RADIO
Jerick McKinnon is a fantasy football waiver wire pickup option for running backs. Target him as a free agent add off waivers for Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season.
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ANALYSIS: We definitely want to be careful chasing touchdowns, but we've seen Jerick McKinnon do this before in Kansas City when he finished as one of the best running backs in the second half of the season last year. However, during that time, McKinnon was operating as the Chiefs' primary pass-catching running back.
That isn't the case this time around. Through three weeks, Isiah Pacheco has run more routes than McKinnon in all three contests. That was true again this past weekend when Pacheco ran 16 routes to McKinnon's 13. They each finished with three targets, but two of McKinnon's went for touchdowns.
In Weeks 1 and 2, he scored just 1.5 and 3.7 half-PPR points, respectively. It's an indication that if he doesn't find the end zone, the floor is dangerously low. That said, head coach Andy Reid seems to have a package of red zone plays for McKinnon. Dating back to last season, they've been extremely effective.
Due to the number of snaps he's playing (just 22 of 77) and the number of routes he ran (just 13 of 41), fantasy managers should not be depending on McKinnon as a starter. He is a bench player who can be thrown into the starting lineup in a pinch hoping for a touchdown, as there are worse options.
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