NFL Player News

Merritt wasn’t going to make the club, but Ross was to be a key reserve.

As has been the case in recent history, the Chiefs struggled to attack the deep areas of the field, something exacerbated by the fact that Patrick Mahomes was playing in his first game since tearing his ACL. In fact, Thornton’s lone target was the only pass directed further than 30 yards downfield, shocking nobody when it fell incomplete on an overthrown ball down the sideline. Thornton can safely be returned to, or left on, the waiver wire ahead of a Week 2 matchup against the Colts.

The entire Kansas City pass offense appeared stuck in the mud, with little ability to attack deep against one of the league’s best defenses. Worthy struggled to gain separation on targets beyond five yards of the line of scrimmage, something the Chiefs have struggled with the previous two seasons. Further hampering their downfield pass game was an inconsistent and adjusting Patrick Mahomes in his first game since tearing his ACL. The return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy saw the Chiefs lean on new running back Kenneth Walker, who out-gained the entire Denver offense on his own, leaving little in the way of additional motivation to air the ball out. Worthy enters a Week 2 matchup with the Colts as a low-upside WR5, likely best left on fantasy benches, for the time being.

Rice saw only two targets as the Chiefs clearly had a ground-heavy game plan to ease quarterback Patrick Mahomes back into action in his first game since tearing his ACL in 2025. Furthermore, Rice was largely unable to generate separation against a stingy Denver secondary, oftentimes locked down in man coverage. Even his touchdown was uninspiring aside from a great effort to bounce off the first tackler. Rice appears to be a shaky fantasy bet for managers that invested an early-round pick into his services, particularly in the coming weeks against poor competition. Rice will be a speculative WR3 against the Colts in Week 2.

Kelce passed Jason Witten to move into second on the all-time tight end receiving list with a 59-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter. Even so, the veteran tight end lacked any semblance of the burst that once made him a matchup nightmare, slow out of breaks while appearing to take multiple plays off that were not drawn up for him. His once-strong connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes also looked off on the two incompletions directed his way, both bad misses. It will likely take time for the timing to resurface between the two and Kelce appears unlikely to command meaningful volume, leaving him as a middling TE2 ahead of a soft matchup against the Colts in Week 2.

Walker single-handedly out-gained the entire Denver offense on the evening as he was the clear point of emphasis in Patrick Mahomes’ first game back after tearing his ACL in 2025. He was fed seven carries on the team’s first nine offensive plays run from scrimmage, a drive that would result in a 15-yard Mahomes rushing touchdown on the team’s first possession. The highlight of the game for the explosive back was a 60-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one, in which he bounced the football outside and dusted the secondary on his way to the end zone. He would add a receiving score on a “Kansas City Special” later in the game, taking a Mahomes shuttle pass to the end zone from two yards out to further bolster his counting stats. What’s more, walker played all but five offensive snaps in the first half with the game still within reason, highlighting a massive ceiling for the remainder of the season. Walker is a locked-in RB1 ahead of a Week 2 matchup against the Colts.

A rushing score on the team’s first possession appeared to calm fantasy owners’ nerves as that was the area of Mahomes’ game most in question coming off the injury, but concerns grew as he completed just two of his first 12 pass attempts in his first start since suffering a torn ACL in 2025. A passing score to Rashee Rice at the end of the first half elevated his counting stats further before a shuttle pass touchdown to Kenneth Walker after the break took him into fantasy QB1 territory. Even so, the outing was far from perfect as Mahomes missed numerous open receivers on his way to a paltry 6.8 yards per pass attempt. Mahomes’ lone interception was a badly overthrown ball on a miscommunication in the third quarter that could have been much more damning had the Kansas City defense not held the Broncos to a field goal on the resulting possession. With games against the Colts, Dolphins, and Raiders on tap the next three weeks, the Chiefs could continue to lean on Walker after the recent addition out-gained the entire Denver offense by himself in Week 1. Mahomes will be difficult to trust until he proves to be more accurate through the air.

This reinforces previous reports that indicated the team was not considering injured reserve, with the injury believed to be of the short-term variety. Destin adds that Darnold’s hip joint is unaffected. Seattle fans breathe a collective sigh of relief as the team looks to become the third franchise to repeat as Super Bowl Champions since the turn of the century. Still no word from the team on Darnold’s expected recovery timeline, leaving fantasy managers scrambling to fill the roster hole in the interim.

It’s about the worst-case scenario for an offense with no shortage of change in 2026, with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion now hit with a substantial blow to his front five. The news comes on the heels of a close Week 1 victory over the divisional rival Commanders, a game that played much closer than expected. Time will tell if Dickerson makes it back to previous form in what could be his final professional season.

Offensive tackle Josh Simmons was ruled out earlier in the week, with the other six players raising no surprise as the Chiefs open their season against the visiting Broncos. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes makes his return to the roster following a torn ACL suffered in 2025 as the team debuts a new-look offense following the addition of running back Kenneth Walker and return of former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Badie’s inclusion on the Week 1 inactives list means rookie Jonah Coleman gets the nod as the RB3 behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. It remains unlikely Coleman contributes meaningful counting stats in his first professional appearance, but the fact he is now confirmed to be ahead of Badie is meaningful to his longterm upside in what should be one of the top rushing attacks in the league.