Can Kadarius Toney be a top 10 WR in fantasy football? 2023 outlook for Super Bowl-winning Chiefs WR
Kadarius Toney landed in the perfect place to continue his career after a rocky start in the pros.
The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl without a proper replacement for Tyreek Hill, but the team has high expectations in 2023 for Toney, a former first-round pick who was acquired in a trade over the previous year.
Toney, drafted by the New York Giants after a productive career in the University of Florida, is a fast wide receiver who can fly with the ball in his hands - just like Hill. While his stint in New York didn't work out as expected, it's clear that he has enough talent to play in the NFL.
Now, he has Andy Reid designing touches for him to allow him to dominate through speed while he develops his route-running and chemistry with Patrick Mahomes. He's set to have a big year, and for fantasy owners, getting explosive players who can make big plays out of nowhere is a huge deal.
Can he step up and be a top 10 wide receiver in 2023?
Kadarius Toney fantasy outlook: Chiefs WR set for breakout season
A full season under Andy Reid's leadership and with Patrick Mahomes under center should make him a viable starting option for many fantasy owners over 2023.
Obviously you're not expecting him to produce Justin Jefferson's numbers. You could use him as a FLEX/WR3 option since he's probably going to be inconsistent week-to-week, but his big play potential is huge. His 12.2 yards-per-catch average and 2.44 yards-per-route are both good numbers.
Most of this is a projection, of course, but when you play with Patrick Mahomes, is tutored by Andy Reid and has the qualities that Toney has, you can always expect something good to come out of it. Remember Mecole Hardman? He's as fast as him - but the former Giants receiver is a much more complete player overall.
His targets number aren't high, but his 82.4% catch rate is impressive and bodes well for the 2023 projections. You can take him in the mid-late rounds if he's available and have him as a gadget on your roster in weeks where the Chiefs' passing game is going to be used a lot and start him.