Is Richie James A Good Fit With The Chiefs? Fantasy Football Outlook

Former San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants wide receiver Richie James has agreed to join the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2023 season.

James posted career highs in all receiving statistics in 2022 with the G-Men and will now join the Patrick Mahomes-led offense.

How did James play in 2022 and what is his fantasy outlook for 2023 in Kansas City? Let's dive into it.

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Richie James 2022 Season Review

The 27-year-old from Middle Tennessee State posted career highs in targets (70), receptions (57), receiving yards (569), and receiving touchdowns (four) in 17 games (four starts) for New York.

James was given an increased role thanks to major injuries to veteran wideout Sterling Shepard and rookie receiver Wan'Dale Robinson. Additionally, Kenny Golladay fell out of favor with the Giants' coaching staff, and former first-round pick Kadarius Toney was traded to Kansas City for a third and sixth-round selection in 2023.

He likely wasn't supposed to be a major part of the team's offense when the season began, but he played the No. 2 wide receiver role alongside Isaiah Hodgins at the end of the season.

Richie James 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook

While James' mini-breakout from 2022 was exciting, there's a low chance he's a fantasy-relevant wide receiver in 2023. James has 57 career punt returns and 47 career kick returns, so there's a chance he'll be called on to take over those duties while Toney and Skyy Moore transition into more defined wideout roles.

That said, injuries happen and Kansas City likes to utilize a ton of different weapons, so he's not a bad last-round flyer in deep Best Ball drafts. The Chiefs will likely bring in at least one wide receiver in April's upcoming draft to replace JuJu Smith-Schuster, but for now, the projected starters are Marques Valdes-Scantling, Toney, and Moore.

The 2023 season is still five months away, so unless there's real buzz coming out of Chiefs' camp for James, he's nothing more than a deep league stash or flyer in Best Ball.

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