The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles did battle on Thursday night football in the return of Andy Reid to his former haunting grounds and the game ended up giving the Chiefs and surprising 3-0 start and left Philly with some tough questions going forward.
Fantasy football wise, the Chiefs had a number of players perform well, including Jamaal Charles and Donnie Avery most notably, while the Eagles had LeSean McCoy go off, which Michael Vick is dealing with a slight ankle injury that probably isn't very serious. Here is a look at what some of the players did in the game and what to watch out for on them the rest of the season.
Observation: Donnie Avery had a breakout game for the Chiefs despite not scoring a touchdown.
Andy Reid likes to throw the ball and Avery was the biggest beneficiary on Thursday, as he made catches on all seven of his targets and ended up with 141 yards in the game. Although he didn't score a touchdown, his performance is welcome news for quarterback Alex Smith and fellow wideout Dwayne Bowe, as it is another target for defenses to worry about and that's not even including what Jamaal Charles does on offense.
Avery had just nine target over the first two games and made just four catches, although he did have a touchdown against the Jags in Week 1. Now that he had a big game, Smith and Reid know that he can be reliable and after averaging 20 yards per catch, he could be an emerging deep threat for the team as well. He had a 51-yarder on Thursday and that could be a sign of things to come.
KC Analysis: Jamaal Charles is a fantasy football beast no matter what league you are in - but especially if it's PPR.
Jamaal Charles has been considered one of the best running backs in football over the past few years and despite having serious knee surgery two years ago, he has been as productive as anyone for fantasy owners. Charles has put up solid numbers through two games this season, but he saved his best for Thursday night, gaining over 150 yards combined on the ground and receiving and scoring a touchdown in the process.
Over the first two games he had 32 carries while making 11 catches and scoring one touchdown and on Thursday, he had 92 yards rushing on 20 carries and a score while making seven catches for 80 yards to fall in right behind Avery. Charles has looked totally healthy this season and he is leading his team in catches this year, making him a stud in any PPR league. Charles is going to continue to be productive as long as he is healthy and he appears to be a perfect fit for Reid's offense.
Eagles Angle: LeSean McCoy comes through again for Philly, while Michael Vick tosses two picks and leaves with an ankle injury.
McCoy is one of the most talented running backs in football and he showed why on Thursday, gaining over 150 yards on 20 carries and now he has gone over 100 total yards in all three games this season. Last week he caught five calls for 114 yards against the Chargers and in week 1 he had a great game with 31 carries for 184 yards and a touchdown and he continues to be one of the most consistent players in fantasy.
Vick has been up and down and after starting with two games of two touchdowns and no picks, he threw two on Thursday. Vick has been compiling a lot of yards, including 428 against the Chargers, but he couldn't do much on Thursday apart from his Jason Avant TD, so beware heading forward.
