NFL coordinator, his offenses have been top eight in rushing yardage every year — and outside the top 12 in passing yardage (usually well outside) every season.

Mind you, to pile up gaudy rushing volume, you usually need to be a winning team with a certain kind of recurring game script. The Chargers aren’t seen as a Super Bowl contender just yet. But Roman and Harbaugh built a dynamic running game together at Stanford and with the 49ers, and they’ve built successful running games without each other. The Chargers are also dealing with a fresh start at receiver, where rookie Ladd McConkey is the possible No. 1 target.

Bottom line, scout running backs Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Kimani Vidal closely this summer, because this is a backfield you’ll likely be interested in. And outside of McConkey, you can probably fade the passing game for managed-league purposes. Any LAC pass-game option you draft in August will surely open the season on your bench.

Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White will probably be a sixth-round pick in most Yahoo leagues, based on early ADP, and that looks like a potential value. Head coach Antonio Pierce wants his team to have a physical running identity, and White has already shown a glimpse of what he can do.

You’ll recall White was handed the team’s rushing workload down the stretch, when Josh Jacobs wasn’t available. Over the final four weeks of the year, White ranked first in rushing attempts (tied with Najee Harris), third in rushing yards and eighth in half-point PPR scoring among running backs. That fantasy rank would have been higher if White hadn’t been a little unlucky with touchdowns, scoring just once. White had a modest nine catches over that stretch, though he did collect five in the game against Indianapolis. He’s not dynamic in the passing game, but he won’t be a zero there, either.

White has the build to make power inside runs, and he’s also capable of hitting the second level. He had four 20-plus runs in the sample we discussed above; only Breece Hall and James Conner collected more in that period. The Raiders added Alexander Mattison but he didn’t justify a starting job in Minnesota last year; he’s clearly a secondary option. White has an excellent chance to beat his draft-day cost.