Kansas City Chiefs Injury Updates | Shark Bites

The Chiefs have listed these defensive starters as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Broncos: DT Chris Jones, CB Trent McDuffie, LB Nick Bolton, Edge George Karlaftis, S Justin Reid, and LB Drue Tranquill. Jones and McDuffie are listed with injuries, but they're likely sitting out for the same reason as the others: because K.C. doesn't need this game. It's tough to know what the snap shares will look like for other defenders.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones is inactive for today's game against the Steelers because of a calf injury. That leaves K.C. without it's top D-lineman, which can only be good news for the Pittsburgh offense. We're not making significant upgrades to their projections, but you can feel a little better about Najee Harris and/or Russell Wilson if you're using them.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton left Wednesday's practice after injuring his left elbow. He reportedly spent a while in the medical tent by the field before riding a cart to the locker room. It's tough to know yet whether that represented urgency or convenience. We'll watch for more from the team on how long Bolton might be out.

Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals. But he missed every practice this week with his calf injury. Even if Sneed turns up active, he'll carry significant re-injury risk. Weigh that in your lineup decisions. We have moved him down the Week 17 DB rankings.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton dislocated his right wrist in Sunday's win over the Chargers. They're reportedly still determining the severity of the injury, though it seems likely Bolton will miss some further time. If he does, expect LB Drue Tranquill to become a full-timer once again. Tranquill filled that role for the three previous games that Bolton missed with a sprained ankle. He tallied 8+ tackles in each.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton is off the final injury report and ready to return tonight against the Broncos after missing the past three games with an ankle sprain. He has been in our Week 6 rankings all week and should be back in your IDP lineups.

Chiefs EDGE Frank Clark left Saturday's win over the Raiders with a groin injury and did not return. He was ruled out early in the 2nd half. That's generally a bad sign for the severity of an injury. Of course, K.C. was already way up at that point in the game and had no reason to push Clark back into action. The victory also gives him the bye week to heal up before their playoff opener. We'll watch for further details on the injury.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones is questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans after missing Friday's practice with an illness. It was the 1st time this week that he showed up on the injury report. We'll check Jones' status Sunday morning.

The Chiefs added EDGE George Karlaftis with the 30th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Karlaftis tallied 12 sacks and 27 total tackles for loss in his 2 full seasons with Purdue. (Injury and COVID limited him to just 2 games in 2020.) Karlaftis ran slow in pre-draft testing which could point to a limited IDP ceiling. But he lands in a situation with opportunity as soon as he proves ready.

The Chiefs have agreed with S Justin Reid on a 3-year, $31.5 million deal (with $20 million guaranteed), according to multiple reports. Still just 25 coming off his 4th pro season, Reid posted career-low fantasy production in 2021 amid injury and team issues. In K.C., he should occupy an upside IDP spot next to S Juan Thornhill. His arrival also almost certainly means that Tyrann Mathieu is heading elsewhere in free agency.

Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu left Sunday's win over the Steelers in the 2nd half with a quad injury. We'll see about the severity over the next few days.

Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu is active for today's game against the Cowboys. Kansas City added him to the injury report today with a knee issue, so it wouldn't be shocking if we see some limitation on Mathieu's playing time.

The Chiefs have ruled LB Anthony Hitchens out for Sunday's game against the Titans. He's listed on the injury report with a triceps contusion, but it sounds like a nerve issue in his right elbow might be more significant. His absence leaves Ben Niemann and Nick Bolton as the likely LB leaders, with Bolton the more attractive IDP option. DL Chris Jones (hand) and CB Charvarius Ward (quad) are questionable for the game. Jones had missed time with a wrist injury but appears to have moved on from that. He finished the week with a full practice. Ward put in limited practices all week.