Jeremy Maclin

Week 2 vs Denver
In his first game with the Chiefs, Jeremy Maclin hauled in five passes for 52 yards. While Maclin did not set the stat sheet on fire, he led the team in targets and was not helped by the fact Kansas City jumped out to a lead and never looked back. Although Maclin did not find the end zone, the fact Alex Smith threw three touchdown passes is encouraging for Jeremy going forward.

Maclin will present a bigger challenge to the Broncos than what they saw last week, when Baltimore’s weakened passing game was unable to get much going. Of course, Denver cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are also going to make things tough on Maclin. Jeremy should remain in lineups and can be expected to post passable numbers, but his inevitable first big game as a Chief probably will not take place on Thursday night.

After a banner season last year with the Philadelphia Eagles that saw him catch 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, free agent Jeremy Maclin decided to come home to the Show Me State. Maclin played his high school ball in Kirkwood, outside St. Louis, and then migrated to the University of Missouri. But his move to Kansas City is more than a homecoming. It is also a reunion with his former Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs were starving for a top wide receiver, and Jeremy should fit the bill. But will Maclin be able to match the numbers he posted in the city of Brotherly Love?

2015 Upside
Maclin had some moments last year where he carried fantasy teams. Against Arizona, he caught 12 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 158 yards and two scores when he played the Houston Texans. When most players head to a new team, they have to learn a new scheme. Maclin’s learning curve is not going to be steep because of his history with Reid. After spending a large amount of money to bring Jeremy to town, you can be sure the Chiefs will do everything they can to make sure he gets plenty of targets. Maclin worked with a number of different quarterbacks in Philadelphia. It will help with his transition that Alex Smith is locked in as Kansas City’s starter. And even if something happened to Smith, Maclin would not drop off the face of the earth, as current backup Chase Daniel played with him at Missouri.

2015 Downside
Of Maclin’s 10 touchdowns last year, only three came from within the 10-yard line. With Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce already established as strong weapons near the goal line, it is hard to see that total suddenly spiking. Antonio Brown, widely regarded as fantasy’s top receiver, scored six of his 13 touchdowns from within that range, and also scored on 11 and 12-yard plays. Jeremy will have to keep scoring on longer plays to retain last season’s level of vitality. That could be a problem given Smith’s conservative nature and the slower pace of Kansas City’s offense. When he was with the Eagles, Maclin was not always the focal point of defenses, as other targets such as DeSean Jackson and Jordan Matthews were around. He is the main attraction in Kansas City outside of Kelce and will be defended as one. The Chiefs have a very rough schedule to start the season.

Bottom Line
Maclin no longer has the high level of potential he did during his Philadelphia days and is going to regress. If everything breaks perfectly, he will still have a shot at being a low-end WR2. Most likely, he will be one of the better WR3s. In most leagues, Maclin’s ADP will be in the sixth/seventh round range, which may be slightly high. He certainly would not be an awful pick in that range, but it might be better to let someone else take the plunge.