Sammy Watkins Fantasy: Where Will Chiefs WR Fit into Offense?

Getty Images

Sammy Watkins during his big day against Denver

The Kansas City Chiefs will take the field on Sunday as road favorites over he Jacksonville Jaguars. The main reason is because of their offense. The Chiefs have one of the league’s best offenses with many weapons, including Sammy Watkins.

Watkins will begin his second season with the Chiefs in 2019. Since being selected fourth overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 NFL Draft, Watkins has struggled with injuries. The Clemson product played all 16 games just once in his career, his rookie season. Last season, Watkins finished with 40 catches for 519 yards and three touchdowns for the Chiefs. He played in just 10 games.

There are two questions surrounding Watkins. Will he stay healthy? If healthy, will he see enough targets to be a valuable fantasy option?

Sammy Watkins Fantasy Outlook: Matchup vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Getty Images Sammy Watkins has a big day against the Denver Broncos.

This is not a favorable matchup for Chiefs’ wide receivers. The Jaguars have one of the league’s best defenses and they will be playing in Jacksonville. Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are the two starting cornerbacks for Jacksonville. Ramsey will be following Tyreek Hill around the field so that means Watkins will have to go up against Bouye.

When these two met last season, it was a 30-14 victory for the Chiefs. Watkins finished that game with six catches for 78 yards. Patrick Mahomes was held without a touchdown pass and threw two interceptions. The secondary for the Jaguars is stout. Watkins put up a decent PPR game last time against the Jags but it was not a start worthy game in standard leagues.

Hill and Travis Kelce are the only every week starting pass catchers for the Chiefs. Kelce had five catches for 100 yards in that previous game against Jacksonville. Hill was held in check but with his explosive nature, he is one of the best receivers in the NFL.

Should You Start or Sit Sammy Watkins in Week 1?

This is a head scratcher for fantasy teams in deep leagues. If you have Watkins on your team, that is a good thing. He is a solid player to have on your bench because of the Chiefs’ offense and Watkins potential to break out. In week one against the Jaguars, it wold be smart to keep Watkins on the bench.

Watkins has not yet shown the ability to stay healthy. Also, he needs to prove that he is going to be a factor for this Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City has had success running the football against the Jaguars so they may lean on their run game to open up the pass. When they do that, Watkins will still have to face Bouye who is a top level corner. Watkins had a nice game last time out against Jacksonville, but there are far better options to go with in week one.

This is not to say that Watkins will be a bench guy all year, it is just not a favorable matchup for him. This will be a big game to keep an eye on to see if Watkins can play himself into a reliable fantasy receiver instead of an inconsistent bench option.