Game Info
Kickoff: Friday, November 29, 2024, 3:05 ET
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Network: Prime Video
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Aidan O’Connell: Sit
After a season-ending injury to Gardner Minshew in last week’s game, Aidan O’Connell will likely return from the IR and figures to start. Similar to whoever has started under center for Las Vegas all season, he’s a sit until proven otherwise.
Running Back
Sit All
Regardless of injury status, fantasy managers should steer clear of this backfield. Even if Ameer Abdullah is the only healthy running back on this squad, it’s still not a spot where I would recommend his services, with all 32 teams playing this week. He’d be a desperation FLEX at best.
Wide Receiver
Jakobi Meyers: Flex Option, WR3
Jakobi Meyers posted his best stat line of the season after he was targeted a career-high 15 times against Denver last week. He’ll face a Chiefs defense that is most vulnerable on the outside and could see the same type of volume, making him a serviceable FLEX option, though that upside is capped with the QB change.
Tight End
Brock Bowers: Start, TE1
A down week for Bowers despite 10 targets, the Broncos limited him to just four catches. Expect the Raiders to get their star rookie involved early and often, perhaps even in some creative ways. He should operate as a security blanket for AOC, and his after-the-catch ability still makes him a high-upside option.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: Start, QB1
The Chiefs have started to turn back to their passing game in recent weeks, allowing Mahomes to do his thing in the passing game rather than hand the ball off and rely on the run. In three of his last four outings, Mahomes has thrown for at least three touchdowns, reaching at least 33 attempts in all four contests. With a large spread (-13) and team total (27.5), bookmakers predict that the Chiefs will be able to get whatever they want against a downtrodden Las Vegas defense. Regardless of the game script, I expect the Chiefs to try and round their stars back into form, making this a great spot for Mahomes and company.
Running Back
Kareem Hunt: FLEX Option, RB3
Isiah Pacheco: FLEX Option, RB3
There are a lot of question marks surrounding the return of Isiah Pacheco and how the Chiefs will balance their workload between Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Samaje Perine, and Carson Steele. The expectation, at least for me, is that Pacheco is eased back into his workload and that he and Hunt split early down carries while Perine and Steele retain their roles as pass-catching back and blocking back, respectively. Managers can insert either Hunt or Pacheco into their lineups and hope that whomever they start finds the end zone, but it wouldn’t shock me to see both their fantasy values bottom out until one of them establishes the lead role. If you have solid starters ahead of these players, it may be best to play it safe and leave them both on your benches this week.
Wide Receiver
DeAndre Hopkins: FLEX Option, WR3
Xavier Worthy: FLEX Option, WR4
Though Kansas City is expected to score a good bit and defeat their opponents by a large margin, I still don’t completely trust this wide receiving corps based mostly on the fact that there is a deep rotation for snaps. Last week against the Panthers, none of the Chiefs’ wide receivers played more than 66% of offensive snaps, as Hopkins, Worthy, Justin Watson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all rotated in and out of the game relatively frequently. Oh, and don’t forget that Mecole Hardman exists solely to vulture production from his fellow receivers. Though this matchup against the Raiders is tempting, I’d be looking elsewhere to fill out my starting receiver positions based on the fact that the Chiefs’ target distribution has been so wide amongst their wide receivers.
Tight End
Travis Kelce: Start, TE1
Noah Gray: Sit, TE2
For the second consecutive week, Noah Gray made it into the end zone twice, while Travis Kelce was held without a score. Each of the past two weeks, Kelce has been a focal point of opposing defenses, as they’ve worked to limit his productivity, ESPECIALLY in the red zone. Perhaps the Raiders take a similar approach, but I doubt it. In the two teams’ last meeting, Kelce pulled in 10 catches on 12 targets for 90 yards and a score. We’re starting him. Kelce managers likely don’t have a better option on their roster anyway. For Gray, we have to expect regression. Though his fantasy production the past two weeks has been phenomenal, he hasn’t caught more than four passes in a game all season and hadn’t caught a touchdown pass before Week 11.