It finally happened: The Chiefs have signed a difference-maker at wide receiver. Marquise Brown agreed to terms with the Chiefs on Thursday night, giving Patrick Mahomes the true deep-threat wideout he’s been looking for since Tyreek Hill departed.
MARQUISE BROWN
Old ranking: 103rd overall on Underdog
New ranking: 50th overall on Underdog
- Rashee Rice had a target share of at least 20% for the final six regular-season games and eight of the Chiefs’ final nine games. He’s going to remain a major factor, especially after another offseason to acclimate to the NFL, and Travis Kelce will still get a low-20s target share despite turning 35 years old in October. With that being said, there’s still plenty of room for Brown to take over the role(s) previously occupied by Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, etc. Brown is also the speediest option Patrick Mahomes has had since Hill, and Andy Reid should be able to manufacture deep looks for him given Rice and Kelce’s ability underneath.
- This is the biggest win possible for Brown’s fantasy value — he should command a sizable target share and return to above-average efficiency after posting three straight seasons below 7.0 yards per target while stuck in Arizona. Brown is a solid WR2 option in Kansas City and possesses week-winning upside every time he touches the ball.
OTHER CHIEFS WRS
- This is a death blow for any WR not named Rashee Rice. Targets should be heavily concentrated around Rice, Brown, and Kelce; and Noah Gray likely factors in for just as many targets as the WR3 candidates. Even if one of the primary options gets hurt, we have seen this offense operate without a true fantasy-relevant WR1 despite Mahomes putting up MVP-caliber numbers, meaning none of the ancillary weapons even have contingent upside.
- This is also suboptimal for Rice given that his target competition is now stronger than it could have been, but he was so productive as a rookie that you’re gambling on that ascending into a true alpha WR1-level workload. Brown can take the heat off deep while Rice and Kelce operate underneath; you’d prefer it’s someone who isn’t as capable as Brown fighting for those targets, but Rice can still post extremely strong numbers since Mahomes is a threat for 5,000 yards every year. It is a battle for the WR1 spot now though, so this is a downgrade for Rice however you slice it.
CARDINALS WRS
- With Brown gone and Rondale Moore in Atlanta, Greg Dortch now looks like the WR3-in-waiting in Arizona. The Cardinals may draft a WR with the fourth overall pick, but that still leaves a fair chunk of targets for Dortch and Michael Wilson. Dortch commanded 0.17 targets per route run in 2023, and he’s consistently demonstrated strong target-earning ability during his time in the pros, but it may not be enough to make him fantasy-relevant if the Cards draft a WR given he’d be WR3 and he averages a mere 7.1 yards per target for his career. This also means Trey McBride is going to get an insane target share after coming on strongly over the second half of his sophomore season, regardless of who Arizona adds at WR. Wilson should remain mostly just a deep threat.
