Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13. Kelce had an average performance by his standards, but he was a bit underwhelming compared to his fantasy expectations in a great matchup. The 35-year-old star finished the contest with six catches for 62 yards against the Panthers. Kelce will look to eclipse that performance this week against the Raiders, who rank 30th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season. Kelce will have a better chance to explode if Las Vegas can stay competitive, but he should see significant volume regardless of the game script. Kelce is ranked TE2 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week, making him a top tight-end option. Fantasy managers should have no worries at tight end with Kelce in their lineup.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday in Week 13. Mahomes is coming off his best performance of the year against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12. The Panthers held their own against Kansas City despite being massive underdogs, allowing Mahomes to pass for 269 yards and three touchdowns. The 29-year-old will look to build on that performance in Week 13 against the Raiders, who rank 25th in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. Mahomes is ranked QB9 in our RotoBaller rankings, making him a low-end QB1 option this week. Given his recent performance and advantageous matchup, fantasy managers should be encouraged to start Mahomes.

The Las Vegas Raiders have placed quarterback Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) on injured reserve. Given that Minshew has already been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024 season, this is merely a procedural move. He finishes his age-28 campaign having completed 203 of 306 passes for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also took 29 sacks and lost four fumbles. It's been a sloppy year under center for the Raiders, who have given snaps to Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder. Moving forward, Vegas intends to start O'Connell, whom they activated from injured reserve on Thursday. However, he's expected to be on a short leash with Ridder waiting in the wing.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (fibula) has been activated from injured reserve and is expected to play on Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pacheco has been trending in the right direction over the last couple of weeks and is now ready to make his return during Friday's divisional battle. Pacheco should be heavily involved in Week 13, but he might still share some touches with Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine. From a fantasy perspective, Pacheco ranks as an RB2 versus Las Vegas' soft run defense.

The Kansas City Chiefs are optimistic that wide receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) will rejoin his teammates in practices in mid-December, according to multiple sources. Brown suffered a dislocated collarbone on the opening snap of the preseason and needed surgery a month later to fix a dislocated SC joint, which pushed his possible return date back. He posted a video of him making one-handed catches off the Jugs machine at practice on Tuesday. It's good news for Brown and the injury-riddle Chiefs, but there's no guarantee that the 27-year-old will be able to return late in the regular season or even for a playoff run as KC seeks an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title. With Rashee Rice (knee) also out for the year, the Chiefs have had to trade for DeAndre Hopkins and reunite with JuJu Smith-Schuster for additional receiver depth.