In a season where it already felt like nothing could go right,
Mahomes tore his ACL on Dec. 14, 2025, in a loss to the Chargers
that officially eliminated Kansas City from playoff contention,
ending a 10-year run of postseason berths. Despite the injury
occurring late last season, the belief is that Mahomes will be
ready to go in Week 1, having already returned to 7-on-7 drills.
Head coach Andy Reid has been more diplomatic about it, simply
saying Mahomes will “be able to do some things” in camp. If Mahomes
isn’t quite ready, Justin Fields would be in line to start.
For now, let’s assume that Mahomes can return for the opener
against the Broncos. Does that put him back in immediate fantasy
QB1 territory? Not necessarily. Over the last three seasons, the
two-time MVP has averaged 3,899 yards, 25 TDs, and 12 INTs --
he ran more in 2025 (a career-high 422 yards), but you can’t count
on a repeat of that coming off a severe knee injury. Instead,
Mahomes’ fortunes are likely to rise and fall based on Rashee
Rice and Xavier Worthy staying healthy, and the arrival of Super
Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III via free agency, which should help
revive a moribund running attack.
Entering his age-31 campaign and coming off major surgery, Mahomes
carries more question marks in terms of his value at any point
since 2018 when he was an unknown commodity with one NFL start
under his belt. Based on talent and scheme, Mahomes offers QB1
upside, but he’s a borderline option right now, and if you do
take the plunge you need to make sure you have a capable backup
to hedge your bet.
After trying to get by with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt the
past two seasons, the Chiefs took the plunge in free agency to
sign Walker, who is coming off an inspired playoff run that culminated
with 161 total yards in a Super Bowl win over the Patriots. In
truth, Walker’s four-year stint with the Seahawks was a mixed
bag as he battled injury issues -- he missed nine games in his
first three seasons before appearing in every game in 2025 --
and split time with Zach Charbonnet the past three years. His
career average: 1,140 total yards and 8 TDs per season.
Expect him to be given every opportunity to play a larger role
in Kansas City. The Chiefs have mixed and matched for years now
at running back to limited success, and the idea of a true three-down
option is why they handed a contract that pays more than $14 million
per season at a position that’s generally devalued. The team also
drafted Emmett
Johnson, a potential third-down back, and signed former Cardinals
backup Emari Demercado to finish a complete overhaul of the position.
Walker looks like a strong RB2 in his first year with the Chiefs,
and it’s possible he could exceed that value if KC makes him the
bell cow. Just bear in mind we’ve mostly seen middling production
from the Michigan State product in the NFL, so don’t overvalue
him on draft day.
While Walker sits comfortably atop the depth chart, the No. 2
job is up for grabs. The top contenders are Emmett Johnson, a
fifth-round pick out of Nebraska, and Demercado, who put up gaudy
numbers in limited burn over the last three seasons in Arizona.
Despite averaging 6.5 yards per carry with the Cardinals, the
team chose to play the likes of Bam Knight and Michael Carter
ahead of him last season, which spoke to how the coaching staff
viewed him -- doubtless his unforced fumble in a one-point loss
to the Titans did him no favors in that regard.
Training camp will sort out who will work behind Walker, and
there’s no guarantee the Chiefs won’t make another move at the
position to solidify their depth. Whoever emerges as the No. 2
back could offer some handcuff appeal for Walker owners, but for
the time being, it wouldn’t be worth utilizing a pick on Demercado
or Johnson.
In terms of talent, Rice is the real deal. After serving a six-game
suspension to begin last season, he went out and caught 16 passes,
including three touchdowns, in his first two games. Injuries ultimately
put him on the shelf for the second year in a row, however, and
he’s now played in just 12 of Kansas City’s last 34 games. Things
didn’t stabilize during the offseason, either. Rice underwent
arthroscopic knee surgery in May, just in time to serve a 30-day
jail sentence for violating the conditions of his parole by testing
positive for marijuana.
Reid has expressed optimism that Rice will be available at the
start of the camp, and there’s no sign that the NFL is considering
another suspension for his latest off-the-field misstep. That’s
good news for the Chiefs, which desperately need Rice healthy
and available to give Mahomes a potential go-to receiver that
he has lacked since Tyreek Hill left town. With Travis Kelce now
in the twilight of his career, it’s doubly important for Kansas
City that Rice start living up to his potential.
On the field, there’s a lot to like about Rice, who has posted
77 receptions, 859 yards and 7 TDs in his last 12 games -- that’s
a 17-game pace of 109-1,217-10. He’s also entering the final year
of his rookie deal, giving him tremendous incentive to prove he
can function as a reliable No. 1 receiver in this league. Rice
holds legit top 10 potential at the position, but the risks are
substantial.
If you want to watch a play that perfectly encapsulates the Chiefs’
2025 campaign, go back to Week 1 and watch Worthy get obliterated
on a crossing route by Kelce. The collision dislocated Worthy’s
shoulder and tore his labrum, and though he returned with a brace
in Week 4, he wasn’t the same. Offseason surgery was necessary
to correct the issue, and he should be healthy heading into training
camp, which is a familiar refrain for the Chiefs’ skill players.
Through two seasons, Worthy has flashed his talent, most notably
toward the end of his rookie year when he racked up 34 receptions,
431 yards, and 5 TDs in his final games, including the playoffs.
Last year was a disappointment, but again, you can chalk much
of that up to playing through an injury and the offensive struggles
in general. The team needs consistency in 2026, and Worthy has
both the talent and opportunity to create it -- after using veteran
hands like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown in recent years,
KC is turning the receiver room over to younger players. If you
can scoop up Worthy as a fourth or fifth wideout, it could pay
significant dividends.
A bust in New England, Thornton unexpectedly put up seven receptions,
130 yards, and a pair of TDs in Weeks 2 and 3 last year with both
Rice (suspension) and Worthy (shoulder) unavailable. He had a
90-yard effort in Week 5 but vanished after that, topping 50 yards
just once the rest of the year. Thornton showed enough as a deep
threat to have the inside track on the No. 3 job in Kansas City,
with names like Jalen Royals, Nikko Remigio, and Cyrus Allen behind
him on the current depth chart.
This is another of those situations where training camp will
sort out the spots behind Rice and Worthy, and even if Thornton
secures it, there’s no obvious fantasy value. At best, you can
consider him a watch-list candidate based on the recent struggles
of Worthy, and particularly Rice, to stay on the field.
A Gold Jacket is waiting for Kelce five years after he hangs
up the cleats, and many thought the clock would start ticking
on that process after last season. Barring a last-minute change
of heart, however, the veteran looks poised to return for a 13th
year in the NFL. At 36, Kelce is not what he was. Ever since a
dominant 110-catch, 1,338-yard, 12-touchdown effort in 2022, the
veteran has averaged 89 catches, 886 yards, and 4 TDs over the
past three years.
While those are decent numbers, it’s clear he’s getting by with
his smarts and not his athleticism, and there isn’t much left
in the tank in terms of playmaking. He’s not completely washed
up, though, and if Rice and Worthy can threaten defenses downfield
consistently it should open things for Kelce to work underneath
as a volume option. Despite his age, Kelce remains durable, and
the lack of a proven No. 3 receiver means he shouldn’t rank any
lower than third in the pecking order for targets. As a low-end
TE1, Kelce could still fill a weekly slot in lineups.
