Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray will face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 18. Gray has run behind Travis Kelce all season but still produced fantasy-relevant weeks. With Kelce listed as doubtful for this week's contest, Gray should be prepared to handle the full workload this week. The 25-year-old will take on the Broncos, who rank 18th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season. Gray had a five-game stretch from Weeks 11 to 15 where he found the endzone five times, more than Kelce scored all season. Gray's ceiling will be capped with Patrick Mahomes set to miss this week's contest. Carson Wentz will be at the helm of the Chiefs offense, making Gray a lower-tier option. Gray is ranked TE15 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a viable TE2 option this week. Fantasy managers can start Gray and hope he finds pay dirt.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine will face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 18. With Isiah Pacheco marked as out and Kareem Hunt listed as doubtful for this week's contest, Perine should handle the majority of touches out of the backfield. The 29-year-old receiving back will face the Broncos, who rank 15th in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season. Despite shouldering the load, Perine's ceiling will be lower with Carson Wentz under center this week. Perine is ranked RB44 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a desperation flex option this week. There is a possibility that Perine is fantasy-relevant through sheer volume on the ground and through the air, but scoring opportunities could be at a premium in this contest. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) was limited in practice all week but has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Denver Broncos. The Chiefs opened Hardman's 21-day window to return from Injured Reserve on Wednesday, but they will wait to officially activate him. The Chiefs have already secured the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs, so the earliest Hardman could return from IR would be for the Divisional Round of the postseason. The 26-year-old will have ample time to get closer to 100 percent by then, but even if he comes off IR and is active in the playoffs, he's likely to have a small role behind starters DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown and others. In 12 games before his injury, Hardman had only 12 receptions on 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns.

According to the team, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (coach's decision) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. With the Chiefs already in sole possession of the top seed in the AFC, they will opt to rest some of their starters to ensure they are fully healthy when they attempt to win their third straight Super Bowl. Kelce was a full participant in practice this week, which suggests this move is to rest him and that he is not dealing with any injury. Since Week 12, Kelce has seen a hefty 8.8 targets per game. During this span, he has tallied 52.7 yards per game with one touchdown. As a result of Kelce likely sitting out on Sunday, Noah Gray should be expected to operate as the top tight end, making him a solid play in deeper formats this week and an intriguing value play in DFS.

According to the team, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. Mahomes suffered this ankle injury during their Week 15 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Mahomes has yet to miss time due to the injury but is expected to take a seat on Sunday with the Chiefs already locked into the top seed in the conference. As a result, Carson Wentz is expected to get the starting nod. This ankle injury has not seemed to bother Mahomes as he has averaged a strong 27.8 PPR points per game over the past two weeks. During this span he has scored five total touchdowns. Wentz should be viewed as a risky QB2 facing the Denver Broncos who need a victory to clinch a playoff spot. Wentz will be without Isiah Pacheco (ribs) and is also expected to not have Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce who are both listed as doubtful.UPDATE: Per A to Z Sports' Charles Goldman, head coach Andy Reid said that Mahomes will not play in Week 18.