Team Profile
Kansas City Chiefs
-
10.8% 8thOff DVOA
-
25.7% 11thPassing DVOA
-
-2.9% 12thRushing DVOA
-
-2.7% 12thDef DVOA
-
6.5% 17thDef Passing DVOA
-
-15.5% 9thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
-
Points For24.1 11th
-
Points Against19.5 4th
-
Yards Per Game329.0 16th
-
Yards Allowed Per Game321.0 9th
Detroit Lions tight end Anthony Firkser has been signed to the active roster on Saturday. Firkser will join the team with fellow tight end James Mitchell (hand) landing on the injured reserve. The move to add Firkser to the roster could mean that the Lions are preparing to be without Sam LaPorta (knee) for this game. The expectation is that Firkser will serve as the backup to Brock Wright ahead of Sunday's playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was perhaps one of fantasy's most rewarding forward-thinking holds of 2023. Though it took Rice time to carve out his featured role, he appeared to be K.C.'s most dangerous wideout long before taking the league by storm with 7.2 catches (9.3 targets) for 86.3 yards per game and three total touchdowns in his final six games. The second-rounder ranked as fantasy's overall WR8 in PPR scoring over this span, entering Saturday's playoff debut versus the Miami Dolphins with plenty of momentum. Those playing Rice in DFS will likely be relying on his third-most yards after catch (654) and seventh-most red-zone targets (22) among WRs this year. The Fins held Rice to his season worst with 17 yards in Week 9, but he was able to find the end zone in that one. Rice does most of his damage with the ball in his hands starting at or around the line of scrimmage, so forecasted windy conditions may not hamper him all that much.
Off Saturday's injury report, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) proved in 2023 that his 2022 second-half surge was no fluke, taking a stranglehold on K.C.'s lead-back duties. Showing multi-dimensionality in his second year, Pacheco more than tripled his catch output from a year ago by pulling in 44 of his 49 targets. The hard-running 24-year-old ranked as a rock-solid RB2 throughout the season, placing as the RB14 in fantasy points per game (15.3), and he's heading into the postseason wild-card battle with the Miami Dolphins with a ton of steam. Pacheco is averaging 82.0 rushing yards on 16.2 carries with five total touchdowns over his last five outings, adding 4.0 catches for 16.8 yards per game. Miami is yielding the fourth-fewest opponent yards per carry (3.8), but the Chiefs could lean on Pacheco, who is an exciting DFS play, with strong winds and below-freezing temperatures in the forecast at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce fell just shy of his eighth straight 1,000-yard year, bookending his season with missed games, but he still closed as the overall TE1 in PPR fantasy points per game (14.1). The 34-year-old nine-time Pro Bowler pushed for a career year initially but slowed down in his final nine games, averaging 5.0 catches (6.9 targets) for 51.0 yards with just one total touchdown. DFS players paying up for Kelce in Saturday's wild-card tilt versus the Miami Dolphins will hang their hats on his spectacular averages of 7.4 catches for 86.0 yards with sixteen total scores across 18 lifetime postseason games. Miami shut Kelce down for his season low with 14 yards in Week 9's matchup, but the Fins have been gashed for 167 yards and four TDs by opposing TEs in the past two weeks. Due to forecasted below-freezing temperatures and blustery winds, however, Kelce carries some added risk under these conditions.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ended 2023 with his fewest average fantasy points (18.4) ever, closing as the QB10 in per-game scoring. While a 67.2% completion rate and 389 rushing yards signify career highs for Mahomes, his latest nine games show a dismal 85.7 passer rating and 12:8 TD:INT. The 28-year-old six-time Pro Bowler starts his sixth career postseason on Saturday for wild-card action versus the Miami Dolphins, and DFS players betting on Mahomes finally shifting into high gear will bank on his stellar 291.7 passing yards per game, 107.4 passer rating, and 35:7 TD:INT over 14 lifetime playoff contests. The Fins held Mahomes to his second-fewest pass yards in a game (185) this year in Week 9, but Miami's defense allowed the seventh-most passing TDs (27) in 2023. With sub-zero temperatures and gusty winds in the forecast, Mahomes' expectations need to be tempered as a low-end QB1.