Chiefs @ Chargers
Final Score: Chargers 27 – Chiefs 21
(NFL São Paulo Game – Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Writer: Geoff Ulrich @thefantasygrind (X.com)
The Chargers did exactly what they needed to do here to dethrone a three-time Super Bowl Champion and the perennial AFC Champions. They opened up the offense, allowed Justin Herbert to sling it to one of the most underrated WR corps in the league, all of a sudden, and didn’t allow Patrick Mahomes to get in rhythm all night.
The Chargers were the team that looked like they just went to the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs looked like the team that struggles in these kinds of games to beat elite opponents. It was a little like entering the Twilight Zone. However, if we dig deeper into the personnel and trends of these two teams, it doesn’t look like such a crazy result.
Three Up
- Justin Herbert – What a game. We have seen glimpses of this before from Herbert, but if he can sustain this, a top-five fantasy finish and MVP consideration are on the table.
- Keenan Allen – Sheesh. Talk about a throwback game. People who started Allen in full PPR leagues, or picked him up in late rounds, have to be happy right now.
- Hollywood Brown – The one Chief receiver who looked promising and reliable. The Worthy injury could make him a WR2 for the coming weeks.
Two Down
- Isiah Pacheco – Wow. The doldrums from last year have turned into a full-blown dustbowl. It might not be time to panic, but it’s definitely time to start shopping him.
- Tre’ Harris – All the talk about which rookie WR to roster, and the answer was always Keenan Allen and QJ.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 24/39, 254 yards, TD | 6 carries, 57 yards, TD
Mahomes was his usual magical self in this game. He completed passes while in mid-air, scrambled like a madman, completed a bomb to Hollywood late off his back foot, and produced a pretty sweet stat line for Week 1 starters. That said, you have to be at least a little wary of the future. Xavier Worthy is banged up and could miss time, and this offense hardly looked like a well-polished machine outside of two broken plays. That’s really what Mahomes’ day came down to as well.
He was the far less efficient QB but had a big TD run, and a broken play to Kelce that went for a TD. Outside of that, it wasn’t his best. He’s still a weekly start, but I dare say I’d at least CONSIDER streaming options with better matchups over him, at least until the Chiefs get all their big players back on offense.
Running Back
Isiah Pacheco: 5 carries, 25 yards | 2 receptions, 3 yards
YIKES. I think a lot of us assumed we’d get back to Pacheco being more of a bellcow in this offense, but the usage here was exactly how it played out late last season and in the playoffs. Pacheco for the first couple of drives, then Kareem Hunt dominating snaps, with Pacheco getting lightly rolled in. None of it worked. The Chargers bottled him up early, and he ceded most of the important red zone and fourth-down work to Hunt.
There is not much you can do if you have Pacheco now, because he’s essentially damaged goods after this game. You gambled he’d be back to RB2 status and the Chiefs offense would be better, and lost. No one is paying top dollar for a rotational RB who isn’t getting red zone work. I hate to be so pessimistic, but unless Hunt gets injured or Andy Reid has a big change of heart, Pacheco’s fantasy value isn’t going to entice anyone. You may have to start him as your RB2, but in reality, he’s a weekly matchup-dependent flex play option.
Kareem Hunt: 5 carries, 16 yards | 2 receptions, 10 yards.
Hunt converted a couple of big downs for KC and was also sprung out wide on a couple of passing plays. It’s not pretty, but he also just looks like the better fit in this offense. If I had to choose between backs to own right now from KC, I’d choose Hunt. He’s getting more red zone work. He’s also the one Andy Reid trusts on fourth down and late in the game. The proper thing to do at this point is just forget the KC backfield exists, if that’s even possible.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Xavier Worthy: 1 Target | 1 carry
Worthy (shoulder) left this game after one drive. The Chiefs are now down their top two WRs, and it could mean a very condensed target share for the next game or two (depending on Worthy’s injury). If you have Worthy, you have to be a little sick. The good news is that the remaining Chiefs WRs do have some potential, and I’ll go over the two main targets below.
Hollywood Brown: 16 targets, 10 receptions, 99 yards
OK, so this was a development. People forget, but Hollywood Brown was once the primary target in both Baltimore and Arizona, and at times has acted like a WR1. He’s likely going to get the chance to do it again.
Brown also looked much fitter and quicker in this game than he did last season when he joined the Chiefs (on the eye test anyway), and I think that’s a very positive development for fantasy and for the Chiefs as well. On top of showing better speed in getting behind the Chargers a couple of times, he was also the primary target on a lot of short throws in-game after Worthy left. The Chargers bottled up a lot of those plays, but against weaker defenses, Brown could turn some of those targets into big events. If you have him, enjoy the next couple of weeks.
Juju Smith-Schuster: 5 target, 5 receptions, 55 yards
Juju will matter if Worthy misses time. He’s not the game breaker that Brown can be, but he’s reliable and converted all of his targets in this game, including a nice after-the-catch run that went for 14 yards.
If Worthy is out, he pushes into WR3/Flex territory for PPR leagues.
Tyquan Thorton: 4 target, 2 receptions, 41 yards
Thorton was a complete deep ball target in this game for the most part, but did connect once. He’ll stay involved, but I wouldn’t expect any huge developments.
