The Week 6 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings features one team adjusting to life without its lead running back. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 6: Chiefs-Vikings featuring Charcandrick West, Jeremy Maclin and Adrian Peterson
We break down the Week 6 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings.
Kansas City Chiefs
Last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears proved costly for the Kansas City Chiefs, as running back Jamaal Charles tore his ACL and is out for the season. The loss of Charles means the team will have to focus at least a little bit more on the passing game, which is good news for fantasy owners of Jeremy Maclin. Maclin has finally started to produce dividends after getting off to a slow start with his new team. Last week he caught eight passes for 85 yards. Although Maclin didn’t manage to score against the Bears, he has now been targeted at least 10 times in each of the last three games. That’s the kind of action a No. 1 receiver should see.
The reality, though, is the Chiefs will still be a rush-first team no matter who is carrying the ball. For this week, fantasy owners should pick up Charcandrick West. West only had 31 yards on seven carries last week while filling in for Charles, but he’s much more athletic than teammate Knile Davis, who appears to have lost his spot directly behind the Chiefs’ Pro Bowler. West had a fantastic preseason and while preseason doesn’t mean much, it’s worth gambling on in this case.
Minnesota Vikings
Running back Adrian Peterson struggled to find room against the Denver Broncos in Week 4, rushing for just 81 yards, but the good news is he did find the end zone in the second half. He now has three touchdowns in the last two games and it’s clear that he’s got his legs underneath him after getting off to a slow start in Week 1. Peterson should be able to put up numbers against a Chiefs team that has just one victory on the season and may struggle to move the ball offensively. The defense may be on the field for much of the day and Peterson should be able to take full advantage of that.
That fact could also benefit wide receiver Mike Wallace, who finally scored his first touchdown as a member of the Minnesota Vikings before the team’s bye. Wallace caught eight passes on 10 targets for 83 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos in Week 4. He’s a down-the-field type of threat and will undoubtedly draw cornerback Eric Berry in coverage, but the fact is the Vikings can’t beat the Chiefs using Adrian Peterson alone. That makes Wallace an asset this week.
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