The Kansas City Chiefs found themselves back to square one in the wide receiver room after losing emerging star Rashee Rice to a knee injury back in Week 3. Rice underwent surgery and is out for the rest of the season, so the Chiefs are lacking explosive options at wide receiver to help out Patrick Mahomes.
After the injury, there was plenty of speculation about what the Chiefs would do with the wide receiver room, as many wondered if they would dig around on the trade market to try to find a replacement for Rice. When Davante Adams was traded to the Jets and Amari Cooper went to the Bills, it was clear that the Chiefs were content with waiting it out a little bit.
On Sunday, the equation may have changed a little bit for the Chiefs once again when JuJu Smith-Schuster left the game against the San Francisco 49ers with a hamstring injury, according to the team. Without Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs could be more inclined to go after a wide receiver, according to James Palmer of Underdog Fantasy.
“The Chiefs weren't hell bent on bringing in a WR before the trade deadline,” Palmer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The mindset to my understanding was to evaluate the WR market these next couple of weeks and at the same time monitor their own roster, record, and overall situation. JuJu dealing with a hamstring obviously something that's part of the equation now.”
Chiefs extremely thin at receiver vs. 49ers
The Chiefs have a 14-6 halftime lead against the 49ers, but they're quickly running out of pass catching options after the injury to JuJu Smith-Schuster. With the former Steelers wideout sidelined, the Chiefs are down to just Xavier Worthy (who returned to the game after an injury scare of his own), Skyy Moore, Justin Watson and Mecole Hardman.
Smith-Schuster seemed to be the replacement for Rashee Rice during the Chiefs' win over the Saints on Oct. 7. In that game, Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 130 yards, so his production will definitely be missed while he's out.
While they are dealing with all of these receiver injuries, the Chiefs have leaned more into the running game and using more heavy personnel. They play with multiple tight ends as much as just about anybody in the league, and they have started running the ball effectively even without running back Isiah Pacheco. Instead, former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt is back in Kansas City and has given them a little bit of a spark.
If Smith-Schuster is forced to miss significant time, the Chiefs might be forced to search the trade market for a wide receiver until he is able to return.
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