Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. Kelce had his best game of the season last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, totaling 10 catches on 12 targets for 90 yards and one touchdown. Kelce had his most catches, targets, and receiving yards this season in that one game against the Raiders, and now he has an even better matchup. The Buccaneers rank 27th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season, meaning Kelce has a top-5 matchup at the position this week. The Chiefs tight end has already established himself as the top pass catcher in the absence of Rashee Rice, and the matchup raises his ceiling even further. DeAndre Hopkins should be more involved in the Kansas City passing attack, but Kelce should still get enough volume. Kelce is ranked as TE1 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week and should be started every week.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 on Monday night. The Buccaneers rank 32nd in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, meaning Mahomes will have the most favorable matchup at the position this week. Mahomes is ranked as QB8 in our RotoBaller rankings this week, given the matchup. Coming off his best game of the season from a fantasy perspective, the Chiefs quarterback will look to build on that performance in a primetime matchup. The newest Chiefs receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, should be more involved in this contest, which bodes well for Mahomes' fantasy outlook. Mahomes has been very disappointing this season, scoring only 14 points per game in a four-point per passing touchdown league. Still, a favorable matchup and gifted pass catcher addition should be enough to make him a viable fantasy asset this week.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 9, according to Matt McMullen of the Kansas City Chiefs. The veteran wideout has been unable to practice all week and will now miss his second-straight contest after suffering a hamstring injury during Week 7. Smith-Schuster enjoyed a nice performance in Week 6, bringing in seven passes for 130 yards but has to have any fantasy impact since. Fantasy managers in deeper 3WR formats should continue to stash Smith-Schuster, as he could eventually have a stable role in the Kansas City passing attack. This weekend, DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce should be expected to see the majority of opportunities facing a Tampa secondary that has struggled to defend the pass.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (quad) participated fully in the team's Friday practice. The 29-year-old was listed as limited on Thursday, so it's nice to see him able to log a full session just one day later. It's excellent news for Kansas City, as the veteran's quad ailment is the second injury to limit him in back-to-back weeks (hip). So long as Hunt does not suffer any setbacks over the next 24 hours, it would appear he's well on his way to making another start in Week 9 when the team hosts the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The veteran RB has been on a tear, punching in at least one score in three straight contests while out-carrying backfield mate Carson Steele 70-to-13 over that stretch.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) was again listed as a non-participant at the team's Friday practice. The veteran wideout has been tagged as a DNP for the fifth-straight session as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury he sustained in Kansas City's Week 7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. With the Chiefs set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, Smith-Schuster will have one more chance to elevate his practice participation ahead of Week 9. The last time he played a full game, the 27-year-old had a massive seven-catch, 130-yard performance in Week 5. However, with DeAndre Hopkins now in the fold, his target share becomes less apparent. If the former USC Trojan again can't suit up, wide receivers Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Hopkins, and Mecole Hardman will handle the team's wide-receiver duties.