As we gear up for the Fantasy season, it’s time to dive into player analyses for this year. I’m thrilled to cover the AFC West and will provide detailed previews for each team. This segment focuses on the Kansas City Chiefs and the insights gathered about them.
We’ll spotlight key players you might want to consider for your Fantasy lineup and point out those you might steer clear of. You’ll also get a glimpse into what the Chiefs could potentially achieve in the 2026 season.
Is Kansas City the right choice for your Fantasy endeavors this year? Let’s find out.
Team Breakdown
Head Coach: Andy Reid
Offensive Coordinator: Eric Bieniemy (taking over from Matt Nagy)
Noteworthy Additions: RB Kenneth Walker III, RB Emari Demercado, QB Justin Fields
Significant Draft Picks: RB Emmett Johnson (5th Round, Nebraska), WR Cyrus Allen (5th Round, Cincinnati)
2026 Strength of Schedule: Ranked 5th (opponents’ combined 2025 record: 155-134)
2025 numbers of note
Points Scored: Ranked 21st with 362 (21.3 per game)
Passing Yards: Ranked 16th with 3,639 (214.1 per game)
Passing Attempts: Ranked 7th with 613
Rushing Yards: Ranked 25th with 1,812 (106.6 per game)
Rushing Attempts: Ranked 25th with 430
Players to target based on Average Draft Position (ADP)
1. Patrick Mahomes
After sustaining a torn ACL and LCL in Week 15 last year, Mahomes is on the mend and aims to be ready for Week 1. His recovery will be crucial as the season approaches. Despite the injury, Mahomes remains a viable low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback, projected to be picked in the mid-rounds in single-quarterback leagues. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, he’s a solid choice by Round 4. Before his injury in 2025, Mahomes was enjoying one of his best Fantasy seasons since 2022, averaging 23.6 points per game. This success was partly thanks to his career-high rushing stats: 422 yards and five touchdowns over 14 games. However, with his knee injury, it’s unlikely he’ll rely heavily on rushing this season. The Chiefs have bolstered their running game with Walker, Demercado, and Johnson, aiming to alleviate pressure on Mahomes. With Travis Kelce returning, Rashee Rice healthy, and Eric Bieniemy reinstated as the offensive coordinator, Mahomes is poised for a strong Fantasy performance, drawing on his impressive average of 28.4 Fantasy points per game under Bieniemy’s previous tenure (2018-22). If Mahomes is fit for Week 1, he’s expected to be a top Fantasy QB. According to FantasyPros, his ADP is No. 161 overall, ranked as QB14.
2. Kenneth Walker III
We saw the best of Walker in the NFL playoffs for Seattle when Zach Charbonnet (knee) was injured in the Divisional Round against San Francisco. Including that game, Walker scored at least 18.1 PPR points in all three postseason games for the Seahawks, and he averaged 24.9 PPR points over that span. To put that in perspective, Christian McCaffrey was the No. 1 non-quarterback in 2025 at 24.5 PPR points per game. While we don’t expect Walker to be that successful in 2026 with the Chiefs, the potential for a big season is definitely there. Kansas City struggled to run the ball in 2025 and was No. 25 in rushing yards. The Chiefs need Walker, especially with Mahomes coming off the knee injury, and we expect Walker to deliver. Now, he will likely share work with some combination of Brashard Smith, Johnson and Demercado, but Walker should dominate touches when healthy. He has dealt with injuries in his career and was limited to 11 games in 2024. He played a full season in 2025 and finished the regular season with 221 carries for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns, 31 catches for 282 yards on 36 targets, and he averaged 15.7 PPR points per game. In his career, Walker has 37 games with at least 13 carries, including the playoffs. Over that span, Walker has averaged 16.6 PPR points per game. If you give him work, he will succeed, and the Chiefs should feed him. I love his value in Round 3 based on his FantasyPros ADP at No. 28 overall as RB11.
