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Home / frontfantasy / 2024 Fantasy Football Preview: Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Donahue/Kansas City Chiefs

2024 Fantasy Football Preview: Kansas City Chiefs


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Player Outlooks (2024)

 

QB Patrick Mahomes: Although the year ended with Mahomes lifting his third Lombardi Trophy, a rocky regular season caused him to finish as the overall QB8 for fantasy owners—largely due to frustrating inconsistencies at wide receiver. This season, it’s clear that Kansas City wants to get back to lighting up the scoreboard with downfield aggressiveness by prioritizing speed, and that should only open things up for Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice underneath. Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen are probably the clear top options at the position, but Mahomes getting back to his typical passing numbers with 4,740+ yards and 37+ touchdowns in four-of-five seasons before last year should make him a high-end QB1 that can explode in any given week.

 

RB Isiah Pacheco: We’re not sure why there seems to be a group that has wanted the Chiefs to spend important resources on improving the backfield, but Pacheco is their clear feature back and will be so again after the team didn’t add anyone in free agency or the draft. All you have to do is look at the postseason numbers—with touch totals of 25, 16, 28, and 24—to see the importance of Pacheco to the offense, and he should see lighter boxes with Kansas City wanting to stretch the field more in 2024. The main concern is durability based on Pacheco’s hard-charging style, but he’s a borderline RB1/RB2.

 

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Edwards-Helaire re-signed in Kansas City this offseason and will remain the clear No. 2 back—which makes him worth rostering as a late-round selection. As a standalone option, CEH doesn’t carry much appeal with Isiah Pacheco taking over the backfield, but there is a chance the shift in offensive philosophy allows him to be more of a factor with space to work underneath as a receiver.

 

RBs Keaontay Ingram, Deneric Prince, and Carson Steele: The competition for roster spots at all three skill positions will be intense this summer, and we would just say to not sleep on the rookie Steele—a power back out of UCLA that also has impressive hands. His style of running back has become less of a priority in the modern NFL, but Steele was basically a lite version of Steven Jackson for the Bruins.

 

WR Rashee Rice: The Chiefs utilized Rice as an important part of their offense starting with his debut last year, but he wasn’t really unleashed until after Thanksgiving—leading to lines of 8/107/1, 8/64, 7/72/1, 9/91/1, 6/57, and 5/127 over the final six games of the season. Obviously, the lack of clarity around his status with a looming suspension for felony aggravated assault (among seven other charges) after being involved in a chain-reaction collision due to street racing is the wild card here, so he could end up being an absolute steal if punishment is delayed until the legal process plays out.

 

WR Marquise Brown: Brown is the potential top option on the depth chart for Kansas City if Rashee Rice is suspended, and Andy Reid is the perfect offensive mind—combined with the talents of Patrick Mahomes at quarterback—to unlock the downfield production that we haven’t seen from “Hollywood” since he was at Oklahoma. Of course, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray were no slouches as the primary quarterbacks for Brown in Baltimore and Arizona, so the downside—ironically enough a lack of a high ceiling—shouldn’t go overlooked. Consider him an upside FLEX entering the season.

 

WR Xavier Worthy: The Chiefs have had plenty of success molding speedsters with Tyreek Hill turning into the most dangerous players of all-time and Mecole Hardman Jr. making big plays over the years—including the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII. That bodes well for Worthy’s development, and he could see quite a few designed touches underneath while developing as an overall route runner. The number of options for Kansas City will probably make the rookie a boom-or-bust play in Year 1.

 

WR Kadarius Toney: Toney is a year removed from shining on the biggest stage with a game-changing punt return in Super Bowl LVII, but last postseason was a different story with Toney being inactive all four games as he struggled with costly mistakes during the regular season. Fortunately, Andy Reid has talked up the electric playmaker as “one of the most talented guys we have on the team,” and there will be an opportunity to rebound if he improves in three areas Reid pointed out: health, reliability, and accountability.

 

WR Mecole Hardman Jr.: The depth chart was already crowded after the draft, but the Chiefs brought back Hardman earlier this month—giving them another explosive weapon for Patrick Mahomes to hit. While consistent fantasy value might be difficult to come by, there is a chance Hardman has a bigger role than anticipated if Rashee Rice is suspended, Xavier Worthy struggles to acclimate early, and Kadarius Toney doesn’t figure things out.

 

WR Justin Watson: Watson is listed sixth here, but we think his roster spot is secure based on his connection with Patrick Mahomes—catching 42 passes for 775 yards (18.5 yards per reception) and five touchdowns over the past two seasons. However, increased competition for snaps will lower the chances of Watson hitting as a desperation DFS play, especially if the Chiefs keep a seventh wideout.

 

WR Skyy Moore: A second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Moore is squarely on the roster bubble, and he needs to hone everything in entering his third season to earn the trust of Patrick Mahomes. Even the struggles of the group as a whole didn’t allow Moore to emerge with 244 receiving yards on 53% of the offensive snaps played in 2023, and he might be a healthy scratch at times if he makes the team.

 

WR Justyn Ross: Ross saw sporadic playing time last season and now needs a strong summer to make the team, but he remains a dynasty stash as an impressive talent at six-foot-four. There are certainly receiver-needy teams as things currently stand (not to mention any injuries that occur), so even if he were to be cut, Ross is a name to watch.

 

TE Travis Kelce: Kelce, Dalton Kincaid, and Sam LaPorta are all worthy candidates to be the top-ranked tight end, but despite entering his age-34/35 season, it’s tough to go against the elder statesman of the group—who indicated he has no signs of slowing down after signing a two-year, $34.25-million extension. Again, the speed added on the outside will create space for Kelce to operate underneath, and we’d expect his touchdown total (just five in 2023) to climb back to the ten-score range, which would make him well worth selecting as a second- or third-round pick.

 

TE Irv Smith Jr.: Smith Jr. isn’t a lock for the roster after a quiet season in Cincinnati, but the Chiefs are hoping he can get back to the player he was in 2020 before he suffered a torn meniscus—going for a 30/365/5 line in 13 games at 22 years old. If so, the team would suddenly have another way to attack opponents, and training camp should give us a better idea on the preferred “handcuff” behind Travis Kelce.

 

TE Noah Gray: The incumbent No. 2 option at tight end is Gray, and he’s been steady with 28 receptions in back-to-back seasons while playing 52% of the team’s offensive snaps in both years. There will be competition from both Irv Smith Jr. and rookie Jared Wiley, but Gray remaining in the No. 2 role might be the most likely scenario because of his familiarity with the offense.

 

TE Jared Wiley: Some thought Wiley could have been drafted as high as the second round, but we like where he landed in the late fourth round—and he’ll be able to develop behind Travis Kelce for a couple of seasons. Consider the rookie a dynasty stash that could see his value increase some with a strong preseason.

 

Other Notes

 

Best IDP value: CB Kamal Hadden

Hadden fell to the sixth round due to injury concerns, but we think he was the steal of the 2024 NFL Draft—and the path is there to immediately start in an open competition for roles alongside Trent McDuffie. At Tennessee, Hadden showed outstanding playmaking instincts with three interceptions (including a pick-six) in just seven games last season.

 

Stat to know (via draft guide)

Marquise Brown has seen his yards per target decline every season since entering the league (8.2 > 7.7 > 6.9 > 6.6 > 5.7), and he’s averaged 11.6 yards per reception in his career after averaging 18.3 yards per reception at Oklahoma.