Frankie

Hammond Jr.

Hammond spent the past two years on the back end of the Chiefs’ roster, but caught only four passes. He could be headed back to the practice squad.

Hammond was out of the league last season after being part of the Chiefs’ final cuts. He appeared in 25 games for Kansas City from 2014-15, catching four passes for 45 yards while mainly pitching in on special teams.

All are healthy scratches. Nelson was the Chiefs’ third-round pick in May.

Hammond could see time on punt returns with De’Anthony Thomas sidelined. Kansas City waived CB Saalim Hakim.

With Donnie Avery and Junior Hemingway ailing, the Chiefs needed Hammond to step up. Instead he dropped a critical third-down pass (which was overturned by a penalty) and failed to come back to the ball on the final play of the game. It was a dismal performance. The Chiefs arguably have the least receiver talent in the league.

Avery is going to Philadelphia, presumably to be operated on by sports hernia specialist Dr. William Meyers. Recovery timetables for this procedure can range anywhere from 2-8 weeks. Avery, the Chiefs’ second-most targeted player, had 14 catches for 156 yards and no touchdowns through the first four games. Look for A.J. Jenkins and Frankie Hammond to fill in on the outside.

Hammond, a 2013 UDFA out of Florida that spent last season on the practice squad, has been Bowe’s direct backup at “Z” throughout camp. He’s also been solid in preseason games, catching six passes for 90 yards on 86 snaps. It’s a nice story, but it speaks to the striking lack of depth and talent the Chiefs have in their wide receiver room. If they want to have any kind of passing attack against the Titans, they’ll install Gronkonian tight end Travis Kelce as a primary receiving option. Donnie Avery remains the starting “X.”

Hammond started in Dwayne Bowe’s absence last Sunday, but caught only one pass on two targets. He’s miles from re-draft relevance.

Hammond will play in three-wide sets with Dwayne Bowe returning from suspension. Junior Hemingway (hip) is also listed as probable.

He started in two-wide sets across from Donnie Avery, but saw the same number of targets as third receiver Junior Hemingway. With Dwayne Bowe coming back from suspension in Week 2 against the Broncos, Hammond will be safe to avoid and/or drop even in the deepest fantasy football leagues.