Can’t wait to get daily fantasy football rolling after a long offseason? Thursday has quite the matchup for you. The Kansas City Chiefs begin their title defense at home on Thursday Night Football against the Houston Texans at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.
As the case often is with the Chiefs in recent memory, there are options all over their roster in terms of fantasy. There’s big-play potential in Tyreek Hill at wide receiver, and of course, quarterback Patrick Mahomes seems to always pay dividends.
But the thing the really helps in all forms of fantasy football is an ability to find a sleeper. Mahomes will certainly bring production against the Texans, but his $7,400 salary on your team (roster limit: $50,000) is a big chunk of change.
Instead, there’s a tempting sleeper option that can be found in KC’s backfield: Darrel Williams. He’s not the starter for the Chiefs – that’s rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire – but rolling the dice on the No. 2 running back in Week 1 could pay dividends.
Edwards-Helaire is among the most-expensive backs at $7,000. Williams is a worthwhile selection at $4,200 against the Texans. He has short-yardage ability which could pay off, against a defense that allowed the sixth-most points to running backs in fantasy football last season (452.8 total). Considering the COVID-19 offseason, Edwards-Helaire might be slowly brought along as well, giving Williams more early-season opportunities.
Receiver options for the Chiefs could make a difference, but the Texans attempted to address that area of their defense, bringing in Bradley Roby and Vernon Hargreaves this offseason. Williams is much more of a low-risk, high-reward option.
