Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Chiefs downgraded TE Travis Kelce to out for today's game vs. the Chargers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this morning that Kelce would play long enough to get the 16 yards he needs for 1,000, but HC Andy Reid evidently wised up since then and will hold Kelce out of this meaningless game. Noah Gray figures to operate as Kansas City's lead TE and is in play as a cheap DFS option.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is not expected to play today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It sounds like Pacheo will be active but only used in an emergency with the Chiefs having nothing to gain vs. the Chargers. RBs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and La'Mical Perine will handle backfield duties.

The Chiefs are expected to play TE Travis Kelce long enough vs. the Chargers today to get him the 16 yards he needs for 1,000 total, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It'd be Kelce's eighth straight 1,000-yard season. Expect Kelce to be pulled as soon as he gets those 16 yards, with the Chiefs having nothing to play for today. Kelce still isn't a recommended Week 18 fantasy play, although this news is a knock against TE Noah Gray's viability.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (quad, shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Chargers. There’s no reason for him to play much, if at all, with his team locked into the AFC’s No. 3 seed. Pacheco should not be in Week 18 fantasy lineups. We’ll see which RBs end up active for the Chiefs on Sunday.

Chiefs WRs Rashee Rice (hamstring) and Kadarius Toney (hip, ankle) are out for Sunday's game vs. the Chargers. Rice would presumably be playing if this game meant anything, but we'll track his status during next week's prep for the Wild Card Round. Kansas City will have WRs Justin Watson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Richie James, Mecole Hardman, and Justyn Ross available on Sunday.

The Rams will start QB Carson Wentz in Sunday's game against the 49ers, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. They'll be resting Matthew Stafford in a game they don't need for playoff positioning. That revelation likely confirms that WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and RB Kyren Williams will also sit. Beyond that, we'll see. We'd be surprised if Demarcus Robinson has elevated to the point of being rested in this game, but we'll be watching for specific reports ahead of Sunday's kick.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won't play vs. the Chargers this weekend, HC Andy Reid said Wednesday. QB Blaine Gabbert will start in a meaningless game for the Chiefs, who are locked in as the AFC's No. 3 seed. Reid also said that "some" other starters will not play on Sunday. We imagine that'll include TE Travis Kelce, RB Isiah Pacheco, and potentially WR Rashee Rice. This is an offense to avoid in Week 18 fantasy lineups.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce was held to 3 catches for 16 yards against the Bengals on Sunday. Kelce was unable to get open in what should have been a smash match-up, drawing only 4 targets. Kelce still finishes the fantasy season (for most leagues) tied for the position lead in PPR points per game. But that comes with his lowest scoring average since 2016. Kelce's 14.7 points per contest fall nearly 4.0 short of last year's average. It's no surprise for the 34-year-old to be trending downward at this point. It's fair to wonder, however, how much the season-opening knee injury and then a Week 5 ankle sprain limited him. Kelce probably shouldn't be drafted so far ahead of the rest of the position in 2024, but it's tough to knock him too far when a disappointing year still has him tied for the scoring lead. We'll be very curious to see where he goes in early best-ball drafts. Kelce's likely to be a tough sell in dynasty leagues this offseason.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco ran 18 times for 130 yards and added 7 catches for 35 yards and a TD. When healthy, Pacheco has been the focal point of the Chiefs offense. His speed and receiving ability was on display against Cincinnati. Pacheco led the team in targets and receptions and caught Patrick Mahomes' only scoring toss of the game. Pacheco has likely secured the starting job for at least 2024 and remains under contract through 2025. That said, Pacheco might have to share more work in 2024 than he has with Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire this season. There's potential for Pacheco to be overrated in early best-ball drafting. We'll have our initial 2024 rankings out before the end of the playoffs to help you position him appropriately.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes completed 21 of 29 passes for 245 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Bengals. It wasn't a bad outing -- though he did lose a fumble -- though he finished just 24th among fantasy QBs by ESPN scoring. That knocks him down to QB12 in fantasy points per game for the year. The Chiefs almost have to improve their pass-catching corps for 2024. We'll see exactly how they go about doing so. If Mahomes' early best-ball draft position sits anywhere near his 2023 finish, then he'll be a value. We'd bet he'll still go inside the top 5 at the position, though. At that level, it's probably worth going light on Mahomes in early drafts. We certainly don't have any long-term concern for his fantasy value.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (concussion, shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Bengals. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is surprisingly inactive. That leaves only RBs La’Mical Perine and Keaontay Ingram behind Pacheco, who should be in for a big workload today.

