Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in Week 14. Pacheco returned from injured reserve last week and handled seven carries for 44 yards and one catch for five yards in their close victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Pacheco and Kareem Hunt split the carries evenly, but Pacheco showed that he was still the more explosive back of the duo. Another week removed from injured reserve, the 25-year-old should handle a larger share of the backfield opportunities. That said, it will not be a cakewalk matchup for Pacheco against the Chargers. The Chargers rank sixth in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season, making them one of the more difficult matchups for the position. Pacheco is ranked RB21 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week, making him a low-end RB2 option. Fantasy managers should excited to start Pacheco, despite the poor matchup, due to his ability to create big plays and the fact that there are six teams on bye this week.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in Week 14. The veteran tight end had seven catches for 68 yards in last week's close victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Kelce put forth a serviceable performance against the Raiders but will have a more challenging time this week against the Chargers, who rank eighth in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season. Kelce's upside has been capped with other Chiefs pass catchers getting more involved, specifically backup tight end Noah Gray. Gray has at least four catches in the last three games and scored four times in that span. That said, Kelce is seeing almost unmatched volume at the tight end position, with double-digit targets in five games this year. Kelce is ranked TE3 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week, making him a high-end TE1. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting him despite the difficult matchup.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in Week 14. The veteran quarterback passed for 306 yards and a touchdown in last week's close victory against another divisional opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders brought the ball within field goal range and had a chance to take the lead but fumbled a snap in the final minute. The 29-year-old will have a more challenging time producing against the Chargers, who rank ninth in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. The Chargers are currently the fifth seed in the AFC playoff picture, meaning they're a good team and determined to give Kansas City a run for their money. Mahomes only has two games over 20 fantasy points in a four-point per passing touchdown league this season, so he has been disappointing from a ceiling standpoint. That said, Mahomes has managed to stay turnover-free in four of his last five contests and passed for three touchdowns in three of those games. The Chiefs quarterback is ranked QB7 in our RotoBaller rankings this week, making him a mid-tier QB1. Fantasy managers can feel comfortable with Mahomes in their starting lineups, even if he doesn't possess the elite ceiling we've grown accustomed to.

According to head coach Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (knee) could return to action in Week 15. It's excellent timing for the Chiefs, who just put kicker Spencer Shrader (hamstring) on Injured Reserve and had Matthew Wright taking kicks against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13. While Butker is still on IR and won't make an appearance for this weekend's outing against the Las Angeles Chargers, it does appear he could be able to return when he's eligible in Week 15. Fortunately, Wright and Shrader have been serviceable in the 29-year-old's stead. However, Kansas City could undoubtedly use their top leg back for the season's final stretch.

The Cleveland Browns announced on Wednesday that they re-signed free-agent quarterback Bailey Zappe and waived wide receiver Jaelon Darden in a corresponding move. Zappe returns to the Browns after they just cut him on Monday. Now that he's back on the 53-man active roster, he will return to a QB3 role behind starter Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) out for the season. The 25-year-old former fourth-round selection by the New England Patriots in 2022 out of Western Kentucky has played in 14 NFL games (eight starts), which all came with the Patriots the last two seasons, and he's completed 63.2% of his pass attempts for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Zappe can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.