Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

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.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. has a chance to end on a high note what has easily been his least effective season in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers. In nine games over time also with the New York Jets, Hardman has cobbled together nine catches on 13 targets for 47 scoreless yards. Rashee Rice (hamstring) will take a seat on Sunday, with Travis Kelce likely operating on a shortened snap count to boot. Hardman returned to run two routes in last Sunday's home win over the Cincinnati Bengals after a five-game hiatus due to surgery for a sprained thumb, but he could be forced into an amplified role in his second contest back on the field. The speedy 25-year-old is a candidate to frequently occupy three-receiver sets for head coach Andy Reid in the regular-season finale, but Hardman is still a low-floor fantasy bet given his weak production overall.