Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 28 of 41 pass attempts (68%) for 263 yards and a touchdown in the 27-19 win over the Houston Texans. Mahomes also rushed five times for 33 yards and a touchdown. Despite coming into this game with an ankle injury, the veteran quarterback broke off the longest rushing touchdown of his career. The 29-year-old had one of his best games of the season, eclipsing 20 fantasy points for the third time this year. Mahomes will look to continue his productive run next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who rank third in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. With Marquise Brown returning from injury in this game, Mahomes has another dangerous pass catcher to throw to. Fantasy managers will have to decide whether or not to start Mahomes in a difficult matchup next week.

According to Matt McMullen of the Chiefs, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle) has returned to the field at the start of the second half. This is a great sign as former first-round selection had a brief injury scare earlier in this game as he sustained an ankle injury while running a route. This injury was non-contact. Before exiting for a brief period, Worthy brought in four of his five targets for 26 yards. Fantasy managers should expect Worthy to continue to operate as a starting wideout for the remainder of the game alongside Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins.

According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle) is questionable to return. The rookie wideout sustained this injury when running a route in a non-contact capacity. Before exiting, Worthy caught four of his five targets for 26 yards. At the time, those five targets led the team. While sidelined, fantasy managers should expect DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, and Travis Kelce to see most of the passing work. Marquise Brown was the leading receiver after the first half tallying 38 yards on three receptions in his 2024 season debut.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray has continued to have a significant impact despite operating behind future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce. In fact, Gray has outscored Kelce in fantasy football since Week 11, with Gray ranking as the TE4 in fantasy football during that five-game span while Kelce was the TE15. A 25-year-old Duke product, Gray has appeared in all 14 games this season, catching 37 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns, all of which are career-high marks. This week, he takes on the Houston Texans, who have allowed the fifth-fewest catches and fourth-fewest receiving yards to opposing tight ends in the NFL. However, they have been susceptible to touchdowns at the position, letting tight ends find the end zone at the seventh-highest clip. All in all, Gray remains a solid fixture on the fantasy radar, ranking as a mid-to-low TE2 option at home this Saturday.

The Kansas City Chiefs officially activated wide receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) from Injured Reserve on Friday ahead of his regular-season debut for the team in Week 16 against the Houston Texans. Hollywood practiced in full this week and was removed from the final injury report on Thursday, ensuring that he will be active for the first time all year on Saturday. The 27-year-old signed with KC in the offseason to be a top wideout alongside Rashee Rice (knee), but a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason that required surgery has kept him out until this point. Rice is done for the season, but the Chiefs have also added DeAndre Hopkins and JuJu Smith-Schuster to the fold, so Brown won't necessarily be the unquestioned pass-catcher now that he's back. The Chiefs are fully expected to take it slow and ease Brown in, making him much too risky for fantasy lineups in Week 16.