JerickMcKinnon

News: 4 hours agoMcKinnon carried the ball four times for 19 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Bills.

Spin: With Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) sidelined, Clyde Edwards-Helaire got the start at running back for Kansas City and saw 13 touches, but it was McKinnon who got into the end zone on a seven-yard run in the second quarter. It's the veteran RB's first score on the ground in almost exactly a year, although he's caught three TD passes in 2023. If Pacheco isn't ready to return in Week 15 against the Patriots, McKinnon and Edwards-Helaire figure to split snaps again.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: After missing the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons due to injury, McKinnon made an improbable return to the league in 2020 and has since missed only four of a possible 46 games during stops with the 49ers and Chiefs. He hasn't been much of a factor in the run game for quite a while (165 carries in those 46 games), but he delivered in a big way as a receiver in 2022 (56-512-9). In fact, McKinnon is now one of seven RBs in NFL history to catch at least nine TDs in a single season. Despite the 10-TD campaign, McKinnon's situational role limited him to 27th in fantasy PPG and he's yet to finish a season better than 24th. Now 31 years old, McKinnon will remain a change-of-pace/receiving back alongside Isiah Pacheco and perhaps Clyde Edwards-Helaire. McKinnon lacks upside, but has some late-round appeal in PPR.