Marquez Valdes-Scantling

After five years with at least 430 yards and two touchdowns, Valdes-Scantling had the worst season of his career. Despite posting 687 yards with Patrick Mahomes in 2022, the receiver saw his catches get cut in half while his yardage fell to 315. As a result, the Chiefs let Valdes-Scantling walk in the offseason. During his career, the pass catcher has caught passes from Aaron Rodgers and Mahomes. It’s unlikely he ever finds a situation that good. Valdes-Scantling could surface as a situational deep threat, and it’s possible his best seasons are behind him.

Valdes-Scantling signed with the Chiefs last offseason with the expectation of being the deep threat with Tyreek Hill gone. That's how things played out, but Valdes-Scantling finished with only 42 receptions for 687 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Patrick Mahomes just didn't throw deep often -- a career-low 8.2 percent of his attempts were 20-plus yards. From a fantasy perspective, MVS is wildly inconsistent, requiring a couple deep grabs to earn fantasy relevance on a given week. With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman both gone, Valdes-Scantling could draw a few more targets in 2023 in a wideout corps that also includes Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice and Richie James, but drafting any pass-catcher in Kansas City's offense other than Travis Kelce is a speculative endeavor.

The Chiefs' plan to replace Tyreek Hill — so much as that's a thing — seemingly hinges on a committee rather than any expectation of a true No. 1 receiver. They shopped middle of the market in free agency, landing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling, before using a second-round pick on Skyy Moore. Combining those three with Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs have a diverse receiving corps, with JuJu the slot/possession target, Hardman the YAC/screen/rushing guy and Valdes-Scantling the deep threat. Moore could eventually offer elements of each skill set, just as Hill did, but that's a lot to ask of a rookie right out of the gate. Valdes-Scantling, on the other hand, has plenty of experience, with 39 starts in 59 games in four seasons with the Packers. He never did better than 690 yards or six TDs in a season (2020) and still hasn't shown much sign of effectively using his 4.37 speed in the short passing game, but MVS did average at least 15.3 yards per catch each year in Green Bay. He now joins Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on a three-year, $30 million contract, though the team can get out of it after one season and $9 million.

Valdes-Scantling, known more for drops than performance, turned the corner a bit in 2020, with massive per-play averages of 20.9 YPC (1st among 60-target wideouts) and 11.0 YPT (4th). He also tied for the league lead with six catches of 40-plus yards on only 63 targets. Of course, he still dropped seven of those 63 targets, for a higher drop rate than even Diontae Johnson. At 6-4, 206, and with 4.37 40 speed, MVS is built for downfield routes. His slight build, shaky hands and average route-running skills probably preclude him from seeing much more than that, as does the presence of target magnet Davante Adams. Furthermore, the Packers bring back Allen Lazard and added Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers, so there's no assurance of Valdes-Scantling keeping his top-three role.

Early last season, it appeared Valdes-Scantling was making the second-year leap, earning a starting spot and tallying 416 yards and two scores over the first seven weeks. After that, though, his snap count and production fell off a cliff, and he totaled just 36 receiving yards the rest of the way. Valdes-Scantling's combination of size and speed makes him an intriguing prospect, but he won't help fantasy players if he's not on the field. Every wide receiver spot on the depth chart behind Davante Adams is up for grabs, so Valdes-Scantling still could find himself in a prominent role. However, given where he finished in 2019, Valdes-Scantling is going to have to surpass several players to even have a shot at fantasy relevance.

A fifth-round pick in 2018, Valdes-Scantling had a decent rookie season with 15.3 YPC, 8.0 YPT and four catches of 40-plus yards on 73 targets. Inconsistent usage, a low catch rate and an occasional lack of focus (four drops) prevented it from being better, but he did enough to be in the mix for a bigger role. Davante Adams is the constant in the team's receiving corps and should again see a large share of the targets, but beyond him, nothing is set. Geronimo Allison returns from a groin injury, and fellow 2018 draftee Equanimeous St. Brown (36 targets) will also vie for looks, but at 6-4, 206, and with 4.37 40 speed, Valdes-Scantling is probably the Packers' best option for stretching the field. Moreover, with Aaron Rodgers finally free of Mike McCarthy and his outdated scheme, there should be more production to go around under new coach Matt LaFleur.

Valdes-Scantling was the second of three receivers selected by the Packers in April's draft. He and a host of other receivers are competing for several reserve spots on the Week 1 roster, and he is going to have to stand out in preseason action to make the cut. If he does not, Valdes-Scantling would be an option for Green Bay's practice squad.