Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (quadricep, shoulder) is officially active for Week 18 versus the Los Angeles Chargers. He had been listed as questionable and, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted earlier, is expected to occupy an emergency role on Sunday. This means that Pacheco will likely operate as the Chiefs' No. 3 running back behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire and La'Mical Perine. Fantasy managers should bench Pacheco this week given that there's no guarantee he'll play a snap. The Chiefs have already won the AFC West and have no reason to jeopardize the health of their key starters.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (ankle) is inactive for Week 18 versus the Los Angeles Chargers. This was widely expected given that the Chiefs have already secured an AFC West title and have no reason to jeopardize the health of their key starters. Mahomes finishes the regular season having completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,183 yards, 27 touchdowns, and a career-high 14 interceptions. He also rushed 75 times for 389 yards on the ground, both of which are career-highs. Blaine Gabbert will draw the start in place of Mahomes but is merely a low-end QB2 in fantasy football.

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.

New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (ankle) has officially been ruled out for the Week 18 regular season finale on Sunday against the New York Jets, while receivers DeVante Parker (ribs) and Matthew Slater (hamstring) will play. All three receivers were listed as questionable coming into this one. Thornton finishes his second season in the NFL with just 13 receptions for 91 yards and no touchdowns on 23 targets over nine games played. The 23-year-old second-rounder has been a bust so far, but New England's poor quarterback situation hasn't helped his development. Parker and rookie Demario Douglas should be New England's top targets to close out the year, but the matchup against a strong Jets secondary isn't the greatest for fantasy managers in single-year leagues and DFS contests.

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.