Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters on Wednesday that "hopefully we have him back soon" when referring to wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee), who was feared to have torn his ACL in the Week 4 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers. Further testing on Rice's knee earlier this week has offered a glimpse of hope that he didn't suffer a season-ending injury last Sunday. He is currently seeking a second opinion, and his timetable for a return remains unclear. Mahomes isn't exactly a doctor, but fantasy managers in single-year leagues definitely shouldn't drop Rice just yet. Rice leads the team with 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns but will not play on Monday night against the Saints. The Chiefs are expected to spread the ball around more with Rice out, with rookie Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster expected to be Mahomes' top three wideouts. Tight end Travis Kelce will also have a higher fantasy ceiling.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts (65.5%) for 245 yards and a touchdown in the 17-10 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes also threw an interception in this game, making it his fourth straight game with an interception this season and bringing his interception total up to five. Mahomes has also thrown for less than 300 yards in every game this season. Despite his diminished counting stats, Mahomes and the Chiefs remain undefeated through the season's first four weeks. The Chiefs quarterback will look to keep the streak alive against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. The Saints should be a favorable matchup for Mahomes since their defense has allowed the sixth-most passing yards this season. The Chiefs passing attack has not been exciting to begin the year, and it may be getting worse as Rashee Rice is believed to have suffered a significant knee injury in the first quarter. Travis Kelce seemed to be the primary beneficiary of Rice's exit from the game. Mahomes could funnel the passing game through Kelce moving forward, but the volume of their passing attack should remain consistent. The Chiefs have been content in establishing the run, and you cannot argue with their results so far. It is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on Mahomes as a fantasy quarterback this season.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. Mahomes passed for 217 yards and two touchdowns in last week's win over the Atlanta Falcons. Mahomes has been disappointing as a fantasy quarterback, but his team is undefeated, so there is no motivation to change how the offense operates. The Chargers defense has allowed the 10th-fewest passing yards this season, but that could be skewed by their level of competition in the first three weeks. The Los Angeles defense faced Gardner Minshew and the Raiders in Week 1, Bryce Young and the Panthers in Week 2, and Justin Fields and the Steelers in Week 3. Mahomes and the Chiefs will be the first real test for the Chargers defense, who will also be without stars Derwin James due to a suspension and Joey Bosa due to injury. The Chargers are also dealing with three massive offensive injuries. Rashawn Slater has been ruled out, while Justin Herbert and Joe Alt are both questionable for the matchup. The stars are aligning for the Chiefs to breeze through this contest, which could benefit Mahomes in the first half, but the Chiefs may not need to push the envelope on offense in the second half. Mahomes is likely still a QB1, but towards the lower end of that range, considering the run game could salt the game away.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 26 of 39 pass attempts (66.7%) for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the 22-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons. This marks the third straight game that Mahomes has passed for fewer than 300 yards to begin the season and the second straight game that he passed for fewer than 225 yards. The Chiefs quarterback has also thrown at least one interception in every game this season, as Justin Simmons picked him off in this contest. Mahomes connected with Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster for his two passing touchdowns of the evening, bringing his total to five this season. His 39 pass attempts were his most this season, eclipsing his previous high of 28 in Week 1, but Mahomes was far less efficient as this was his lowest completion percentage of the year. The loss of Isiah Pacheco out of the backfield will take time to adjust to, but Mahomes will get a chance to turn it around against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. The divisional rival Chargers have been above average against the pass, with the 13th-fewest passing yards allowed, but they have been more stingy against the run. Mahomes must improve his passing efficiency to extend the Kansas City winning streak to four games. The Chiefs quarterback has been lackluster so far, so he may be a mid-to-backend QB1 instead of the top-end option he was drafted to be.