Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (groin) will not practice with the team on Wednesday. Hunt has battled a groin injury off and on throughout the year but should be able to return to practice on Thursday or Friday. The 28-year-old is averaging just 3.04 yards per carry on 135 rushing attempts this year for the Browns, but he has found the end zone nine times on the ground, including once in each of the last two games. Hunt should be healthy enough to play in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday, but all of Cleveland's starters on offense will be extremely risky fantasy options because of the fact they could be rested. The Browns are locked into the No. 5 spot in the AFC for the playoffs and have already announced quarterback Joe Flacco won't play.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will not play in the Week 18 regular season finale on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers with the team already locked into the No. 3 spot in the AFC for the postseason. Instead, Blaine Gabbert will make the start for the Chiefs while Mahomes rests up for the wild-card round of the playoffs next week. Mahomes might not be the only notable offensive player rested for the Chiefs, so fantasy managers still playing for a championship will need to be mindful that tight end Travis Kelce and others might get a day off. Mahomes and the Chiefs offense had a down year based on their high standards. The 28-year-old former Super Bowl MVP finishes his 2023 campaign as the QB7 in total fantasy points, throwing for 4,184 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 16 games.

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 16 of 26 passes for 209 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions during Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills. He also took three sacks but did manage to rush for 37 yards and a score. Just one week removed from a big outing versus the Denver Broncos, Zappe crumbled in a divisional matchup on the road. The 24-year-old is still in the developmental phase of his career, flashing potential at times but also showing key areas where he needs to improve. He'll be relegated to the QB3 tier in fantasy football ahead of next week's clash versus a dominant New York Jets defense.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (concussion) tallied career-high rushing yardage in Sunday's 25-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, piling up 130 yards on 18 carries while bringing in all seven of his targets for 35 yards and a touchdown. Ticketed for a heavy workload in Week 17, Pacheco came roaring out of the gates for 46 rushing yards on K.C.'s first drive and topped it off with an eight-yard receiving TD. Pacheco rumbled for 37 more yards to set up a scoring drive before halftime. The Chiefs have to be pleased with the 2022 seventh-rounder's development into one of the NFL's most balanced runners, unveiling keen ball-carrier vision and elusiveness on top of his distinctive bruising rushing style, with Sunday's showing also marking career bests in catches and targets. Pacheco's Week 18 fantasy expectations against the Los Angeles Chargers will hinge largely upon his playing time after the team clinched the AFC West title on Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice enjoyed a career day in Sunday's 25-17 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, racking up the most receiving yards (127) of his rookie year. Despite his fewest receptions (five) and targets (six) since Week 11, Rice paced the Chiefs in Week 17 receiving with three times the total of their next leading receiver. Fantasy managers' eyes did not deceive them when Rice came down with just his fifth deep target of the year on a 67-yard Patrick Mahomes touch pass in the third quarter for both his and K.C.'s longest play from scrimmage of the season. The 23-year-old second-round pick will have a great opportunity to cap off an extremely encouraging Year 1 with a bang and a 1,000-yard campaign under his belt in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers, who he dropped a tidy 5/60/1 receiving line on back in late October.