Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

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.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew completed 13 of his 24 passes for 142 yards in the team's 23-19 loss to the Houston Texans. Minshew struggled to move the ball through the air and wasn't able to convert on a 4th-and-one pass to running back Tyler Goodson with just over a minute left in regulation which ultimately decided the game. Minshew did an excellent job in relief of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder) this season, helping the team to finish with a 9-8 record. Minshew wraps up the 2023 campaign with 3,305 passing yards, a 15 to nine touchdown-to-interception ratio, and another 100 yards rushing. Barring the return of Richardson (shoulder) in the 2024 season, it's likely that Minshew will resume his role as the backup next season.

There was some uncertainty surrounding Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's (neck) status against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18 due to a neck injury, but he was cleared from Friday's injury report after a week of limited practice sessions. Sunday represents a meaningless game in relation to K.C.'s playoff positioning -- they are locked into the AFC's No. 3 seed -- but Kelce is still 16 yards away from attaining his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign. The 34-year-old eight-time Pro Bowler will be catching passes from backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert in the regular-season finale, and it would seem unlikely that Kelce plays a full complement of snaps in this contest. Kelce is still the type of fantasy player who deserves must-start treatment in season-long leagues whenever he is active, but his DFS expectations particularly need to be tempered under these circumstances. Treat him as a risk/reward TE1 proposition.

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe remains off the fantasy radar for Week 18 versus the New York Jets. A variety of factors make Zappe an unappealing option ahead of Sunday's season finale. First of all, the Jets, despite enduring significant dysfunction this season, have a very strong secondary. New York is averaging the third-fewest fantasy points allowed per game in 2023, making it unlikely that Zappe, who has looked inconsistent through five starts, will have any fantasy relevance. Furthermore, the forecast for this game calls for heavy snow, rain, and wind, which makes it very difficult to execute a good passing attack. The odds are stacked against Zappe this week, keeping him in the QB3 tier for fantasy purposes.