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The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, and quarterback Alex Smith did not have a great game (19-for-35 for 202 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions) as the Chiefs’ offense managed just 10 points. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe will be back after serving a one-game suspension, which bodes well for Kansas City’s offense heading into a Week 2 matchup with the Denver Broncos. Running back Jamaal Charles had just 11 touches against the Titans, and his all but certain increased involvement in the offense would benefit Smith as well.
Smith averaged less than 32 pass attempts per game in 2013, but he threw the ball 87 times in two games against the Broncos and two of his three games with more than 40 pass attempts came against Denver. Solid production followed suit, as Smith totaled 523 passing yards with four touchdowns and just one interception, along with 98 rushing yards, against the Broncos.
The Broncos allowed 370 passing yards and three total touchdowns to Andrew Luck in Week 1, and while a one-sided first half that put the Indianapolis Colts into comeback mode should be remembered the Denver secondary showed some holes too. Smith is obviously not in Luck’s class talent-wise, but the Chiefs will have to throw the ball a lot to keep up with the Broncos’ offense in what looks likely to be a high-scoring game on Sunday.
Smith is obviously not a top-tier fantasy quarterback that should be blindly locked into lineups every week, but he is always worth a look as a starting option when he has a favorable matchup. Week 2 is one of those situations where it’s hard to find a reason to bench Smith, particularly if you don’t have one of the elite fantasy signal callers or can use a quarterback in a flex spot, and I like him as a low-end QB1 in 12 and 14-team leagues.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
