Last year, the Chiefs surprised everyone when they started 9-0 after finishing 2-14 the previous season. The team relied heavily on strong defense and a great running game during that span, never allowing more than 17 points in a game and becoming only the fifth team in NFL history to start 9-0 without a 300-yard passing in any game.

After a 9-0 start, Kansas City finished the season poorly at 2-5, earning a wild-card spot in the AFC. Part of the reason for such a poor ending was stiffer competition figuring out the offense and capitalizing on the Chiefs’ biggest weakness: wide receiver.

Last season, the player who led the team in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns wasn’t even a wide receiver. It was running back Alex Smith recently dubbed Hammond as ‘Mr. Reliable,’ saying that “he’s playing aggressive and cutting it loose.” While Hammond isn’t someone that should be drafted at any point in a fantasy draft, he’s someone to keep an eye on in the waiver wire if he’s able to make big plays.

Another undrafted receiver to make the roster is rookie Albert Wilson out of Georgia State. Wilson is listed behind Hammond on the depth chart, and we shouldn’t expect much out of him in his first season. As the Kansas City Star reported, it’s more likely Wilson will be used in the return game than in the offense.

One player that has the potential to be exciting to watch as the season progresses is rookie De’Anthony Thomas out of Oregon. Although he's listed at the bottom of the depth chart at both running back and wide receiver, he's an explosive player who can truly do it all. Kansas City lost wide receiver-running back combination Dexter McCluster over the offseason, and there’s a good chance Thomas could eventually morph into that role. It’s unlikely that he will be able to come right in and produce much this year, but he is definitely a name to watch over the next several months.

2014 Outlook

There’s no doubt that the Chiefs wide receiving core is one of the worst in the league. The only receivers worth looking at for fantasy football would be Bowe as a late-round option or perhaps Avery in 16-plus team leagues. By all accounts, this should be a Jamaal Charles-heavy offense, and that should leave fans optimistic.

In 2013, Kansas City ranked 18th in the league in Passing NEP, but made no upgrades in the passing game at all during the offseason while also losing the versatile McCluster. Unless one of the young guys makes some huge leaps and bounds, there is no reason to believe the passing game will get any better in 2014.