3. Rashee Rice
Rice will hopefully play a full season in 2026, and he has the chance to be a top-five Fantasy receiver in all leagues. He’s worth drafting toward the end of Round 1 or beginning of Round 2 in all formats. Rice has played a combined 12 games in the past two seasons due to injury and suspension, but he’s been fantastic when on the field. He averaged 16.2 PPR points per game in four games in 2024 and 18.8 PPR points in eight games in 2025. Rice averaged 9.8 targets per game last season, and he should lead the Chiefs in targets this year. The receiving corps is thin with Rice, Xavier Worthy and Kelce as the top three options in the passing game, and Rice should continue to get plenty of attention from Mahomes. Now, Mahomes is coming back from a bad knee injury, so keep an eye on his health. And Kansas City will likely focus more on the ground game after adding Walker, Demercado and Johnson this offseason. But Rice’s production over the past two years and his role in the offense make him an exciting Fantasy option. If he stays healthy, then Rice could be among the best Fantasy receivers this season. I love the idea of getting Rice in Round 2 based on his FantasyPros ADP at No. 15 overall as WR9.
4. Xavier Worthy
Worthy went from a productive rookie in 2024 to a disappointing sophomore in 2025. How will he perform in 2026? Fantasy managers should consider Worthy a sleeper with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues. He’s a good receiver to stash on your bench, and hopefully, he can have a third-year breakout. The Chiefs don’t have a lot of proven talent in the passing game after Rice, Kelce and Worthy, which is why he has the chance to rebound from 2025. Last year, Worthy missed the first three games with a shoulder injury and then had to deal with Rice dominating targets once his six-game suspension ended. Kelce was there also, but Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster were getting targets as well. Those two are gone, and we’ll see what kind of impact Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals and rookie Cyrus Allen make this year. Worthy averaged 11 PPR points per game in 2024 before dropping to 7.9 PPR points in 2025. He will hopefully emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver this season, and he should be a good value pick at his FantasyPros ADP at No. 123 overall as WR54.
5. Travis Kelce – 125 – TE13
Based on early ADP data — No. 125 overall as TE13 on FantasyPros — this is the first time Kelce might not get drafted as a top-five tight end since 2014. We’ll see if that stays the same in August, but Kelce is now a late-round option in the majority of leagues. You can see why, since he considered retirement this offseason and will turn 37 in October. But we consider Kelce a top-10 Fantasy tight end coming into the year. As long as Mahomes is ready to play in Week 1, that connection should still be strong, and Kelce was solid in 2025 in 14 games with Mahomes. During that span, Kelce averaged 12.8 PPR points, and the only tight ends who finished better than that were Trey McBride, George Kittle, Brock Bowers and Tucker Kraft. Now, things fell apart for Kelce in the final three games last season — he averaged just 4.8 PPR points over that stretch — so keep that in mind with Mahomes’ rehab. And we have to hope Kelce can coexist for a full season with Rice, as well as an improved run game with the addition of Walker. But given the cost, Kelce is worth the risk, and he didn’t postpone retirement to not be a key player in another potential Kansas City Super Bowl run. Kelce should still have a quality campaign in 2026.
Players to avoid based on Average Draft Position
None
2026 Prediction
The Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since the 2014 campaign. They ended the season on a six-game losing streak, and Mahomes suffered his knee injury during that stretch in Week 15.
This year, with Mahomes healthy and Kelce postponing retirement, Kansas City should be back in the Super Bowl mix. I don’t expect the Chiefs to win the AFC West, but they should be a wild-card team and return as a contender.
Mahomes won’t be a top-five Fantasy quarterback, but he should be a borderline top-10 option. He’ll reward Fantasy managers who draft him with a late-round pick, and his best production will come toward the end of the year.
Rice will finish as a top-five Fantasy receiver, and Worthy will have the best season of his career. Kelce also will finish as a top-10 Fantasy tight end, and all three of these guys will dominate targets from Mahomes.
Walker will also reward the Chiefs for paying him, and he should finish as a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues. Kansas City’s offense will be great for Fantasy managers in 2026.
