LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills could be fantasy studs against Kansas City Chiefs defense

The Buffalo Bills will take on the Kansas City Chiefs this week, and both teams are in a tailspin after strong starts. Buffalo began the year 5-2, but after three straight demoralizing losses, they find themselves in familiar territory at 5-5. The Chiefs began the year by knocking off the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, then raced out to a 5-0 start before losing 4 of their last 5 games. Their latest loss was to the New York Giants, who were 1-8 before defeating the Chiefs in overtime last week.

Which Bills’ players are worthy of a spot in your fantasy football lineup this week? Well, it depends on how risky you’re feeling as the playoffs grow closer.

RB LeSean McCoy

Even though the Chiefs allow the tenth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, there’s no way you’re taking Shady out of your starting lineup. He absolutely gashed the Los Angeles Chargers last week, rushing 13 times for 114 yards and a touchdown in the embarrassing 54-24 loss. He also caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on his only target of the game. While another afternoon of 8.8 yards per rush is unlikely, it’s certainly not out of the question for McCoy to see 20 or more touches on the game, which will provide him plenty of opportunities to add to his yardage total on the season.

WR Deonte Thompson

This one is a little out there, I know, but bear with me here. With head coach Sean McDermott turning back to Tyrod Taylor at quarterback this week, the Bills may be able to exploit a favorable matchup for their wide receiver group. Kansas City has allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, and they’ve struggled against all different types of pass-catchers. They’ve struggled with big receivers (7/92/1 for Alshon Jefferey), deep threats (2/57/2 for Will Fuller V), and slot guys (4/24/2 for Cole Beasley) this year. If the chip on Taylor’s shoulder truly is as large as he insinuated it is after his benching, and the Bills are without Kelvin Benjamin on the day, I think that the most likely weapon for Taylor to use is Thompson, who clearly has a great chemistry with his former Baltimore Ravens’ teammate. I expect multiple deep shots against a Kansas City secondary susceptible to just that, and Thompson is the most likely beneficiary of those targets. Thompson is available in 95% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues, so if you’re looking for a potential flex play (and can handle to “bust” opposite the potential “boom”), then you may want to take a flier on him.

K Stephen Hauschka

“Hausch-money” has been running a little short of his early-season lines lately, but this is as good a week as any to bounce back. Kicker is a fickle position overall, so if you’re looking for streaming options, you could certainly do worse than Buffalo’s long-range bomber. He’s currently available in 64% of Yahoo! leagues.

QB Tyrod Taylor

Kansas City has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to the quarterback position this season. They have had some great games, shutting down the likes of Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger, but they’ve also allowed tremendous scoring outputs to mobile quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, and Carson Wentz. If you have an iffy quarterback situation, you could certainly do worse than streaming Taylor this week. He’s currently available in 55% of Yahoo! leagues.

Miscellaneous

Travaris Cadet might be a good bench stash, especially if you have McCoy on your roster. Cadet may not see enough action to be a viable flex play, but he’s worth rostering after last week’s strong outing... Zay Jones is another player deserving of a start if you’re looking for a potential “boom” at the flex position. He’s had a good run over his last three games... Charles Clay has potential here, but against a team that allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, I’d look elsewhere if I could... Stay away from Buffalo’s defense.