Chiefs Fantasy Football Preview: Patrick Mahomes, Isiah Pacheco, Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce and More

It’s time to start breaking down each NFL team’s best players from a fantasy football perspective. We’ll kick things off by talking about the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.

Patrick Mahomes Fantasy Outlook

Mahomes had a down season in 2023 compared to his lofty standards, and still threw for 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns. His completion percentage was actually a career-best 67.2, but he threw his most interceptions (14) in a single season.

For the first time since Mahomes took over as the starter, he failed to rush for a touchdown. He did rush for a career-best 389 yards, however.

Mahomes was relying on a rookie receiver to lead the way a season ago, and the Chiefs did a nice job to add some more pass catchers during the offseason. As long as the offense stays pretty healthy, Mahomes should be destined for a better overall season as a passer.

Mahomes is currently the third fantasy quarterback off draft boards in early Average Draft Position data. Because he doesn’t boast the running potential of Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts, or Lamar Jackson, Mahomes needs almost all of his fantasy points from passing. I see a better season coming for Mahomes, with enough talent around him to not only contend for MVP, but also be in the running for top fantasy quarterback.

Mahomes is going around pick 35 in fantasy drafts, and he could still be a steal by the end of the season.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

Isiah Pacheco had a better second season in the NFL, despite playing in three less games than as a rookie.

He rushed for 935 yards and seven touchdowns, while adding 244 receiving yards and two more scores. Pacheco only fumbled one time and should serve as the team’s workhorse again in 2024.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire figures to serve as the team’s top backup again. 

He only rushed for 223 yards and a touchdown on 70 attempts a season ago. He had 17 grabs on 22 targets for an additional 188 yards and a touchdown through the air.

The only way Edwards-Helaire will serve a big role on offense is if Pacheco is out for several weeks, and even then, the Chiefs might not feed CEH.

Pacheco is clearly the KC back to own, and he’s the 12th fantasy back off draft boards at this point. He’s got the potential to finish as a top-10 back pretty easily, and could even sneak into the top five if he’s able to steal some touchdowns away from Mahomes and his receivers.

Pacheco is going around pick 28 and might be viewed as a draft steal by the end of the season.

Edwards-Helaire is the 61st back off draft boards and going around pick 195. He should only be considered in deeper formats, especially if you got Pacheco earlier in the draft.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

There’s some questions in the KC wide receiver room even though it’s greatly improved from a season ago.

That has to do with Rashee Rice and if he will face any sort of suspension for his off-field actions. 

Rice was easily the Chiefs’ top receiver a season ago. In his rookie season, he hauled in 79 of his 102 targets for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. 

The Chiefs signed Marquise Brown in free agency and drafted Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so even if Rice misses time, Mahomes will have better options in the passing game.

Brown will be playing for his third team in his soon-to-be six-year NFL career. In 14 games with the Arizona Cardinals last year, Brown had 51 receptions on 101 targets. He turned his catches into 574 yards and four touchdowns. 

Brown has gone over 1,000 receiving yards just once in his career (2021), but also never had Mahomes throwing him the ball, so his fantasy outlook is brighter this season than it maybe ever has been.

Worthy enjoyed a strong college career over three seasons with Texas. He’s best known for his speed, and a lot of people want to compare him with Mahomes’ old go-to guy, Tyreek Hill. I don’t envision Worthy being that big of a player (in real life or fantasy), but with Mahomes throwing him the ball, anything is possible.

Worthy’s fantasy value would go up if Rice misses any games this season, but he’d still probably be third in the pecking order behind Brown and tight end Travis Kelce.

Some other notable names the Chiefs have for wide receivers are Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney, Justyn Ross and Mecole Hardman. None of those wideouts had over 500 receiving yards or three receiving touchdowns, and unless one of Kelce, Brown, Rice or Worthy is out an extended period of time, it seems unlikely that any of the other receivers would be big fantasy threats this season.

Rice is the top KC receiver off fantasy draft boards right now, but that will change if he’s suspended for even a couple games. Rice is the 34th receiver taken on average right now, going around pick 76.

Brown is just a couple slots back, at WR36 and around pick 79. Worthy is WR43 and going around pick 99.

Brown is the safest pick of the top three wideouts on the team right now. His value will only rise if Rice is forced to miss time.

If you are drafting early, I’d drop Rice down a few pegs in anticipation of some sort of suspension. He’s just not worth that early of a pick if he’s going to be out a few games.

At his current ADP, I view Worthy as a sleeper. His stock will likely rise if Rice is suspended and before a lot of fantasy drafts take place, but if you draft soon and get Worthy around that ADP, you should have extremely high hopes for the upcoming season.

All the other KC wideouts will have streaming value if they can prove to be consistent contributors, but that would take an injury or suspension ahead of them on the depth chart, and with so many WR options, it’s unlikely to be the same guy every week, so avoid the other KC wideouts if you can.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

Kelce is arguably the best fantasy tight end in the game, and even after a down season in 2023, still is viewed as a big-time contributor for the upcoming season.

In 15 games, Kelce had 93 catches on 121 targets for 984 yards and five scores. Those numbers were far cries from the 2,463 yards and 21 scores he put up between the previous two seasons. He still was Mahomes’ favorite target in the postseason, and likely will serve as his favorite option again this season, even if he’s outproduced by a receiver in yardage or scores.

Noah Gray is the team’s projected No. 2 TE, but rookie Jared Wiley could also take on that role.

Gray had 305 yards and two scores a season ago, but likely will see those numbers drop with some better pass catchers now on the team. 

Wiley really didn’t do much in his college career until his senior season with TCU. The Chiefs took him in the fourth round of the draft, and he could be the future at the TE position if he’s able to learn from Kelce and earns a role early on. 

Kelce is the only one to target in standard leagues. He’s the second TE off draft boards and going around pick 33. He has the chance to still finish as fantasy TE1, but I think it’s more likely he takes a little step back, so unless he drops to pick 40 or later, I’m content to pass on Kelce and grab my TE later in the draft.