The Chiefs were anything but stable at their offensive skills positions in 2009, but should we should see more consistency from these units in the upcoming season. Matt Cassel is back under center, while Thomas Jones was signed to help out Jamaal Charles. Dexter McCluster was drafted to be a playmaker at several postions, while Jerheme Urban was signed to join McCluster as receiving threats in the slot. Tony Moeaki was drafted and could be the team’s starting tight end.

Dwayne Bowe is a decent WR2 option again in 2010...as long as he manages to stay on the field for all 16 games this time around.

QB: Matt Cassel : 295-of-508, 3332 yards, 18 TD, 15 INT, 49 carries, 195 yards, 1 TD – The Chiefs will look to lean on Charles and Jones, but Cassel should benefit from the improved rushing game and consistency at wide receiver. Note that Cassel is one of the quarterbacks who likes to use his legs, which boosts his fantasy value.

RB: Jamaal Charles : 204 carries, 1061 yards, 7 TD, 63 targets, 43 receptions, 342 yards, 1 TD – Charles took the RB1 job and ran with it after the team cut Larry Johnson loose midway through last season. He will handle the top job again in 2010. He is a RB1 in just about every format and could easily end up in the 7.

RB: Thomas Jones : 142 carries, 568 yards, 4 TD, 16 targets, 11 receptions, 64 yards – Jones was brought in simply as a way for the team to adapt to the “two runningback” necessity in the NFL these days. Jones will spell Charles and could steal some goal line work, but is not a top 50 back when Charles is active.

WR: Dwayne Bowe : 142 targets, 75 receptions, 935 yards, 6 TD – Bowe missed a quarter of the 2009 season due to suspension, but should be able to put WR2 numbers up if he manages to go the full season in 2010.

WR: Chris Chambers : 100 targets, 48 receptions, 725 yards, 5 TD – Acquired midseason last year, Chambers was instantly a favorite target of Cassel. He will score his fair share of touchdowns, but is barely a top 50 option at WR in this offense.

WR: Dexter McCluster : 27 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD, 63 targets, 40 receptions, 476 yards, 2 TD – The rookie is going to be asked to make a lot of plays right away and he will make them from several different positions. Although he should see a few carries a game, the team won’t want to steal many touches from Charles. He will make a bigger impact via the passing game where he could approach 40 receptions as a slot receiver. He doesn’t have a ton of fantasy value in 2010, but is worth a longer look in leagues that award return points, as he will compete for kick return duties.

TE: Leonard Pope : 37 targets, 24 receptions, 203 yards, 2 TD
TE: Tony Moeaki : 31 targets, 20 receptions, 215 yards, 1 TD – Pope is yet another mid-2009-season acquisition who made an impact in the passing game. He is expected to make the team again in 2010 and should see most of the targets. It’s a camp battle to watch, however, because the rookie Moeaki could take the job. Regardless, none of the Chiefs tight ends are worth a look in redraft leagues.

Recommended by ‘The Fifth Down’ blog on the website of the New York Times.

Some player notes from around the NFL:

Quinton Ganther/Marcus Mason – Ganther and Mason appear to be rotating as the spell back in Washington while Rock Cartwright is the feature back. Neither has much value, especially considering Portis should return over the next few weeks.

Devin Thomas – Another Redskin who is seeing an increase in playing time, Thomas has been targeted 17 times over the last 3 games and is quietly taking over as the 2nd most productive WR in Washington. Keep an eye on him, but he is unlikely to be fantasy relevant this season.

Matt Moore – Moore is the new starting QB in Carolina with Delhomme gone to the bench. Considering Moore’s inexperience and the fact that Carolina is the 3rd run-heaviest team in the NFL, you shouldn’t expect him to be relied on much, which means he isn’t even worth a bench spot in most leagues.

Dante Rosario – 7 targets each of the last 2 weeks for the tight end, but he’s still sharing the tight end load with Jeff King and Gary Barnidge. Also consider that the team throws the ball very little and they are making a change at quarterback. He’s not worth your time.