Chiefs RBs Isiah Pacheco (concussion, shoulder) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) are expected to play vs. the Bengals today, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms. Cleared from his concussion, Pacheco should be ready for something close to his usual role in this one. He's inside the top 10 of the Week 17 RB Rankings.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (concussion, shoulder) is expected to play vs. the Bengals on Sunday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's surprising that Pacheco was able to get cleared after sustaining a concussion on Monday. But if he's active tomorrow, he should be ready for his usual role against a bad Cincinnati run defense. Pacheco is a RB1 for Week 17, while RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire would now be a desperation fantasy play.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (concussion, shoulder) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Bengals. He only returned to a limited pracitce on Friday, but HC Andy Reid reportedly sounded optimistic about Pacheco’s availability for Sunday. We’ll keep you updated on his status. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is also listed as questionable after missing the final two practices of the week.

The Cardinals are placing WR Marquise Brown (heel) on IR, knocking him out for the final two games of the season. It was a frustrating season for Brown, who dealt with inconsistent QB play for the first nine games of the season and then struggled connecting with QB Kyler Murray over his last few outings. Brown finishes his age-26 season with career lows in yards per game (41.0), catch rate (51%), yards per target (5.7), and yards per route (1.25). Brown is set to hit free agency in March. We'll see how his market develops and where he ultimately lands, but he's a nice buy-low in dynasty leagues right now. Brown finished top 30 among WRs in PPR points per game in both 2021 and 2022.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (concussion, shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared for this weekend's game vs. the Bengals. With RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) on IR, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is in for a hefty workload against Cincinnati's leaky run defense.

Cardinals WR Marquise Brown (heel) did not practice on Wednesday. We're not expecting him to play vs. the Eagles this weekend but will keep you updated on his status. Michael Wilson, Rondale Moore, and Greg Dortch operated as Arizona's top three WRs with Wilson out last week.

WR Rashee Rice posted unspectacular numbers Monday, in a game that saw the entire Chiefs offense disappoint vs. the Raiders. But his 6 receptions for 57 yards didn't kill your fantasy lineup. And Rice's 12 targets marked a season high as well as 27.3% of QB Patrick Mahomes' total pass attempts for the game. Rice has now seen 9+ targets in five straight games, earning a 26.2% target share over that span while averaging 7.6 catches and 78.2 yards per contest. Rice should remain glued to your lineup for a high-upside matchup with the Bengals in Week 17. He'll get another positive spot against the Chargers in Week 18, if your league plays that week.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a concussion in the second half against the Raiders and has been ruled out for the game. The timing (Monday afternoon) cuts down on Pacheco's chances of making it back for a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Bengals in Week 17. If Pacheco's out, that would leave Clyde Edwards-Helaire to lead the backfield against a soft Cincinnati defense. (Jerick McKinnon's on IR.) The Bengals allowed 397 total yards to the Steelers and 424 to the Vikings over the past two weeks. CEH would merit low-RB2 consideration if he's set to start for K.C. in Week 17. We'll watch Pacheco's status throughout the week.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) is out for Sunday night’s game vs. the Broncos. Demario Douglas, DeVante Parker, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton will be New England’s top four WRs for that one. Douglas is the only one inside the top 50 in the Week 16 WR Rankings.