Week 1 of the Chiefs' 2019 season seemed to leave us with almost as many questions as it answered. This post isn't to dispute the age-old adage of, "start your studs." If you own any shares of Patrick Lavon Mahomes II or Travis Kelce, you started them last week and you're going to be starting them Sunday afternoon against the Raiders. If you own any shares of Sammy Watkins, you may not have started him last week against Jacksonville, but you almost certainly will be starting him every week between now and Tyreek Hill's eventual return. It also seems a bit premature to sort out the Chiefs' RB situation. Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy both flashed at times last week, but it was also just a week after McCoy joined the team. The split between them this week should be more indicative of the workload going forward, but they are both solid options depending on the other RBs that you are choosing between. I'm going to spend less time talking about all of those players, and more time giving my perspective about who the Chiefs will use to fill the absence caused by Tyreek Hill's injury.

Replacing Tyreek Hill's Production

There is no chance that any single player steps in and fills the void left by Tyreek's absence in the Chiefs' offense. Patrick Mahomes is going to get the ball to the open man on Sunday, having shown time and time again throughout his young career that he is comfortable doing so. In his very first start in Denver in Week 17 of the 2017 season, the starters were resting and Mahomes found Albert Wilson for 147 yards throughout the day. As the team showed last week after Hill's early-game exit, it is not a question of whether the offensive production will keep up, but rather who will be the beneficiary of the targets to be had. Watkins, Kelce and the RB stable should all see an uptick in targets over the next few weeks, but there is the serious chance that another wideout steps up and becomes a fantasy-viable wide receiver in Hill's absence (at the very least a flex option). Based on the team's preseason depth chart and Week 1 snap totals, either Demarcus Robinson or Mecole Hardman should be the player to step up and take advantage of the vacated targets.

The Case for Demarcus Robinson

Entering training camp, Demarcus Robinson was listed 3rd on the depth chart, and he maintained that position throughout camp (for depth chart purposes at the very least). He has shown a decent connection with Mahomes in the last year. Although he gained just 244 yards through the air during the 2018 season, he did so as the WR4. One of his 4 touchdown catches happened to be the catch that put Mahomes over both the 5,000 passing yards threshold and 50 TD mark at the same time. Although he was out-snapped by Hardman 46-35 last week, he earned the start over the rookie from Georgia. If there is any case to be made for Robinson, it's based on his familiarity in the offense and the trust that he has earned with Mahomes since entering the league together in the 2017 draft. One issue that critics have noted about Robinson is his lackluster route-running, but the flip side of that is some of his biggest catches have come on Mahomes' trademarked improv plays. He only had 2 targets in the game, but that was more than the zero-burger in the target department for Hardman.

Enter Mecole Hardman

Just days after the offseason Tyreek Hill news started to trickle out, the Chiefs traded up in the second round of the 2019 draft to snag Mecole Hardman 56th overall. They traded up 5 spots to select Hardman despite the fact that fellow 2nd Round WRs J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Parris Campbell, Andy Isabella, and D.K. Metcalf were still on the board at the time. In other words, the Chiefs got their Tyreek replacement. Drafting what turned out to be a luxury pick after the dust settled in the Tyreek Hill case gave Patrick Mahomes yet another weapon to throw to. Throughout the summer, reports came out indicating that Hardman was progressing in Andy Reid's notoriously difficult-to-pick-up offense rather quickly, and it didn't take long into his first preseason game before he flashed the speed that led the Chiefs to draft him in the first place when he took a red zone touch-pass to the house.

Although he didn't have any targets last week, he was in for the majority of snaps which is a rarity for rookie WRs in Andy Reid's offense, and this week Reid seemed to indicate that Mecole was ready for an increased workload in Hill's absence.

One reason for the lack of targets for Hardman last week may be the fact that the Chiefs didn't gameplan for the Tyreek role to have much involvement in the game after Jalen Ramsey held Tyreek to a quiet game last season. Now that the team has a seemingly more favorable match-up this week in Oakland, expect Hardman to have an increased role in this week's game.

Should You Pick Up Robinson or Hardman?

At this point, both Robinson and Hardman present interesting options from a fantasy perspective. Chris Conley signing with Jacksonville as a free agent has allowed Robinson to naturally move up on the depth chart, and the injury to Hill creates a void that will realistically be filled by both players. Hardman's blazing speed that led to the Chiefs trading up to draft him in the first place, together with the coaching staff singing his praises throughout the offseason, shows that he is more likely the higher upside fantasy pickup. Hardman should be owned in every 12-team league. The Chiefs offense looks like it is going to continue on its historic run, and if they are to do so then Hardman will be a big reason why. Robinson, while not as exciting as Hardman, deserves a look in 14-team and higher leagues. Whether you are the one to pick them up obviously depends on your fantasy team's roster. I would not advise starting either player this week before we know more about their roles in Tyreek's absence, but it might be a good idea to get either of these players as fantasy free agents before they are subject to the waiver wire. Regardless, Robinson, Hardman and even DAT could all three be worth a DFS dart throw this weekend.