Team Profile
Kansas City Chiefs
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12.5% 9thOff DVOA
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25.2% 14thPassing DVOA
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1.8% 9thRushing DVOA
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-16.9% 2ndDef DVOA
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-10.8% 6thDef Passing DVOA
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-25% 2ndDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For24.4 12th
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Points Against18.0 4th
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Yards Per Game347.0 10th
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Yards Allowed Per Game290.0 4th
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (coach's decision) has been ruled out for Week 18 versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Kelce is healthy, but given that the Chiefs have already clinched first place in the AFC West, there's no reason to risk the health of their star veteran. Kelce finishes the year with 984 receiving yards, which is the first time since 2015 that he didn't eclipse the 1,000-yard threshold. This news also means that Kelce won't finish as the overall TE1 in fantasy football; it's just the second time he has fallen short of that mark since 2015. Expect Noah Gray to start for Kansas City, ranking as a mid-range TE2 in fantasy football while catching passes from Blaine Gabbert.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce needs 16 receiving yards in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday to record his eighth straight season of at least 1,000 receiving yards. The Chiefs are expected to give Kelce a chance to get to that milestone on Sunday, even though their playoff seed as the No. 3 team in the AFC is locked in for the postseason. No other tight end has ever recorded more than two straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Kelce will be active in this meaningless game, but as soon as he's able to pick up 16 yards, he's expected to be benched for the rest of the game, so fantasy managers shouldn't have him in their starting lineups in DFS or single-year championship matchups. Noah Gray should get most of the run against LA as KC's top pass-catching tight end.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray figures to handle increased volume with the team resting key players in Week 18 versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Patrick Mahomes and Isiah Pacheco (quadricep, shoulder) are both expected to be sidelined, and it's likely that Kelce will have a drastically reduced workload, too. With Kelce earning fewer opportunities, Gray should handle additional snaps and targets. He's not nearly a reliable option in a typical 12-team league, though he does rank as a fringe TE2 this week.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (quadricep, shoulder) is not expected to play in Week 18 versus the Los Angeles Chargers, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He had been listed as questionable. Rapoport's post seemed to indicate that Pacheco may be active but only used on an emergency basis, putting him behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire and La'Mical Perine on the Chiefs' depth chart. The former ranks as a mid-range RB2 option in most fantasy leagues this week.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Carson Wentz will start for the team in Week 18 with Matthew Stafford resting for the playoffs. Wentz will make his first start in over a year when he threw three interceptions in a loss against the Cleveland Browns. He now faces the top-seed San Francisco 49ers, who will be short-handed defensively. Considering their clinching of the playoffs, the Niners could rest players or play them cautiously on Sunday. Factoring in the Rams' aggressive pass attack and Wentz's ability to throw the ball downfield, he is worth a DFS play or a desperate Week 18 start.