The Kansas City Chiefs continue to build off of their strong season last year by signing wide receiver Steve Breaston to a 5-year contract. Among the terms is $9 million in guarantees. With Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, and Thomas Jones already in town, Breaston gives quarterback, Matt Cassel, another weapon to utilize in Kansas City's offense.
Breaston is a four year veteran who has shown flashes of his great potential while playing alongside Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. Over the last three seasons, Breaston has averaged 60 receptions and 812 yards, while scoring 7 times in that span. These numbers are boosted by his 77 reception, 1006 yard season in 2007. But what's notable about that season is it came when he was actually the WR3 behind Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. So it's pretty obvious that Breaston can play a complimentary role quite well. He should help take some attention off of wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe, and spread the field more for running backs, Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.
That being said, Breaston's knee is a concern, and a situation to monitor during training camp. He originally injured it in Week 2, tearing his meniscus, and played through it for two weeks before getting surgery to fix the problem. He ended up missing three games while recovering, and played through the pain the rest of the season. But by Week 12, he was relatively ineffective and never regained his form for the rest of the season.
If he's able to remain healthy, Breaston should flourish under former offensive coordinator (Kansas City head coach, Todd Haley), and will be one of the few free agent signings who shouldn't miss a beat due to the lockout shortened offseason.
Fantasy Spin:
This signing definitely helps prevent quarterback, Matt Cassel, from being a bust, and opens up a lot more room for Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones to operate in when running the football. It also limits Dwyane Bowe's fantasy ceiling, and gives managers another reason to avoid Bowe at his current ADP as the 11th WR off the board. Given that Kansas City had the fourth fewest passing attempts last year, it's not a very fantasy-friendly setup for receivers. Breaston should look to haul in 57 passes for 756 yards and 3 touchdowns, making him a solid option as a WR4.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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