Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson looks set for an expanded role in the regular-season finale versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs have ruled out top wideout Rashee Rice (hamstring) for Week 18, and Travis Kelce probably won't be out there for his usual amount of playing time. 2023 has easily been Watson's most productive season, banking career-high figures in targets (52), catches (27), yards (460), and touchdowns (three). The 27-year-old's calling card is his ability as a vertical threat, ranking second in the league in average yards of target distance (17.8) and fifth in yards per reception (17.0). Watson has played just 52.3% of K.C.'s offensive snaps this year, but he could be in line for his largest workload as a dart-throw DFS option with the team shorthanded on Sunday.

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.

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (groin) missed practice on Wednesday but was upgraded to a full session by Friday and is listed without an injury designation heading into a Week 18 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Whether Hunt actually plays on Sunday against the Bengals remains to be seen as the Browns already have the No. 5 seed in the AFC locked up and don't have much motivation to put their key players in harm's way. Although they haven't officially announced it, both Hunt and Jerome Ford are candidates to sit out of action in Week 18. If that does happen, Pierre Strong Jr. would be elevated to the lead role against a Cincinnati defense that is allowing the 14th-most fantasy points per game to running backs this season, making him an interesting name for DFS contests. Stay tuned.

New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (ankle) popped up on the team's injury report after being limited in Friday's practice due to an ankle injury. The 23-year-old is one of 12 Patriots tagged as questionable for their Week 18 game against the New York Jets. Thornton caught three passes for a season-high 24 yards in the wake of DeVante Parker's (ribs) early exit from Week 17 due to injury. Parker himself was a limited participant in practice all week and is also questionable for Sunday's contest. If he is held out of the season finale, Thornton may see a slight increase in work but will still have little, if any, fantasy value.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (quad, shoulder) is expected to suit up in Week 18, according to head coach Andy Reid. The young back was limited during the final two days of practice this week. Pacheco is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Reid says that Pacheco is going to play, but it seems like a bad idea to have Pacheco play in a meaningless game. The Chiefs are already locked into the third seed, which gives them no incentive to play their starters. Possibly, Pacheco sees a limited amount of snaps just to keep him fresh. DFS players should probably look elsewhere for help this weekend.