Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught four passes for 32 yards and a touchdown in the 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Hopkins saw a team-high nine targets on Sunday night but reeled in just four and averaged eight yards per catch. The veteran receiver was the only Chief to find the endzone against the stingy Chargers defense, demonstrating Patrick Mahomes' trust in him. Hopkins has provided a safe floor over his last three games and will look to continue that trend next week against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns rank 24th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season, making them one of the more advantageous matchups. Hopkins has seen nine targets in the last two games, meaning Mahomes often looks in his direction. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable with Hopkins in their starting lineups.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco had 14 carries for 55 yards and two catches for six yards in the 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The 25-year-old was the clear lead back for the Chiefs in Week 14, as Kareem Hunt handled just five carries and one catch for 29 total yards. Neither back was incredibly efficient on the ground, as they both averaged under four yards per carry, but Pacheco's 14 carries bode well for his fantasy performances moving forward. The Chiefs running back will look to have more success next week against the Cleveland Browns, who rank seventh in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. The Browns front seven is a strong unit at rushing the quarterback back and stopping the run, leading most teams to throw against the secondary, but Pacheco should still have touchdown upside in any matchup. Fantasy managers should be encouraged by Pacheco's role in his second game back and expect that role to continue to grow.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught five passes for 45 yards in the 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The 35-year-old was held under 60 receiving yards for the second time since Week 8 and has not found the endzone since Week 10. Kelce's performances have been serviceable from a fantasy perspective, given the landscape of the tight end position, but he has not been delivering high-end TE1 numbers over the past month. The emergence of backup tight end Noah Gray has also limited Kelce's fantasy ceiling, but he will try to right the ship next week against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns rank 22nd in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season, making them one of the more advantageous matchups. The hope is that the Browns offense pushes the pace of the game and makes the Chiefs offense play in a back-and-forth affair. The Chiefs have been doing enough to squeeze out wins, and Kelce's touchdown upside has taken a hit. Fantasy managers will hope for a vintage Kelce performance in Week 15.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 24 of 37 pass attempts (65%) for 210 yards and a touchdown in the 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The matchup against the Chargers was difficult for Mahomes as he was sacked three times and did not score a touchdown in the entire second half. That said, the Chiefs did just enough to secure the win and the division. The 29-year-old had his worst fantasy performance since Week 7 against the 49ers when he passed for 154 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. Mahomes will look to bounce back from a statistical standpoint next week against the Cleveland Browns, who rank 17th in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. The hope is that Jameis Winston will push the tempo on the other side of the ball and force the Chiefs offense to score more points. Fantasy managers will have to hope Mahomes leaves this lackluster performance in the rearview mirror.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) was placed on Injured Reserve. The 26-year-old sustained this knee injury during Friday's practice and will now miss at least the next four contests. Hardman has been deployed as a depth receiver this year, as he has seen most of his work on special teams while operating as the top return man. After not catching a single pass during the first four games of the season, Hardman has caught 12 of his 14 targets since Week 5 for 90 total yards. He has also added 62 yards and a score on the ground. In fantasy formats that score return yards, managers should expect rookie Xavier Worthy to potentially return kicks (he already returns punts) or rookie Carson Steele, who is currently listed as the No. 2 return man.