NFL.com has ranked the top 200 fantasy football players for the 2010 season.
Save Jamaal Charles, no Chiefs player was ranked particularly high. That's fair, though, with the Chiefs 2009 offense not really giving anyone a reason to rank anyone but Charles very high.
Here's the rundown on the Chiefs in the top 200 fantasy football players:
17. RB Jamaal Charles
After ending the 2009 season with the best second half of any running back not named Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles takes a tumble in expected fantasy rankings. This is because the Chiefs picked up Thomas Jones in the offseason. The plan, as far as we can tell, is to have something in the neighborhood of a 60/40 split in favor of Charles.
Jones is a veteran and the Chiefs want to get him on the field for those short-yardage and slug-it-out situations that Charles can't necessarily handle (or the Chiefs don't want him to handle) on a down-to-down basis.
61. WR Dwayne Bowe
This ranking is somewhat surprising but when you look at Dwayne Bowe's history it makes sense. His first two seasons in the league, he averaged around 1,000 yards per season. He was very consistent early in his career which isn't the norm for receivers.
Then 2009 came, he was suspended and the Chiefs had a whole new offense for him to learn.
I see Bowe returning to the 1,000 yard range in 2010 assuming he's healthy all season.
94. RB Thomas Jones
This is probably about right, maybe even a little high. Thomas Jones strikes me as the guy that needs the ball 15 times a game to develop a rhythm and really wear down the defense. The early predictions are that he'll split a healthy load with Charles so I'm not sure what kind of rhythm he can get into.
That said, the Chiefs would be willing to give it to Jones 25 times a game if it meant they were winning.
115. WR Chris Chambers
Chris Chambers came to the Chiefs last year and produced early, which was a surprise considering he didn't know the offense. In fact, his first game as a Chief he caught three passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
So there are obviously some expectations for Chambers. I wouldn't have ranked him this far below Bowe but I can see that it'll be a crapshoot determining who gets more looks in 2010.
131. QB Matt Cassel
The big unknown. Matt Cassel's 2010 season is about as big of a question mark as there is. With the weapons around him with the Patriots in 2008, he had a heck of a season. In 2009, with a new offense and considerably fewer weapons, he struggled.
Charlie Weis is in the fold and Cassel now has a full offseason to prepare. The prediction is that things will improve in 2010 but how much they improve is what no one knows. For now, this is a fair ranking considering he's an unknown.
158. WR/RB Dexter McCluster
Another question mark. McCluster is expected to see a variety of roles in the Chiefs offense this season. He'll mainly be lining up as a receiver -- we think -- probably in the slot. The Chiefs are placing an emphasis on getting the ball out of Cassel's hands sooner so McCluster could be one to benefit from that.
He'll also see time as a running back now and again as well as a shot to return punts. Keep an eye on McCluster. This is a guy that could touch the ball in a variety of ways.
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