Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. This matchup will put two of the best kickers in the league against one another. Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker finished last season with 32 and 33 field goals, respectively, but Butker edged Tucker in the field goal percentage department. In 2023, Butker made 33 of his 35 field goal attempts and 38 of his 38 extra-point attempts. The Chiefs kicker will look to stay perfect in the extra-point department and build on his substantial 94.3% field goal percentage from last season. In the offseason, Kansas City offered Butker a four-year, $25.6 million extension, which included $17.75 million in guarantees. This move solidifies that the Chiefs believe in Butker as their kicker of the future. Butker is a weekly fantasy starter since the Chiefs have one of the best offenses in the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 this season. The rookie out of the University of Texas will face one of the league's best defenses for the first game of his career, but there are reasons for optimism in this contest. First of all, Worthy made history by running a 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which narrowly beat out John Ross' record of 4.22 seconds. Second of all, Worthy finds himself on arguably the best team in the league with one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Patrick Mahomes is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL, despite not truly utilizing that part of his game last season. Mahomes had the lowest yards per attempt of his career in 2023, in large part due to a change in play-calling for their personnel group. This offseason, the Chiefs made it a priority to bring in playmakers with the ability to stretch the field. The Chiefs brought in veteran Marquise Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy. In the preseason, nearly half of Worthy's routes were "go" routes and he had a 29% target share on Mahomes' dropbacks. Andy Reid and the Chiefs will likely try to scheme up a deep ball for their rookie speedster in their opening contest. With Marquise Brown out for Week 1, Worthy could operate as the team's WR2 and is a risky start for fantasy given the unknowns, but he has massive big-play potential.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 of the 2024 season. The second-year receiver was a standout last season and will look to build on his impressive performances this year. There was a lot of discourse about Rice's availability for this season following his car accident incident, but it appears he will avoid suspension for this year. Rice should be the favorite to lead the receivers in targets given his established rapport with Patrick Mahomes and his ability to find open spots in the defense. Rice also operates closer to the line of scrimmage than his fellow receivers, which should boost his number of targets from Mahomes. Still, facing the Ravens in Week 1 will be a difficult situation. The last time these two teams faced, Rice brought in eight of his nine targets for just 46 yards. Rice was held to just 5.8 yards per reception in that contest, but his yards-after-catch ability makes him dangerous every time he has the ball in his hands. With a full season under his belt and offseason to prepare, Rice should be more than ready to lead the Chiefs wide receiver room. With fellow receiver Marquise Brown out for Week 1, more targets should go Rice's way. Rice is a strong start for Week 1 despite facing the Ravens defense.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. The Ravens defense was among the best defenses last season, allowing the fewest rushing touchdowns in 2023. That said, Pacheco was still given much work the last time these two teams faced off in the AFC Championship. In that game, Pacheco had 24 carries for 68 yards, a touchdown, and four receptions for 14 yards. The Chiefs running back had 28 opportunities against the Ravens in the season's biggest game to that point. Pacheco's massive share of the offense should show how much the Kansas City Chiefs trust him with the ball. This season, Pacheco comes in as the undoubted RB1 of the offense, and with Clyde Edwards-Helaire away from the team, he will be backed up by recently acquired Samaje Perine and rookie Carson Steele. The run game should go through Pacheco, and he should also get a few looks in the passing game. Pacheco is a strong start in fantasy this week despite the tough matchup against the Ravens.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will have a difficult matchup in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. These two teams last met in January for the AFC Championship game. In that game, Kelce reeled in 11 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs took the victory. The Chiefs won that game 17-10 and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they won for the second straight year. Kelce has been an integral part of the Kansas City offense for years and will look to continue that trend. There has been a lot of talk about Kelce's role in the offense, with other capable pass catchers like Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, and Xavier Worthy rounding out their receiving core. However, Kelce will likely still be Patrick Mahomes' most reliable target. Kelce will likely be guarded by Ravens' safety Kyle Hamilton, but he seemed to have no trouble in their last matchup. Kelce is still a top-tier TE1 for fantasy purposes.