RADIO
Jerick McKinnon is a 2023 fantasy football draft sleeper at running back and an ADP draft value. Target McKinnon as an undervalued RB in fantasy football drafts.
BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~118 Overall
CURRENT ADP: ~126
ANALYSIS: Jerick McKinnon is one of the best values right now that can be had in the RB4 range of your fantasy drafts. He finished as the RB26 last year in half-PPR PPG. If you’re waiting on running back, McKinnon is one heck of a target late. That’s because he’s guaranteed to reprise his role as the Chiefs’ primary pass-catching back.
The team has elected to run their backfield back and that’s great news for McKinnon’s fantasy value. Last year, he finished with 71 targets (ninth-most among RBs), 56 receptions (ninth), and 512 receiving yards (fourth).
He had a stranglehold on the pass-catching and third-down role in Kansas City and that’s going to continue in 2023 as well. He ran the seventh-most routes with 306 and had an 11.5% target share (15th).
Those numbers could actually go up, believe it or not. That’s because from Weeks 1-6, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was still being routinely used. He averaged a 43.9% snap share during that time compared to McKinnon’s 41.3%. However, from Weeks 7-11 before CEH got hurt, those snap shares changed drastically. During this period, McKinnon’s snap share climbed to 50.4% and CEH’s dropped to 15.1%. From Weeks 7-17, McKinnon was the RB17 in half-PPR PPG.
McKinnon was one of the most efficient pass-catchers on top of it all. As if we needed any more reason to buy in. He finished with a 1.67 yards per route run average, which ranked eighth among RBs. He also had 9.1 yards per reception, which was fourth-highest.
The Chiefs lost JuJu Smith-Schuster, who operated as the team’s No. 2 target, in the offseason. If Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, and rookie Rashee Rice struggle to provide consistency, McKinnon could yet have an even bigger role in the passing game!
More Fantasy Football Values and Sleepers
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups - Ryan Flournoy, Isaiah Bond, Xavier Hutchinson Fantasy Football Outlooks
Even after waivers have cleared in many leagues, there are a handful of players that many fantasy managers haven't claimed yet that might be worth picking up. The latest examples are Arizona Cardinals RB Michael Carter and Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. Both were free-agent pickups in many leagues. And though they got their […]
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups - Hassan Haskins, Isaiah Davis, Ollie Gordon Fantasy Football Outlooks
Trying to get ahead of the game and find the next backup running back that's in line to get more work out of the backfield, or potentially take over duties in place of an injured starter, is never an easy task. But we've seen recent examples, like those of Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter […]
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups - Tyquan Thornton, Brashard Smith, Kareem Hunt Fantasy Football Outlooks
The Kansas City Chiefs have mostly been a frustrating team to have fantasy players rostered from. In the absence of the team's top wide receiver, Rashee Rice, the other players have mostly been highly inconsistent. While some have had big games at times, like wide receiver Hollywood Brown in Week 1, and tight end Travis […]
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups - Tyler Allgeier, Blake Corum, Brian Robinson Fantasy Football Outlooks
Fantasy football managers are always on the lookout for running backs who can provide upside during bye weeks, injury situations, or unpredictable game scripts. Week 6 presents several intriguing options, particularly in backup roles where opportunity and volume can quickly translate into fantasy production. This week’s focus includes three backs—Tyler Allgeier, Blake Corum, and Brian […]
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups - Bam Knight, Jaydon Blue, Kyle Monangai Fantasy Football Outlooks
With more than a month of the season down and bye weeks hitting, we start to see more rookies expand their roles with the classic "post bye rookie bump." And of course, injuries bring some unexpected names into fantasy relevance. This applies to all three running backs that will be discussed in this piece: Cardinals […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
