Kansas City Chiefs

DT Chris Jones hasn't signed his franchise tender and there hasn't been much "traction" on a long-term extension, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. (Source: Jeremy Fowler on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Jones and the Chiefs have until July 15th to agree on a long-term deal. He's kept in touch with the Chiefs through virtual meetings, but talks of a new contract have stalled. "Not much traction on contract front but both sides have until July 15. Market for high-end DTs is $20-plus-million per year," per Fowler. The 25-year-old has been dominant for the Chiefs, recording 24.5 sacks in his last two seasons. The Chiefs will continue to work with their star defensive tackle towards a long-term extension. Jones is a strong fantasy option in IDP league formats.

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said on a Facebook Live event with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that “the negotiations [with Patrick Mahomes] are something we’ll be getting into this summer.” (Source: ProFootballTalk on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Mahomes is entering the fourth-year of his rookie deal in Kansas City. He’s openly said previously that he wants to be a Chief for life, and as Hunt put it, “that’s our mentality as well.” At this point, it’s a matter of when, not if, a long-term extension will get done with Mahomes. His talent and ability to play the quarterback position is unquestioned, but Hunt said it’s his humility and leadership that makes him special. “He has a tremendous amount of humility going back to what I said about leadership qualities. So he’s very humble on one hand and very competitive on the other and his teammates all respect him and want to play for him and with him.” Mahomes should be the highest-paid QB in the NFL when he gets his long-term contract extension, and he’s QB1 or QB2 in fantasy leagues this season depending on who you ask.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub doesn’t know how often WR Mecole Hardman will be returning kicks this upcoming season, which leads to speculation that he could be more heavily involved in the offensive game-plan. (Source: James Palmer on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hardman was drafted by Kansas City to help in the return game, both on kickoffs and punts. In his rookie season, he returned 27 kickoffs and 18 punts for a total of 871 yards. On offense, Hardman had 26 receptions for 538 and six touchdowns. That is one touchdown for every 4.3 receptions, a very impressive measure for the youngster. Although Toub believes Hardman “has just scratched the surface as a returner,” it’s inevitable that he’ll be more involved in the offense as a pure wide receiver after an impressive rookie season. He’s currently ranked #54 in FantasyPros expert consensus rankings, making him a WR5 in fantasy leagues. At his current price tag, Hardman makes for an intriguing sleeper candidate as he could easily surpass his current ranking playing with the best quarterback in the NFL.

Chiefs second-year RB Darwin Thompson has been forgotten by many after Kansas City selected RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, RB coach Deland McCullough is a big believer in Thompson and says he “looks improved every time he touches the football.” (Source: Pete Sweeney on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Thompson was a deep sleeper last season in fantasy drafts as he drew serious praise from the Chiefs coaching staff throughout the offseason and training camp. He didn’t end up seeing the field very often, and only accounted for 171 yards and one touchdown all year. With the addition of Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs now have a very crowded backfield, but don’t forget about Thompson, who could carve out a role as he gets more and more comfortable with the Kansas City offense. Even so, he may only be worthy of a roster spot in the deepest of fantasy leagues.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire has "some special traits," said Chiefs' OC Eric Bieniemy. "We know one thing that that kid is going to do: He is going to come in and work his tail off. Now, he’s just going to be a piece of the puzzle." (Source: Chiefs.com)

Fantasy Impact: Bieniemy also mentions that Edwards-Helaire has the opportunity to learn from Damien Williams as well as the other backs on the Chiefs' roster. "We have a unique situation where he can come in have an opportunity to learn from a collective group," Bieniemy added. It was reported earlier that Damien Williams and Edwards-Helaire would form a one-two punch. Williams will remain the team’s starting running back, but Edwards-Helaire will compete for playing time. One topic that was brought up was Edwards-Helaire's pass blocking. Bieniemy responded by stating "He does have the attitude and the mindset to get it done, so I’m not concerned with that." Edwards-Helaire has the potential to be a top-10 fantasy RB and is currently 13th among all running backs in the latest expert consensus rankings.

