Three Chiefs Players Who Benefit the Most From Kadarius Toney’s Injury

Andy Reid spoke to the media today and gave an update on the knee injury Kadarius Toney suffered on the first day of training camp.

Unfortunately, Reid said Toney’s Week 1 status is in doubt after undergoing successful clean-up surgery this morning.

Toney was widely expected to be the Chiefs’ No. 1 wide receiver this year after showcasing a diverse skillset in limited action with Kansas City last year, but now there are massive questions about Toney’s role to start the season.

With Toney’s Week 1 status in doubt, there are three players that benefit the most from this unfortunate news.

Three Players That Benefit the Most from Kadarius Toney’s Injury

Skyy Moore, WR

The second-year receiver seems to be the biggest beneficiary, as he’ll now presumably move into a starting role.

Moore has a similar skillset to Toney and Kansas City can run the same plays for them both, as evidenced by the two scoring a touchdown on the exact same play in the Super Bowl.

Already showing a better rapport with Patrick Mahomes in camp, Moore seems to have a deeper understanding of the playbook and looks much more comfortable than he did this time last year.

After putting up just 22 catches for 250 yards last season, Moore is now an obvious breakout candidate and a player to consider with your season-long player props and in fantasy football drafts.

Deneric Prince, RB

This should be viewed as good news for undrafted rookie Deneric Prince, who flashed early in camp and is viewed as an option to return kicks. Especially given that Toney was injured fielding a punt, I’d be surprised if the Chiefs plan to use him frequently as a returner.

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the pass-catching back out of Tulsa, with many projections already showing him making the team. As a logical fit on special teams, I’ll be stunned at this point if Prince does not make the 53-man roster.

Rashee Rice, WR

Rookie wide receivers typically don’t produce much under Andy Reid, but Rice now has an opportunity to step into a large role in three-receiver sets. He’s shown a strong understanding of the route tree on all three levels, and he may be thrown to the fire early on to compensate for Toney’s potential absence.

Rice has made several highlight plays so far and was very productive in college, catching 96 passes for 1,355 yards with 10 TDs his senior season. He’ll still be behind at least Valdez-Scantling and Moore, though he’ll compete with Richie James and Justin Watson for snaps.

If there was a path to relevance for Rice this season, it looks a lot like this. We’ll see if he takes advantage of the opportunity.