Entering the 2023 NFL season, the Chiefs’ wide receiver room provides more questions than answers. The top option in the Kansas City offense remains Travis Kelce. However, the departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster leaves a vacant role within this offense, more specifically the slot receiver role. There are several options to fill JuJu’s role and second-year widout Skyy Moore appears to be the primary candidate to take over. Early in the offseason, many expected that Kadarius Toney would play sidekick to Kelce. But, an offseason knee injury has moved Moore ahead of the oft-injured Toney.
AVAILABLE WORK
It’s obvious that being a part of an offense that is led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid can be valuable for pass catchers. The Chiefs were the league’s best offense in 2022 and Mahomes seems like a shoo-in for nearly 5,000 yards every season. Travis Kelce isn’t able to take on all of this work. Last season, JuJu and Mecole Hardman took on the secondary role. Both have now left the team, creating a 135-target void within this offense.
Indications throughout the offseason have been that Moore will take on this secondary role behind Kelce on the target totem pole.
The fact that Moore is consistently getting starting reps and taking part in two WR sets (although Toney is injured) is very encouraging for his role next year. This also confirms what’s been said by head coach Andy Reid: Moore is “making a jump” and that Mahomes “trusts him.”
LOW RISK, HIGH REWARD
When it comes to Skyy Moore, the reward is clear. If he can surpass other receivers in Kansas City, he would be a primary weapon on an elite offense with Mahomes throwing him the ball. Chiefs offenses under Mahomes have produced consistent elite fantasy performances from Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
While expectations for Moore should not be this high, it demonstrates the ceiling of this offense. JuJu did not reach this ceiling last year, finishing as the WR27 in 15 games. While this is not game-changing, he was a factor on fantasy rosters, finishing as a top-10 WR in four separate weeks.
This brings in the cost of Skyy Moore. Going off the board in the 12th round as the WR49, Moore requires a small investment. Given that Moore is in line for a starting role in an elite offense, this WR5 price seems like a no-brainer.
THE CONCERNS
As exciting as it may be to get a Chiefs starting receiver in the double-digit rounds, there are reasons Moore is being selected in this range. First is Moore’s lack of productivity in his rookie season. Throughout 2022, Moore was not usable in fantasy lineups. He simply was just not on the field enough to make an impact, never cracking a 50 percent snap share during the regular season. With Smith-Schuster and Hardman no longer in Kansas City, Moore’s snap share will undoubtedly see a bump.
The other primary reason for Moore’s low cost is the competition in the wide receiver room. Moore is not the only player looking to take advantage of the open opportunities within this offense. Players like Kadarius Toney, Rashee Rice, Richie James, Justin Watson, and Justyn Ross are all competing for playing time. Several of these players will have a role in this offense and Moore must fend them off in order to find success on fantasy rosters. Moore is taking starting reps as of now, which is encouraging, but this is no guarantee that he will be significantly ahead of these other receivers.
THE FINAL TAKE
There are two keys to finding players that can absolutely smash their ADP. First, players in a good offensive environment regularly translate to fantasy success. Secondly, players that emerge from unclear situations within their offense to carve out a role also tend to pay off.
Moore checks both those boxes.
If Moore maintains a consistent role in this offense, his 12th-round price will be highway robbery. There is no certainty that Moore will be a featured weapon in Kansas City, however, his price makes him worth the investment. Skyy sits at WR40 (+11 vs the ECR) on The Wolf’s updated Fantasy Rankings.
