Chiefs @ Raiders
We saw a lot of intrigue leading up to Monday night’s showdown between Kansas City and Las Vegas. There were rumors of a Raiders’ “victory lap” after their Week 5 victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City that led to some verbal sparring coming into the game. Considering we also saw a high-scoring, action-packed matchup back in Week 5, we expected more of the same on Monday night – and we weren’t left disappointed. None other than TE Jason Witten caught a TD pass with 1:43 left in the 4th quarter to put Las Vegas ahead, but Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes was left with too much time on the clock to march down and win the game 35-31. With the Chiefs now at 9-1, they are firmly in the driver’s seat in the AFC playoff picture. What does all of this mean for your fantasy playoff picture? Let’s dive into what we saw:
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 34/45, 348 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 4 carries, 16 yards
Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes has been fantastic so far this fantasy season, and Sunday night’s performance against the Raiders was no different. Mahomes hit WR Tyreek Hill on a short TD late in the first quarter and TE Travis Kelce late in the 4th quarter to win the game, but otherwise was mostly quiet as he led the Chiefs offense up and down the field. Mahomes had Kansas City driving into the red zone towards the end of the first half and looked sure to put more points on the board, but then threw a short interception (just his second of the year) to end the half. Mahomes didn’t heave any of his signature bombs against the Raiders on Sunday night but did complete a handful of passes to Kelce that were around 20 yards. All in all, we saw a solid fantasy outing from Mahomes and he should be considered a QB1 over the rest of the season, and into the fantasy playoffs.
Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 14 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Le’Veon Bell: 7 carries, 25 yards, 1 TDs | 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
Darrel Williams: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards
It was certainly a solid night for the Chiefs’ RB group against the Raiders on Sunday night. Rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire finished with the first multi-TD game of his young career, and RB Le’Veon Bell found the end-zone for the first time since joining the Chiefs during Week 7. Similar to how Mahomes operated the passing attack, the Chiefs’ backs weren’t able to bust any huge plays, either. But the offense ran efficiently, and the backs both provided their GMs with respectable fantasy production. Bell still isn’t receiving enough of a workload to be considered for your starting lineup, but if he’s able to find the end zone he could be a matchup/TD dependent flex play on certain weeks. Look for both backs to have a tougher time on the ground next week against Tampa Bay.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Tyreek Hill: 14 targets, 11 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD | 2 carries, -2 yards
Demarcus Robinson: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 44 yards
Byron Pringle: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
Mecole Hardman: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards
Travis Kelce: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 127 yards, 1 TD | 1/1 completions, 4 yards
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – TE Travis Kelce and WR Tyreek Hill were Patrick Mahomes’ two favorite targets on the night, and both went for 100+ yards and a TD. Hill’s 11 catches were a season-high, and Kelce has now tallied at least 100 receiving yards for the third-straight game. Other than a few 3-and-outs sprinkled throughout the middle of the game, the Chiefs’ offense was able to hold the ball for long, extended drives – and Kelce and Hill were both integral to that happening. We anticipated both Hill and Kelce would have a chance for a big night against a soft Raiders’ secondary, and that’s nearly exactly how things played out on Sunday night. It’s tough to trust any other Chiefs’ pass-catchers for weekly fantasy value, and the position-mates will play some tough matchups over the next few weeks and into the fantasy playoffs. That being said, Hill and Kelce are virtually must-starts and should be considered such going forward.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 23/31, 275 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT | 3 carries, 6 yards
Raiders’ QB Derek Carr nearly got the best of Patrick Mahomes for the second time this season, but in the end, Mahomes and the Chiefs were able to pull out the victory. Carr’s 3 TD passes matched his total from the previous 3 weeks combined, and he threw for over 200 yards for the first time since Week 7. Carr has been a lower-end QB2 so far this season, and his performance on Sunday night was consistent with those numbers. While Carr isn’t likely to win you your league, he could provide some decent bye-week coverage over the next couple of weeks with plus matchups against the Falcons and the Jets.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs: 17 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
Devontae Booker: 5 carries, 16 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
It was mostly a quiet night for the Raiders’ RB group, but a 2-yard TD in the first quarter helped salvage a productive outing for RB Josh Jacobs. In fact, Jacobs rushed for 20 of his 55 yards on the Raiders’ opening TD drive and was mostly quiet for the rest of the game afterward. Jacobs has found the end-zone for three consecutive weeks now and should be considered an every-week starter in your lineup, even with a tough Week 14 matchup looming with Indianapolis in the fantasy playoffs. Raiders’ RB Devontae Booker didn’t do much in his few touches to spell Jacobs and holds only handcuff value for now.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Nelson Agholor: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Hunter Renfrow: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 37 yards
Henry Ruggs: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards | 1 carry, 12 yards
Darren Waller: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Raiders’ TE Darren Waller couldn’t quite keep pace with Chiefs’ TE Travis Kelce in a matchup of the top two fantasy TEs this year, but it was a fantastic outing for Waller nonetheless. Waller found the end-zone for the 2nd time in his last 3 games and the 5th time this season. Waller snuck behind the defense and found himself wide open for the 3-yard score. WR Nelson Agholor maintained his recent boom-or-bust streak – going for over 20 PPR fantasy points while finishing Week 10 with only 1 catch for 8 yards. The disappointing rookie campaign for WR Henry Ruggs continued against the Chiefs on Sunday night as Ruggs saw only one target while being on the field for only 53% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps – a season-low. Managers were hoping that Ruggs could possibly repeat his Week 5 performance against Kansas City which saw him go over 100 yards and catch his only TD of the season. That definitely didn’t happen. Waller remains the only pass-catcher for Las Vegas that can be trusted on a weekly basis.
— Corey Saucier (Deputy_Commish on Twitter, LightsKamaraAction on Reddit)