Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James caught each of his two targets for 15 yards as the team managed a narrow 13-12 road victory in Sunday's regular-season finale. With top wideout Rashee Rice getting Week 18 off, James stepped in as a fixture in three-receiver sets for the Chiefs. On a day where quarterback Blaine Gabbert only passed for 154 yards, however, James was unable to get much very going. The offense ran through La'Mical Perine on the ground and Mecole Hardman Jr. through the air, with the latter getting peppered with 11 targets in the win. James cracked 100 yards for the campaign in this one, but it was a disappointing outcome for those who took a shot in the dark on him in DFS tournaments. The 28-year-old veteran will not be a big component of the passing game when K.C. kicks off the postseason with a Wild Card battle against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James is in line for greater usage on Sunday versus the Los Angeles Chargers. James caught 57 of his 70 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns as one of the NFL's catch rate leaders (81.4%) with the New York Giants a year ago, so he could serve as a security blanket out of the slot for quarterback Blaine Gabbert with top slot man Rashee Rice (hamstring) on the sidelines for Week 18. James has only appeared in eight games for the Chiefs in 2023, pulling in eight of his 12 targets for 99 scoreless yards. The 28-year-old veteran figures to be busier than usual in the regular-season finale, but it remains a crapshoot in terms of trying to predict which of K.C.'s receivers will emerge from a likely committee with the most opportunities.
Justyn Ross And Richie James To See Expanded Roles
Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Justyn Ross and Richie James should both see extended roles over the next few weeks, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. To spark their stagnant offense, Jones said the Chiefs will look to get the second-year wideout Ross and veteran James some more targets. Neither player has made much, if any, impact this season from a fantasy perspective but Kansas City is looking for more options behind stalwart Travis Kelce and emerging rookie Rashee Rice. There's not much actionable season-long fantasy advice here but Ross and James could both serve as cheap DFS options over the next few weeks.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially activated wide receiver Richie James (knee) from Injured Reserve on Saturday, but he is inactive for the Monday night contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs will give James another week to rest up, but there also isn't any room on the active game-day roster given all the bodies the Chiefs already have at the receiver position. The 28-year-old hasn't played since Week 2 and may not see much action at all the rest of the year as long as Kansas City's receivers remain healthy. The Chiefs already have wideouts Rashee Rice, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman, so James' path to playing time in 2023 looks futile.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James (knee) has been activated from injured reserve. He is still listed as questionable for Week 11 versus the Philadelphia Eagles, but this latest roster move suggests that he will play. If active, it'll be James' first game action since Week 2. Through his first two contests of the year, he totaled one catch for six yards and also lost a fumble. Fantasy managers can leave the 28-year-old on waivers in all formats.
Richie James Logs In Another Full Practice Session
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James (knee) was a full participant in practice for the third day in a row on Saturday. Despite that, James remains on the injured reserve ahead of the Week 11 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The good news is, James has been able to get through two straight weeks of full practices. It sounds like he's nearly ready to return to the field, but head coach Andy Reid said James was unlikely to be activated this week. The veteran wideout has one reception for six yards in 26 offensive snaps this season. He can be avoided in all fantasy formats going forward.
Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, Richie James Practice In Full
Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Kadarius Toney (ankle), Justin Watson (elbow) and Richie James (knee) all practiced in full on Thursday coming off their bye week. Toney is probably the most attractive name in fantasy, but only in pretty deep leagues as a bench stash. The Chiefs continue to take it easy on the oft-injured wideout to keep him on the field, as he hasn't played more than 42% of the snaps in a single game. He has just 20 catches, 127 yards and one TD in nine games. Toney is rostered in only 15% of Yahoo leagues. Watson saw more playing time in Week 9 but has only 14 catches and hasn't found the end zone in eight games. James has one catch for six yards and has missed the last seven games while on Injured Reserve.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James (knee) remains on IR and was not activated for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins. He had been listed as questionable but will not play. The 28-year-old hasn't been healthy since Week 2, and now he'll have to wait at least one more week before he can make his return. The Chiefs have used an all-hands-on-deck approach at receiver, mixing in the likes of Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson behind breakout rookie Rashee Rice.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins in Germany. James, who is currently on IR, had his 21-day practice window opened on Wednesday. The fifth-year receiver has been out since Week 2 and his potential return would further crowd a deep but largely ineffective wide receiver group in Kansas City. Rashee Rice is the best of the bunch and is developing a nice rapport with QB Patrick Mahomes. Even if James suits up, he would slot in behind Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman Jr., Skyy Moore, and Justin Watson.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James (knee), who is still on Injured Reserve, is returning to practice on Wednesday, which will open his 21-day practice window to return from IR. James' return to practice this week doesn't necessarily mean he'll be activated in order to play in Germany in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins, but he's getting closer to returning for the first time since getting injured in Week 2. Even if the 28-year-old were to return this Sunday, it's unlikely he'd see much playing time behind the likes of Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson. James could eventually have a bigger role, but there are just too many bodies in KC's wideout room right now.
