Getty Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill
The Kansas City Chiefs were dealt a potentially brutal blow in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens. During the first half, top wide receiver Tyreek Hill found himself on the sidelines multiple times dealing with injuries. After appearing to first be tending to a wrist injury, the team officially labeled him questionable to return with a heel injury.
If Hill is forced to miss any time, the Chiefs wide receiver corps is going to feature a very new look over the coming weeks. It would be a huge hit, and in turn, would point to multiple young players being asked to step up. This will almost certainly start with Chris Conley, who’ll more than likely become the top wideout, but would also impact a few other names as well.
Impact of Tyreek Hill’s Injury on Chiefs Wide Receivers
The Kelvin Benjamin topic will instantly become a hot-button one if Hill is forced to miss time. After the Chiefs signed the former Buffalo Bills receiver due to the news that Sammy Watkins would miss extended time, he’ll likely be ready to go in Week 15. Benjamin isn’t the type of player to directly replace Hill’s production, as they are two very different players, but he should see a fine amount of work.
Conley is almost certainly the biggest beneficiary of this situation. While he played 92 percent of the snaps last game and 89 percent the game prior (per Football Outsiders), his targets will see a nice boost as well. He’s already seen the arrow start to trend upward, as Conley has received 15 targets in the past two games (prior to Week 14), scoring three touchdowns over that span.
One other name to mention is third-year pass-catcher Demarcus Robinson. The 24-year-old former fourth-round draft pick hasn’t seen a ton of work this season but would be thrust into a larger role. Most importantly, he could be an option to replace the speed of Hill (to a lesser extent), as he’s shown flashes of potential to stretch the field.
Update
Hill returned to the field at the start of the second half, and his situation will be one to monitor moving forward. We’ll update as any additional information is provided on his status.
READ NEXT: Kareem Hunt Chiefs Release: Is Le’Veon Bell Replacement Option?