"Be careful what you wish for."

Alex Smith is out and brash, exciting fireballer Pat Mahomes is in. Hope we like rollercoasters because early signs are pointing to a wild, up-n-down 2018 ride.

Mahomes is going to let it rip. It is what he does, his nature. It is how Coach Reid wants Mahomes to play. It is how the starting receiving unit is constructed. There are sure to be a fair share of exhilarating moments at the top and we are destined to experience the heart-stopping plummets to the performance abysses.

But hey! We can’t complain if we paid to ride... or wished for the rollercoaster.

Just 1 pre-season game in and already the Chiefs are dealing with some situations. The o-line didn’t look very good blocking for their QB. Granted, the starting 5 handled just 9 snaps against the Texans first string, but Mahomes took a hit on 4 of the 9 plays. Now, in perspective, new QB with excitable feet likely led to a few of those hits. The front line grew to know how Alex Smith, a mobile sort as well, would navigate the pocket and could anticipate where he might be when the pass rush broke through. Right now, both QB and o-line are still getting to know each other. That feeling-out process will lead to sacks, QB hurries and hits, and lost plays. I’m prepping for a slow start, even frustrating at times. But patience, Chiefs fans, patience.

Back at practice, the offensive line took a hit, literally. RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was evaluated for a head injury and appears to have sustained a concussion. I worry about our M.D. at RG and injuries. Will the concern about head or hand injuries cause Duvernay-Tardif to start playing "safe"? That is no way to perform up front. For now, Andrew Wylie takes over at RG.

Other injury watches include safety Eric Berry, DE Xavier Williams and RB Damien Williams. Berry’s injury, or soreness, involves his heel. Last year Berry couldn’t get through camp due to his heel and later tore his Achilles week 1. Expect Berry to be handled with caution up to opening day.

RB Spencer Ware was back in pads finally. Ware is coming back from a season-ending PCL injury.

DB Daniel Sorensen suffered a tibial plateau fracture in practice last week; done for 2018!

Some quick game thoughts;

Rookie QB Chase Litton only completed 7 of 13 passes, but he looked confident, poised, prepared and strong making his throws. Better than I recall in his college tape. He surprised me. Still got just 5.1 YPA though.

The RB out of LSU, Darrel Williams, ran hard, with energy and aggression. He came to play. Wasn’t bad catching the ball e ither. Williams is an undrafted rookie, going 5’11-224. However, his YPC for the game was a mushy 2.7; 6 runs for 16 yards.

2^nd year TE Alex Ellis ran smoothly, caught the ball with strong hands and looked athletic out there. Comes out of Tennessee and measures 6’4-245. Impressed me.

Rookie DB/S Armani Watts started the game and he played extensively. He’ll remain busy in practice with Berry and Sorensen down.

RB Kareem Hunt is working more on his pass-catching assignments and he does appear headed for a bigger role as a receiver. Hunt led the NFL in rushing as a freshman but seems Coach Reid is designing the playbook to lighten that ground load on Hunt while adding more aerial looks his way. Those in PPR leagues should check that box on Hunt.

Coach Reid trusts returning RB Spencer Ware and I doubt he’ll fall behind any other back other than Hunt this season. That is as long as Ware is healthy and ready.

RB Damien Williams has been having a good camp but dinged his shoulder and may miss time. Rookie Darrel Williams deserves a shot based on his camp work. He’s impressed.

Charcandrick West is missing too much time with his concussion and I fear for his roster spot once he returns.

Rookie WR and Kansas State alum Byron Pringle is making coaches take notice in practices. Not sure he has shown enough to beat out Demarcus Robinson or De’Anthony Thomas. Robinson showed up in the game vs Houston, but he never carries it over to the real games.

Chris Conley is the same.

Shifty Gehrig Dieter catches my eye. Seems he’s caught the eye and ear of Pat Mahomes as well. The 2 are always chattering. Good idea to pal-up with the QB if you’re trying to win a roster spot.

TE Jace Amaro... looks good until a hand off goes to a RB and Amaro looks for someone to block; YIKES!

ILB Terrance Smith didn’t impress in the preseason tilt against the Texans.

Stick with the interior, Ukeme Eligwe was not very good either. Eligwe is a special teams guy though. I did expect better from him though on defense.

Keep an eye on LB Ben Niemann... Just Sayin’!

I want to see more of 4^th rounder LB Dorian O’Daniel. He flashes!

I’m sure RB Kareem Hunt will produce at least 1300 YFS and 10 total TDs this season, even if his rushing numbers decline.

I worry about Tyreek Hill’s volume this year. Mahomes is NOT Alex Smith as far as accuracy goes, so less "catchable" football will be headed Hill’s way. He also now shares the field with Sammy Watkins. Watkins likes to stretch the field as well, and Hill has never had a WR with the quality toolbox of skills Watkins brings. Add in air shots to Travis Kelce and more of Hunt as a receiver... see what I mean?

I’m worried about the guard spots. Yeah, Cam Erving has done well so far on the left side... in practice! Mahomes took hits 4 of his 9 snaps. RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif now has that concussion and doctors don’t like having their brains scrambled. Gotta watch that inside area of the line, folks.

OK. Atlanta up next. More Darrel Williams, Ben Niemann and Dorian O’Daniel please Coach Reid.

John Cooney is a Senior Staff Writer for Fantasy Football Mastermind

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