Jermichael Finley – Fellow TE Donald Lee scored the only touchdown by a Packers’TE in week 12, but Finley was targeted more (6-to-4) and is averaging around 7 looks a game when healthy. The Packers offense is on a roll and Finley will be a big part of it down the stretch. Unless you have a top tight end, he’s someone to consider starting.

Kahlil Bell – Bell burst onto the scene when he put up 81 yards on 4 carries 2 weeks ago, but he carried it just once in week 12. His only value right now is as a handcuff to Matt Forte.

Justin Forsett – Forsett is now owned in most leagues, but consider that Julius Jones will be back at some point. It’s hard to say whether or not the team will give Jones his starting job back, but you have to imagine Forsett has earned a bigger share of the workload. Keep an eye on each player’s looks once Jones returns.

Sam Aiken – Aiken was actually the team’s leading receiver in week 12 with 10 targets, 7 catches, and 80 yards, but note that Julian Edelman was inactive and that Wes Welker and Randy Moss are both still on the roster. Aiken is unlikely to approach those numbers again this season, but will continue to have at least some value as the slot receiver in this pass heavy offense.

Lex Hilliard – 13 total looks over the last 2 games isn’t much, but consider that the only thing between him and the starting RB job on the league’s 2nd-run heaviest team is an injury to 32-year-old Ricky Williams.

Considering his situation, Lex Hilliard should be considered for a spot on your bench in most leagues.

Mike Thomas – Will continue to be overshadowed by Mike Sims-Walker and Torry Holt, but consider that he’s caught 83% of passes thrown his way (best in the NFL for WRs with 30+ targets) and is only a rookie. He’s seeing 5-6 looks most weeks and should be considered a sleeper to explode if he sees more action late this season.

Larry Johnson/Bernard Scott – Johnson put up 100 rushing yards in week 12 and Scott has over 200 rushing yards the last 2 weeks, but don’t kid yourself. When Cedric Benson is healthy and returns to action, he will a majority of the carries. At that point, you should expect only 3-6 carries a game for each, which means very little fantasy value.

Chris Jennings – Jerome Harrison was active in 12 after spending a few weeks as a health scratch so that Jennings could have a shot at the RB2 role. This bumped Jennings back to the RB3 role and it’s anyone’s guess what Mangini will do going forward. Regardless, Jennings is not a player you should be rostering.

UPDATE: (Wednesday Dec 2) – It appears that Jamal Lewis will be heading to IR, which means Jennings could now be the starter in Cleveland. Snatch him up before someone else does if you’re in a deep league or desperate for RB help.

Chris Chambers – Chambers is probably owned in your league, but it’s worth noting that he has caught 74% of the 23 balls thrown his direction since joining the Chiefs and has scored on almost 18% of those catches. Although the fact that he was targeted a total of only 9 times over his first 2 games in KC was a concern, Cassel has now thrown his way 14 times total over the last 2 games.

Malcom Floyd – The man who replaced Chambers as a starter in San Diego is not seeing the same success that Chambers is enjoying in Kansas City. Floyd is being targeted only 3-5 times a game and although he did put up 85 yards in week 12, it was on only 3 catches (4 targets). Floyd has potential in this potent offense, but right now he’s not seeing enough looks.

Darren McFadden/Justin Fargas/Michael Bush – The Raiders running back situation might be the hardest unit to dissect in the league. Fargas wasn’t even active early in the year when McFadden and Bush were carrying most of the workload, but now Fargas seems to be the top runner of the group (sounds a lot like 2008-09) having carried it a team-high 20 total times over the last 2 games. McFadden has been the better bet in PPR leagues, however, over the last 2 weeks, racking up 9 looks and 7 catches despite only 12 carries. Bush, meanwhile, has only 7 looks (all carries) over the last 2 weeks.

The Kansas City Chiefs will officially release trouble RB Larry Johnson on Monday.

The release means Jamaal Charles will be the starting RB going forward. Kolby Smith and Dantrell Savage will also be in the mix.

The Kansas City Chiefs have claimed Chris Chambers off waivers from the San Diego Chargers.

