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Editor’s update 11:32 a.m.: The Chiefs have announced their Week 3 inactives and running back LeSean McCoy is ACTIVE. Damien Williams is not playing today due to a knee injury. McCoy was a question mark with an ankle injury, but he will play. Derwin Thompson will pick up some reps with Williams out, but McCoy is the solid fantasy play — even facing a stout Ravens defense.
The Kansas City Chiefs will be without running back Damien Williams for Sunday’s headline matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. That puts LeSean McCoy front and center to be the main man on the ground in this one.
Williams injured his knee during last week’s win over the Raiders. He left in the fourth quarter, and hasn’t been back on the practice field all week. The team ruled him out on Friday. McCoy has been dealing with an injury himself, tweaking his ankle in the same game. He missed practice on Wednesday. He was back on the field Thursday in a limited role and going full tilt on Friday. Officially listed as questionable, he is expected to play.
Kansas City’s running game hasn’t produced much through the first two weeks of the season. Williams had just 8 yards on nine carries before leaving the game last week, and McCoy only managed 23 yards on 11 attempts. Overall, the team is averaging a meager 3 yards per attempt this season.
This week’s matchup against the Ravens is a tough one to predict. Baltimore’s defense has yet to allow an opponent more than 21 rushing yards in a game, but the only teams they’ve faced so far were the pathetic Cardinals and hopeless Dolphins.
Fantasy impact: The Chiefs are expected to put a cap on McCoy’s workload this week, since he’s not 100 percent. They can’t risk aggravating his sprained ankle. That means rookie Darwin Thompson will likely see some time in the backfield. Still, the Chiefs offense is hard to slow down, and McCoy knows what he’s doing there. As for Williams, keep an eye on his status ahead of next week’s game. A date with the Lions could be especially fruitful.