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will take on the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 3. Mahomes has passed for less than 300 yards and thrown fewer than 30 pass attempts in the team's first two games. Despite his lackluster output from a counting stats perspective, the Chiefs are undefeated to start the season. The logical expectation would be that Mahomes would continue this style of play and rely on the strengths of the run game and defense to grind out wins, but this may no longer be a viable strategy. With the Chiefs placing star running back Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve, the Kansas City offense may need to lean more pass-heavy to remain competitive. Mahomes will need to be on his game this week as they face the Falcons, who just had a comeback victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in a primetime matchup. The Falcons offense appeared to figure some things out on their game-winning drive and will look to build on that momentum in this matchup. The Chiefs defense has also been relatively lackluster compared to their high expectations, so this could be a high-scoring affair. Mahomes has been disappointing at the start of the season, but the injury to Pacheco could pave the way for a shift in offensive play-calling. Start Mahomes with confidence in their Week 3 contest at Atlanta.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the 26-25 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. Mahomes passed for less than 300 yards for the second straight game and had at least one interception. The Chiefs quarterback was picked off twice in this contest, and the team narrowly escaped with the victory through a game-winning field goal from Harrison Butker. It was a disappointing performance from Mahomes, who passed for under 200 yards for just the ninth time in his career. Despite having field-stretching playmakers, Kansas City could not find a rhythm on offense in this contest. Mahomes will look to improve his output next week on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2023, so Mahomes should have no issues dicing up the Atlanta secondary. Despite being a disappointing starter in fantasy, it will be difficult to bench an MVP-caliber quarterback like Mahomes. Mahomes will still land within the QB1 conversation until proven otherwise.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday. Mahomes took home last week's victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener. The Chiefs quarterback passed for 291 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the 27-20 win. Mahomes was incredibly efficient, completing 71% of his pass attempts against a stout Baltimore defense. Mahomes will look to continue his success against the Bengals, who allowed the sixth-most passing yards per game in 2023. The Bengals are also coming off a game where they lost to the New England Patriots, so Mahomes and the Chiefs should have no issues handling the Bengals in this contest. The Chiefs also have one of the highest implied team totals of the week at 27 points, so Mahomes should produce this week. Mahomes is a strong QB1 again this week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4%) for 291 yards and a touchdown in the 27-20 win against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. Mahomes threw his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter of this game. He connected with first-round rookie Xavier Worthy for a 35-yard catch and run for the score. In the second quarter, Mahomes became the Kansas City Chiefs' all-time leader in passing yards on a pass to Travis Kelce. The Chiefs quarterback also threw an interception towards the end of the second quarter on a pass intended for Rashee Rice. Mahomes did enough to edge the Ravens in this contest despite the pedestrian stats. Mahomes will look to continue the Chiefs' winning streak against the Cincinnati Bengals next week. The Bengals allowed the 12th-most points per game to opposing offenses last season and have a high-powered offense, so their Week 2 matchup should be full of scoring. Mahomes will again be a strong QB1 next week despite his mediocre output this week.
Patrick Mahomes Looking To Dominate In Season Opener
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will look to start the season strong in Week 1 on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite starting the year at Arrowhead Stadium, this matchup will not be a walk in the park for the reigning Super Bowl MVP. In 2023, the Baltimore Ravens defense allowed 16.5 points per game, the fewest points per game to opposing offenses. The Ravens defense lost some important pieces, notably Patrick Queen, but they should still be a formidable opponent this season. The Chiefs defense will also be a force this season, but the offenses should get their chances to shine in this contest as this game has the sixth-highest over/under of Week 1. Mahomes has a 5-1 record in Week 1 games with 20 TDs and a 124.5 passer rating, so look for him to start hot this season. The Chiefs quarterback is an easy fantasy start every week he is available.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked sharp again in Saturday evening's preseason defeat to the visiting Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium, completing eight of his 14 passes for 93 yards in the loss. Perhaps Mahomes' most noteworthy play of the day on Saturday against Detroit came when he flipped a pretty eight-yard pass behind his back to top target Travis Kelce during the first quarter. This might have been it for the six-time Pro Bowler and two-time MVP as it pertains to exhibition action this summer, but KC's first-team offense may get one more chance to tune things up in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chicago Bears. Mahomes had a down 2023 regular season for the defending-champion Chiefs and is now likely to be without veteran wideout Marquise Brown (shoulder) for the start of 2024, but he remains a cinch top-tier QB1 in fantasy drafts as arguably football's most dominant player.
