Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle) remained a limited participant during Thursday's practice. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status during Friday's practice as it may provide some clarity on his ability heading into the weekend. The Rutgers product has been sidelined since sustaining a fractured fibula in their Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. While sidelined, veteran Kareem Hunt has seen most of the opportunities out of the backfield, with Samaje Perine and rookie Carson Steele mixing in. Before his injury, Pacheco was on track to enjoy a breakout campaign as he scored at least 15.0 PPR points in each game with at least 15 attempts and three targets in each contest. When he returns to action, fantasy managers should expect him to see most of the opportunities out of the backfield.

The Kansas City Chiefs are saying that running back Isiah Pacheco (leg) will practice with the team on Wednesday. "We'll just have to see... day-by-day type thing," head coach Andy Reid said. Pacheco remains on Injured Reserve due to a fractured fibula and missed his eighth straight game in the team's first loss of the season to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, but he was limited in practice all of last week and is eyeing his return in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers. However, it's still uncertain as to whether the 25-year-old will actually return this weekend, and if he does, he'll be much more volatile as a must-start option in fantasy lineups. Kareem Hunt has been a must-start RB for fantasy managers in Pacheco's absence, but he's expected to lose most of his appeal the rest of the season once Pacheco returns as KC's lead back.

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad on Monday, according to a source. The former second-rounder in 2022 out of Baylor will now get another opportunity with the defending Super Bowl champions after the Patriots waived him on Saturday. The 24-year-old caught 35 of his 68 targets for 338 yards and two touchdowns in 22 games (12 starts) in his first two years in New England before catching just four passes on eight targets for 47 yards in six games with the Patriots this year. Thornton certainly has some more intrigue in KC, but it remains to be seen if he can work his way into a big enough role down the stretch for the Chiefs. As things stand now, the Chiefs have a receiving corps that includes DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, rookie Xavier Worthy, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson.

Per head coach Antonio Pierce, the Las Vegas Raiders are sticking with quarterback Gardner Minshew II for at least one more week. Paul Gutierrez of ESPN reported the news. The 28-year-old been extremely inconsistent and turnover-prone this year as the Raiders attempt to figure out their long-term quarterback solution. Las Vegas will line up against the Denver Broncos this Sunday in a divisional clash, and it could be Minshew's last week as the starter, with Aidan O'Connell (thumb) eligible to return from Injured Reserve the following week. It will be interesting to see if O'Connell slots back in as the team's starter upon his return, but Minshew will get one more crack at the starting job against a stout Broncos defense at home in Week 12.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid will decide on running back Isiah Pacheco's (fibula) status for Sunday's matchup against the Carolina Panthers after this week of practice. Reid was discussing Pacheco and defensive end Charles Omenihu (knee) when he noted they'll "just have to see how each player does in practice this week." It's encouraging that the head coach didn't outright rule out the 25-year-old. Still, it would be nice for him to exhibit more confidence regarding the third-year back's status. Pacheco, who has been out since fracturing his fibula in Week 2, would immediately boost the Chiefs' offense and fantasy manager's lineups when he's healthy. Keep an eye on his practice participation over the next few days, as that will likely be telling of his status for Sunday's outing.