Chiefs, Dolphins Wild Card Playoff Fantasy Football Takeaways: Patrick Mahomes, Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and More

The Wild Card Round has delivered some shocking results through two days, so before we wrap up this round of the NFL playoffs, let’s take a look back at what’s transpired.

We already looked at the Houston Texans’ win over the Cleveland Browns, and now it’s time to discuss the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Miami Dolphins.

Chiefs Ease to Win

It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but the Chiefs pretty much dominated the whole way in their 26-7 victory. KC had 409 total yards of offense to just 264 for Miami.

Patrick Mahomes enjoyed a strong showing on a brutally cold night. Mahomes completed 23-of-41 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He added 41 rushing yards on two attempts.

For as much as people wanted to rip Mahomes for a “down” season, his past playoff experience is exactly why he’s so easy to trust for fantasy purposes, whether it be playoff fantasy leagues or DFS. He just knows how to get the job done in the postseason, and rarely makes mistakes.

Mahomes’ numbers weren’t otherworldly on Saturday, but they should have proved that he’s still capable of being the guy, which should make him easier to trust during the rest of their postseason run. It really won’t matter who they face either.

The Chiefs’ running game was powered by Isiah Pacheco. He rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. 

Again, that’s not a huge, huge statline, but the fact that he was utilized so much is a great sign for him moving forward. He should remain the workhorse for KC.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire got the backup touches in the backfield. He went for 26 total yards on eight touches and lost a fumble.

CEH got a little extra work because of the lopsided nature of the game, and because the Chiefs’ offense was on the field a bunch. The fumble probably is going to hold him back from getting a bunch of touches in the upcoming round, so he should be avoided.

Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce were Mahomes’ favorite targets on the night. Rice went for 130 yards and a touchdown on eight grabs and 12 targets, while Kelce had 71 yards on seven catches and 10 targets.

For a long time, Kelce was the go-to option for Mahomes, but Rice has taken over that role. It’s still possible that Kelce could finish as the team’s leading pass catcher in a game, but my bet would be on Rice.

Not only is Rice a great option the rest of the postseason, but he’s quickly working his way into the upper echelons of fantasy receivers, and with Mahomes as his QB, he’s going to go pretty high in fantasy drafts next season.

Kelce has seemed to be on the decline most of the season, so his outing this week was a nice sign. Like Mahomes, Kelce and all his playoff experience just allow him to turn things on at the right time. It’ll be hard to keep Kelce out of your lineups the rest of the season.

Not many other players enjoyed big offensive nights for the Chiefs, which could be a problem if they run into a defense that can match Rice and Kelce. They are probably going to need a guy like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, Richie James, Justin Watson or Noah Gray to make a few plays if they want to keep advancing, but none of those guys are ones you can confidently start in fantasy right now.

I also want to mention the KC defense, as allowing seven points to a top-end offense like Miami is no easy feat. The weather definitely worked in KC’s favor, and if they can get some more tough weather in the upcoming rounds, the defense might not be a bad starting option.

Dolphins’ Offense Bogged Down

Miami’s offense had been electric all season, but the injuries to Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Waddle definitely gave people some doubts that they could deliver this week. The cold weather also was a talking point all week, and that had to play a little bit into the end result.

Despite the final score being pretty lopsided, the deficit wasn’t too bad until the fourth quarter. Still, the Dolphins were unable to get their running game going, and their passing game didn’t fare much better.

Mostert tallied just 30 total yards on nine touches. He played 27 offensive snaps. De’Von Achane went for 30 total yards on nine touches as well. He played 23 offensive snaps. Those two were a great 1-2 punch when on the field together this season, but only had 42 combined rushing yards in the game. 

It’s a shame that we didn’t get to watch too many games where both guys were completely healthy. It will be interesting to see how the backfield looks going into next season. Achane looks like the future No. 1 option, but his injury concerns mixed with Mostert’s huge touchdown totals this season means you can’t just push Mostert away either. 

Mostert is going to be 32 years old when next season starts, and it’s hard to imagine him being as successful next season. He still should be drafted, but I think Achane is going to be the much more popular pick.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was just 20-of-39 passing for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He rushed three times for an additional 25 yards.

It was Tagovailo’s worst completion percentage of the season and just the third time he was under 200 passing yards - failing to also do so against the Chiefs in the regular season.

The underwhelming performance has already started grumblings on whether he can lead the team to the promised land going forward. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Miami draft a quarterback this offseason, and maybe even potentially thow Tua on the trade block to see what some other organizations might offer for him. He’s only tied to Miami for another season.

Tyreek Hill was Tua’s top target on Saturday. Hill caught five of his eight targets for 62 yards and a touchdown. He worked back to an underthrown Tagovailoa deep ball to go for a 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

The touchdown really saved what was an otherwise down performance for Hill. He’s an ultra-talented receiver, but the Dolphins just couldn't get him going in this one. Hill still should be one of the top couple receivers drafted next season.

Waddle caught two of his five targets for 31 yards and also had a 9-yard carry.

Waddle is one of the better No. 2 options in the league and might be the top No. 2 option drafted next season. He’s a special talent, and easily could be a No. 1 for a lot of teams. Having Hill on the same team caps his ceiling a bit, but he’s still a fantasy starter more weeks than not.

None of the other Miami wideouts had over 40 receiving yards. Cedrick Wilson had seven targets, but only three catches and 37 yards. River Cracraft ended the night with 33 yards on two grabs and three targets.

With Hill and Waddle around, there’s not many targets, catches and yards to go around in the Miami offense, especially with how much the team likes to run the ball. What Miami could really use is a more dependable tight end, but getting a third consistent receiver would also help. It seems like they are just one piece away offensively.