Chambers is likely to step into a starting role over the next few weeks, likely ending the already minimal fantasy significance of Mark Bradley and Bobby Wade. This could mean the end of the road for Bobby Engram in Kansas City, who has been held without a catch the last 3 games.

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos
Kyle Orton has been named the starter so he is the one getting injured in this scenario. The fans of Denver are hoping Coach McDaniels can work his magic again.

Chris Simms- Simms has had some limited success and if you believe that McDaniels is responsible for Matt Cassel’s success last year you could expect some decent fantasy numbers from Simms. I expect Simms to be a waiver wire hit if Orton suffers an injury.

Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter- There will not be a major change in production for the running backs. However, expect a few less receiving yards for the backs with Simms at the helm. Orton tends to rely heavy on the running backs as receiving options.

Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, Jabar Gaffney- With Simms at quarterback expect the receivers to have more deep plays. Orton struggles with the deep ball and last year in Chicago rarely threw to his wide outs (this could have been caused by the poor wide receiver options in Chicago).

Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham- Expect slightly lower numbers with Simms behind center. This is only because Orton heavily favors the use of his tight ends.

Matt Prater- I don’t see any changes in the kicking game production.

Denver Defense- We will see the same production from the defense. Or should I say lack of fantasy production.

Oakland Raiders
Al Davis’s need for speed strikes again. Newly drafted receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey bets JaMarcus Russell he can’t out throw him. Russell wins the bet but tears his rotator cuff and is out for the season.

Jeff Garcia- Garcia just seems to keep on kicking. This Oakland team has some weapons but Garcia won’t put up huge fantasy numbers. He maybe helpful when your starter is on a bye week.

Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush- Garcia is just a more seasoned and productive quarterback. He knows how to lead a team and this will result in better numbers for the running backs. Defenses will have to respect the passing game.

Javon Walker, Darrius Heyward- Bey, Johnnie Lee Higgins- Not the most experienced or productive group but Garcia will make the most of his situation. Garcia’s lack of arm strength will hurt the speed of Heyward-Bey.

Zach Miller- With Garcia behind center Miller will put up top 3 fantasy tight end numbers.

Sebastian Janikowski- The kicking game will be more effective with an injury to Russell.

Oakland Defense- Garcia will sustain drives and keep this unit off the field resulting in fewer points scored by the opposition.
San Diego Chargers
Darren Sproles tries to run under Phillip Rivers’s legs causing the need for surgery to a very sensitive area. Billy Volek will now be leading the super chargers.

Billy Volek- Volek has been a career back up with one season with 10 or more starts. In that season he passed for 2,486 yards and 18 touchdowns. At the most Volek would be a bye week starter.

LaDanian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles- With Volek behind center Tomlinson will see more 8 man fronts which means less production. Sproles will see a spike in his playing time because San Diego will need his playmaking ability to open up the defenses.

Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd- Volek’s limited ability will limit the production of this group. I would expect at least an average of seven less points a game scored by the offense. The fewer points scored means less fantasy points for your players.

Antonio Gates- Gates will still have a good year but the offense will have fewer trips to the red zone, where Gates is at his best.

Nate Kaeding- I don’t expect a major change in the kicking games production.

San Diego Defense- There will not be any major changes to the production of the San Diego defense.

Kansas City Chiefs
In a surprise move Matt Cassel accepts a job as the quarterback coach for the USC Trojans. He will be making more money a year than this NFL contract. Is anyone questioning how USC pays for all this? Maybe the same way it gets all those top recruits……wink wink.

Tyler Thigpen- Thigpen put up decent numbers last year as the starter. He is worthy of being the second quarterback on your fantasy roster.

Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles- Nobody is completely sure what Matt Cassel can really do and the same can be said for Thigpen. I expect the numbers to remain the same with either Cassel or Thigpen starting.

Dwayne Bowe, Mark Bradley, Bobby Engram, Brad Cottam- Again the numbers for the wide receivers will not vary much.

Connor Barth- No major change in fantasy production

Kansas City Defense- The defense will have the same fantasy production.