ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- One of Alex Smith's qualities, for better or for worse, is that he’s the same quarterback week to week and year to year. His statistics don’t vary much, particularly on a seasonal basis. It’s not difficult to predict his key stats, because they have generally fallen within a narrow range.
Alex Smith
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 3,597.5 yards, 19.3 touchdowns, 7.5 interceptions
Over or under: Smith will beat these projections, if just barely, because they are so modest. The yardage would be a career high for Smith. His career best is 3,486 yards from last season, so this is the one that gives me the most pause. Smith is hesitant to throw downfield, so he’s never going to be a huge-yardage quarterback. But the Chiefs have some receivers -- Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce, and rookie Tyreek Hill who run well after the catch. They will help Smith boost his yardage total. I’m comfortable Smith will throw for more than 19 touchdowns. He has averaged about 20 in his three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Who else could see time: The recently signed Nick Foles is the primary backup. He would have a lesser learning curve than the typical newcomer because of his familiarity with Andy Reid's offensive system. Foles could post respectable numbers if he gets the chance to play.