Damien Williams is expected to return as the Chiefs’ starting running back. He will form a one-two punch with rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, per Chiefs’ GM Brett Veach. (Source: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk)

Fantasy Impact: Williams will remain the team’s starting running back, but Edwards-Helaire will “compete for playing time.” The Chiefs selected former LSU RB Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. “I certainly think it’s going to be a shared load,” said Chiefs GM Brett Veach. Damien has been in this offense a long time and has certainly shown what he can do on that playoff run. The guy’s a really good pass protector and can catch the football. I mean both these guys can run and catch and Damien Williams will come in as the starting running back and Clyde will have to come in here and compete for playing time, which we think he”ll do. But I think it will be a one-two punch.” Despite how productive Williams has been in the playoffs, he’s never logged more than 111 carries in a single season of his career. Both running backs will share carries and form a committee barring an injury. Whomever the team’s RB is will be productive in an a fantasy-friendly offense. Williams is currently ranked 39, while Edwards-Helaire is 11th among all running backs in the latest expert consensus rankings.

Per his Instagram account, long-time Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt has been released by Kansas City.

Fantasy Impact: A former third-round pick out of Tennessee in 2005, Colquitt only missed two games in his entire 15-year career in Kansas City. The Chiefs will now look to replace Colquitt in 2020, and currently have two punters on the active roster, Tyler Newsome and Tommy Townsend, to compete for punting duties this season.

Chiefs G Andre Wylie has officially signed his tender and will return to Kansas City for the 2020 season. (Source: Pete Sweeney on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 25-year old guard out of Eastern Michigan went undrafted in 2017, but was picked up by the Chiefs after bouncing around on a couple teams’ practice squads. Wylie has gone on to start 21 of 27 games played with the Kansas City and will look to continue his success this upcoming year protecting what is not only the Chiefs’, but probably the NFL’s, most valuable asset in QB Patrick Mahomes.

Chiefs TE Deon Yelder has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender and will return to Kansas City for the 2020 season. (Source: Precision Sports Management Group on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 25-year old TE out of Western Kentucky has spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs. He played in nine games in 2019, recording three catches for 50 yards. He also contributed on special teams during the regular season and in the playoffs. Yelder will provide some depth at the tight end position behind Travis Kelce.

FB Anthony Sherman has officially re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2020 season. (Source: Kansas City Chiefs on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Sherman was drafted by the Cardinals in 2011 out of UConn. He played two seasons in Arizona before joining the Chiefs in 2013. In his seven seasons with Kansas City, Sherman hasn’t missed a single game. He’s been a constant for what has been a very good run game in Kansas City for most of the last decade. He’ll be back with the defending Super Bowl Champions in 2020 to keep the ground game firing on all cylinders which will continue to open things up for QB Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs are bringing back almost every piece on offense, which is key to potentially repeating as champs in 2020.

WR Sammy Watkins has signed a one-year deal with a base salary of $9M to return to Kansas City. The deal includes an incentive package that can pay him up to $16M in 2020. (Source: Terez A. Paylor on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is a very interesting move by the Chiefs. There were rumblings that Kansas City would not retain Watkins under his current contract terms, and after the team announced they were bringing back WR Demarcus Robinson, everyone thought the writing was on the wall for Watkins to head elsewhere in 2020. Instead, Watkins will return to the Super Bowl champions for one more season after a 2019 where he caught 52 passes for 673 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games. Those numbers are a bit skewed however, as all three touchdowns came in week 1 against Jacksonville where he had nine receptions for 198 yards and three scores. Watkins is cemented as the 2nd or 3rd WR on the depth chart for the Chiefs, behind Tyreek Hill and possibly even Mecole Hardman depending on the day, and as long as Patrick Mahomes is throwing the football, he’ll be a WR to target in the mid-rounds of fantasy drafts. Consider him a WR3 in 2020.

