Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 12th, at 1:00 PM EST
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Betting Odds: LV +10, 52.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Derek Carr (Start, QB2)
Derek Carr is coming off of a zero touchdown performance in Week 13’s loss to Washington. He’s had just two passing TD’s since Week 11, and it won’t get any easier this week against a Chiefs defense that has been playing better of late. However, they’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to QB’s this season, which is why I believe there is a spot to start Carr this week with the likes of Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones on their BYE.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs (Start, RB2), Peyton Barber (Sit), Jalen Richard (Sit)
Against the Football Team, we saw Kenyan Drake’s season come to an end due to a suffered broken ankle in the 2nd quarter. Most weeks, he wasn’t very start-viable anyway, which does bode well for Josh Jacobs the rest of the season. Last week, he only rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown, but the real highlight was his nine receptions for 38 yards. Look for more involvement out of Jacobs from here on out. I wouldn’t be rushing to grab Peyton Barber or Jalen Richard. The Chiefs are giving up the 11th most fantasy points to RB’s on the season.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Hunter Renfrow (Start, WR3 with WR2 upside), DeSean Jackson (Sit), Bryan Edwards (Sit), Darren Waller (Start if active, TE1), Foster Moreau (Start only if Waller is out, TE2)
There’s only one viable Raiders WR worth starting, and it’s Hunter Renfrow. Since Week 9, Renfrow has averaged 8.2 targets a game, and last week against WFT, he caught nine of 10 for 102 yards; good for 19.20 points in full-PPR formats. He’s also amassed over 100 receiving yards in back-to-back weeks. Look for that target share to continue, and for the likes of DeSean Jackson and Bryan Edwards to be non-fantasy factors. I will say though, D-Jax does offer big-play potential, but I wouldn’t want to trust starting him in a pivotal fantasy week right before the playoffs get underway. As far as the Las Vegas tight ends go, Darren Waller is considered day-to-day with a knee injury that kept him out against Washington. If he’s back against Kansas City, he returns to TE1 status. If he were to miss another game, Foster Moreau has streaming potential again; though he did do very little last week, catching only one of three targets for 34 yards.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes (Start, QB1)
Is this the week Patrick Mahomes gets right and back into the QB1 fold? He surely hasn’t played like one in back-to-back games, not throwing for a touchdown in that span for the first time in his career. The Raiders have given up the 10th most fantasy points to QB’s this season, and in a divisional game at home, look for Mahomes to bounce back. He holds a 25:12 touchdown to interception ratio, with 3384 pass yards on the year. And it’s most certainly worth reminding how well he played against Vegas in Week 10: 35 of 50 completions for 406 yards and five touchdowns.
Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Start, RB2), Darrel Williams (Sit)
Since Clyde Edwards-Helaire returned to action in Week 11, he’s turned 26 carries into 117 yards and a rushing touchdown in two games. He’s seen little pass game work though, catching all five of his targets for 41 yards and no scores. The Raiders offer a great matchup for Edwards-Helaire, as they have allowed the third-most points to fantasy running backs on the year. With CEH back, I would have to consider Darrel Williams as an insurance policy again, offering little FLEX value. He did have three catches of his own last week against the Broncos turn into 60 yards, but I couldn’t entrust starting him in a win-to-get-in week.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Tyreek Hill (Start, WR1), Travis Kelce (Start, TE1)
Talk about a down game. Against the Broncos, Tyreek Hill was targeted just five times, to which he had two receptions for 22 yards. Fantasy players should remain hopeful this week though, as Hill has the chance to back right back into the top receiver threshold. In Week 10 against Vegas, he caught seven of 10 targets for 83 yards and two touchdowns. The Week 13 win against Denver also saw a dud out of Travis Kelce, who caught three of eight targets for just 27 yards. The Raiders have given up the second-most fantasy points to TE’s on the year, so look for Kelce to feast this week. In their Week 10 matchup, he was targeted 10 times, catching eight passes for 119 yards.
-Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)