Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II was benched for the third time in the Raiders' Week 9 blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Las Vegas lost the game 21-41, and it was never close. Minshew completed 10 of 17 passes for 124 yards and lost a fumble in another dreadful outing. With former starter Aidan O'Connell (thumb) not eligible to return until a Week 13 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, it's possible we could see current backup Desmond Ridder, who replaced Minshew in the loss, start in Week 11, after the bye. Ridder completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 74 yards, a touchdown, and lost a fumble as well. Things are looking bleak in LV's quarterback room. Minshew may not play at all in Week 11, but head coach Antonio Pierce hasn't confirmed next game's starting QB yet.

New England Patriots wide receivers K.J. Osborn (coach's decision) and Tyquan Thornton (coach's decision) are both healthy scratches for Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans. Neither player had been listed on the injury report, so their absence on Sunday is the direct result of a decision made by head coach Jerod Mayo. Both Osborn and Thornton have been mentioned in trade rumors, so perhaps keeping them sidelined is linked to a potential deal looming ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. trade deadline.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (leg) has been making progress from his fractured leg he suffered in Week 2. The Chiefs said Pacheco was expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks, but rule out the possibility of Pacheco missing the rest of the regular season. Now, Pacheco is expected to make a late-November return. It'll be interesting to see how the Chiefs involve Pacheco once he's back on the field. Kareem Hunt has played well as the lead back over the last four games. The expectation is that the Chiefs have the two backs split up the duties in the backfield. That would likely make for a messy situation for fantasy managers.

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. Butker had no issues in last week's contest, as he nailed all five attempts. The Chiefs kicker knocked through three extra-point attempts and two field goal attempts, with his longest kick coming from 42 yards out. The Kansas City Chiefs are heavy home favorites in this Monday night matchup, which could mean a decent amount of Butker in this game. Butker is ranked as the sixth-best kicker in our RotoBaller rankings this week, so start him confidently.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. The Chiefs rookie receiver has seen his target volume increase following the team's bye week in Week 6. Worthy has caught seven passes for 56 yards and a touchdown on 16 targets in the last two games. Fantasy managers would like Worthy to catch more of the balls thrown his way, but seeing how involved he is in the Kansas City offensive game plan is encouraging. The rookie will take on the Buccaneers, who rank 28th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season. If Worthy sees the same target volume he has seen in the past two games, he should be able to turn those opportunities into fantasy success. One factor to keep an eye on will be the involvement of DeAndre Hopkins in the Chiefs offense. Hopkins only played 32% of the snaps last week, so his time on the field will likely go up in this contest. More Hopkins could eat Worthy's volume but could also help divert the defense's attention toward Hopkins. Worthy is ranked as WR36 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week, so despite the uncertainty with Hopkins joining the fold, Worthy should still find his way into lineups as a WR3/flex option this week.