WR Demarcus Robinson is signing a one-year, $2,297,500 fully guaranteed deal to remain in Kansas City. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Robinson, a former 2016 fourth-round selection out of Florida, has played three seasons with the Chiefs. Last year, Robinson found himself with a golden opportunity as fellow WR Tyreek Hill went down with a shoulder injury very early in the season. Robinson capitalized with some monster games for those that were able to pick him up off the waiver wire. He finished the year with 32 catches for 449 yards and four touchdowns. At best, he’s the 5th option on offense behind Hill, Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, and Sammy Watkins. Even with Watkins’ future with the Chiefs being up in the air, Robinson doesn’t find himself as anything more than a boom-or-bust WR5 heading into the year. He’ll be a hot waiver-wire pickup just like in 2019 if Hill or Hardman are to suffer an injury in 2020.

DT Mike Pennel is re-signing a one-year deal with the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Pennel won a Super Bowl in 2019 with the Chiefs, and hopes to repeat in 2020 after signing a one-year deal with the team today. The six-year veteran started his career with Green Bay in 2014, before joining the Jets in 2017. His career high for tackles in a season is 35 in 2017. Pennel adds solid depth to the Kansas City defensive line.

Adam Schefter on Twitter is reporting that Rosenhaus Sports told ESPN that Emmanuel Ogbah signed a 2-year deal with the Miami Dolphins worth $15M with $7.5M fully guaranteed. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Ogbah had 32 combined tackles and 5.5 sacks last season for the Chiefs. The Dolphins ranked 27th versus the run last year and Ogbah will help shore up the run defense. The Dolphins are splurging on defense this off-season in free agency as they have already signed Shaq Lawson, Bryon Jones, and Kyle Van Noy.

Kendall Fuller and the Redskins have agreed on a four-year deal worth roughly $40 million. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Fuller returns to Washington after two years with the Chiefs. The versatile defensive back can play safety or cornerback, and although he missed five games last year due to injury, he has been generally durable in his four-year career. A return to Washington with defensive-minded Ron Rivera as his head coach is a solid destination for Fuller.

Quarterback Chad Henne and the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a two-year deal for the signal-caller to return as a backup to Patrick Mahomes. (Source: Terez Paylor on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Chiefs have their franchise quarterback in Mahomes and opted to carry both Henne and Matt Moore as veteran backups last season. Moore is also a pending free agent and has yet to sign a deal.

LeSean McCoy is not expected to return to the Chiefs in 2020. (Source: NFL Network)

Fantasy Impact: This isn't surprising, as McCoy's role diminished over the course of the season. There are rumors that he could land with a team like the Lions, and he'd likely continuing to fill a reduced role no matter where he lands given his age and recent production. As such, he's not likely to be fantasy-relevant in 2020.

Travis Kelce (knee) resumed practicing Friday. (Source: Adam Teicher on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Kelce missed practice on Thursday but that was clearly just a maintenance day for the superstar tight end. Kelce will be all systems go for the Chiefs' Super Bowl matchup versus the 49ers next Sunday evening.

Daniel Sorensen recorded six solo tackles, two assisted tackles, one TFL, and one pass break up in a 35-24 win over the Titans in the AFC Championship game.

Fantasy Impact: Sorenson had a game of ups and downs, lighting up Ryan Tannehill on a scramble, blowing up a screen to Derrick Henry late in the fourth quarter, and also getting beat on a touchdown on the same drive. He'll need to be on his A-game when the Chiefs take on the potent 49ers offense in the Super Bowl.

Tyrann Mathieu recorded six solo tackles, three assisted tackles, one TFL, and one pass defended, as the Chiefs beat the Titans in the AFC Championship game, 35-24.

Fantasy Impact: Mathieu's importance to the team was evident on Sunday, with the safety flying to the ball and laying out receivers. The diminutive DB may have allowed 5 receptions, but only for a measly 25 yards. Mathieu will have a pivotal role in containing George Kittle and the 49ers offense in two weeks when Kansas City plays San Francisco in a heavyweight matchup for the Lombardi Trophy.