Not someone I would chase on the wire, unless Worthy is done for the year or something, but he does have the capability of landing a long TD every week.
Travis Kelce: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 47 yards, TD
Uh, this wasn’t great either, to be honest. Kelce was headed to a terrible night before he broke free for a long TD. He and Mahomes also misfired on what should have been TD number two late in the game. The routes are there, but the Chiefs were not gameplanning around him at all. If you have Kelce, you’re locked in here no matter what, and the Worthy injury will likely mean Kelce’s targets go up the next couple of weeks. The good news is that he did stay a factor in the red zone, and like I said, could have ended up with two TDs. However, he was a ghost for big parts of this game.
If you drafted Kelce, you needed a backup plan to begin with, just because of the age factor, and this game didn’t sway me from that strategy.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert: 25-34, 318 yards, 3TDs | 7 carries, 32 yards
A lot to unpack here, and all of it is good. Herbert was more accurate than usual, but also completed a lot of balls downfield. This wasn’t some dink and dime passing game. There were possession throws to Keenan Allen, sure, but Herbert was hitting guys in stride all night, 10+ yards downfield. As I mentioned before, a lot of this is personnel-based. The Chargers have invested a lot into the receiver position over the last 2-3 years, and hit on some players, like Ladd McConkey, and it shows. The Chiefs have also tried to reinvest in that position, but haven’t hit like the Chargers have from a talent perspective (RIP Skyy Moore), and it shows.
Now Herbert gets a full season of throwing not just to McConkey, who looked terrific again in this game, but also to a rejuvenated Allen and an emerging QJ. Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned Tre’ Harris, who actually had a pivotal catch mid-game. Herbert is a weekly start until proven otherwise. If he’s on the waiver wire and you have a weak starter, I would prioritize getting him.
Running Back
Omarion Hampton: 15 carries, 48 yards | 2 receptions, 13 yards
Hampton looked fine in this game. He’s powerful, looks tough to take down, and showcased decent hands a couple of times. That said, by no means did he put his arms around the starting job and lock Najee Harris out. Hampton’s long run was just 11 yards, and he didn’t showcase the big-time burst Harris detractors would have likely hoped he would have to set himself apart. If I had one criticism, it would be that he looked like a very straightforward runner. There were few, if any, cuts once he got the ball, and he almost seemed to be looking to get into contact as fast as possible and power his way through. That works in college but not in the pros.
It’s one of those things that may smooth out over time as he matures, but I’d be slightly wary here. He needs a better Week 2 to fend off Najee, who is still getting into game shape.
Najee Harris: 1 carry 5 yards | 1 reception, 5 yards
As expected, Harris didn’t do much. It’s impossible to glean anything from one game, although I thought Harris looked fine out there and certainly didn’t seem out of place on his two touches.
I think there is a good chance this eventually devolves into a timeshare, so my recommendation would be to put out some feelers on Najee in the trade market this week. If you have Pacheco, Harris might be a depth guy who could help you later on.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ladd McConkey: 9 targets, 6 rec, 74 yards
There will probably be some worrywarts from this game who suggest that McConkey is at risk due to Allen’s and Johnston’s big stat lines. I’d ignore them. McConkey looks fantastic and is still clearly going to be the top target in this offense. Herbert opened by going to McConkey multiple times ( a great sign) and then semi-got shut down, so he just started throwing to Allen and Johnston more, and it worked.
As long as Herbert is allowed to sling it, I’d look at this week as a sort of floor game for McConkey, who will undoubtedly cede some big weeks and TDs to his teammates, but also have many more big weeks ahead himself.
If someone out there is getting cold feet on him, I’d have no issues trading for him on the cheap.
Keenan Allen: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 68 yards, TD
How tf did 31 teams decide they didn't need Keenan Allen lol
— Geoff (@thefantasygrind) September 6, 2025
Sheesh. Even as someone who figured Allen would step in and be a factor right from the start for the Chargers, I did not see this coming. 10 targets and a 32% target share is something.
As I mentioned above, I think a lot of this stems from the Chiefs trying to limit McConkey, and Herbert smartly using Allen–who he knows well–to make them pay for that strategy. I would not expect this every week, as I’m sure there will also be plenty of 3-32 weeks as well, but clearly Allen is Herbert’s go-to guy when Ladd is being covered right now.
If someone wants to overpay, let them. Otherwise, you’ve got a solid WR 3/4 for PPR.
Quentin Johnston: 7 targets, 5 rec, 79 yards, 2 TDs
Another slightly shocking development from this game that had lots of shocking developments. It’s not so much that Johnston caught two TDs; it’s that he looked very composed all game. Johnston had some big moments last year as well, but even in those big games, he usually threw in a big drop or mistake to counteract it. Not so much in this game. Even on his first catch, a short screen/crosser that he took 33 yards, he looked smooth and composed turning upfield and then just blasted by a couple of Chiefs defenders like they were standing still.
Johnston was getting great separation all night (he had a yard plus on his second TD) and should continue to get secondary coverage. For fantasy, if you have him already, he’s a weekly WR3 consideration. If he’s out there on the waiver wire, he’ll obviously be a hot commodity, so be a little wary of overpaying. That said, if you’re dealing with injuries, he’s attached to a great QB and profiles as the best red zone WR on the team.