The Kansas City Chiefs rebounded from a tough loss on Sunday with a win over the Steelers and Charcandrick West made an impact for fantasy owners in the Week 7 victory. Jeremy Maclin was out with a concussion for Alex Smith, while West broke out with his best game since Jamaal Charles went down with an injury.
The Chiefs snapped a five game losing streak with a 23-13 win over the Steelers on Sunday and the team got some strong performances from players on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs have been dealing with a void on offense since Charles suffered an ACL injury and Charcandrick West gave the team reason to cheer on Sunday. West had his best game since Charles went down with an injury, going for 110 yards and a touchdowns on 22 carries for Kansas City.
Andy Reid and the Chiefs like West as the starter for the team over Knile Davis and this week West gave them confidence in keeping him in that position. According to Ed Werder from ESPN.com, Reid thinks that West "can handle" the starting job moving forward and that is one reason why the team has not tried to pluck a notable free agent from the available RB pool. The team also has Knile Davis, but West has been rushing the ball more consistently this season and that could keep him in a starting role.
West has rushed for 191 yards this season and is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and he should get another chance to start next week when the team takes on the Lions, who have struggled as well this season. West is worth picking up in fantasy leagues and in deeper leagues for the rest of the season, as he can be a replacement for Arian Foster, who was injured this weekend for the Texans.
Jeremy Maclin was inactive for the Chiefs in Week 7 and his status could be up in the air in Week 8. Maclin reportedly passed the concussion tests and was expected to play against the Steelers, but the Chiefs held him out on Sunday. Ed Werder at ESPN reported that Maclin passed the concussion protocol for the league, but he did not end up playing on Sunday. Maclin has had a strong season for the Chiefs, making 39 catches for 531 yards and one touchdown in six games played.
The Chiefs felt good getting a win on Sunday, but the team was also very pleased with the performance from one player in particular. Safety Eric Berry made an interception against the Steelers and that was his first recorded interception since Berry came back from his cancer battle with lymphoma. According to the Kansas City Star, linebacker Derrick Johnson said that "everybody was smiling from ear to ear" when Berry made the interception. The interception led to the first touchdown of the game for the Chiefs.
