2025 Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Preview
2025 Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Preview The Chiefs won another AFC title, but the humiliating blowout loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Andy Reid somehow got 17 wins out of a team that regressed to 17th in total offense and scored just 22.6 points per game. Kansas City’s defense, however, was exemplary. For fantasy football, the main concern is if this regression is permanent or if the Chiefs can rebound after two ‘down’ seasons for Patrick Mahomes. After posting overall QB1 numbers in 2022, Mahomes barely qualified as a QB1 in 2025. He posted his fewest passing yards (3,928) and touchdowns (26) since becoming a starter. With a promising second-year class of signal-callers, Mahomes is no longer a locked-in top-5 fantasy option. Instead, he should be viewed as a solid QB1, but no longer one for fantasy managers to go out of their way to target early on draft day. Kansas City’s backfield will be productive, but not necessarily in a predictive manner for fantasy purposes. Kareem Hunt re-signed, which indicates the committee backfield with Isiah Pacheco will continue. Additionally, the addition of Elijah Mitchell adds another player to the mix. Pacheco’s stock has plummeted, making him and Hunt mere late-round fliers. Overall, Kansas City’s receiving corps has three fantasy options worth targeting and offers some hope that the powerhouse offenses we’re accustomed to can return. The Chiefs re-signed Marquise Brown, who missed most of the 2024 campaign. Rashee Rice got off to a fast start before tearing his LCL in Week 4. Rice is expected to be fully recovered and ready to resume his role as KC’s No. 1 wideout. 2024 first-rounder Xavier Worthy produced nine touchdowns but never hit 80 receiving yards in a regular-season tilt. Rookie Jalen Royals and veteran Juju Smith-Schuster will vie for reserve roles. Gone are the days of TE Travis Kelce carrying fantasy squads to titles. Kelce, who turns 35 in October, is on a three-year slide in receptions, yards, touchdowns, and yards after catch. He should still be viewed as a fantasy TE1, but the days of dominating with Mahomes/Kelce stacks appear firmly in the past. No. 2 tight end Noah Gray has made strides in each of his four NFL seasons and could factor into Kansas City’s weekly game plan. Gray offers plenty of late-round sleeper appeal for fantasy managers with deeper rosters. Fantasy Grade: B- QB Mahomes, Patrick, KC [QB1] One down season is a coincidence, but Patrick Mahomes has now had two rather disappointing campaigns. Granted, he set the bar incredibly high, but we’re starting to wonder if this is who Mahomes is now. His yardage, touchdowns, adjusted completion rate, and yards per attempt have all declined in three consecutive years. Despite an improved supporting cast, Mahomes bottomed out in 2024, finishing as QB11. With most of the same group back, it’s now hard to see Mahomes rebounding to his previous glory days. Instead, view him for what he has been recently: a decent QB1 who lacks a path to top-5 numbers. ADVICE: Decent QB1 well behind the top tier. QB Minshew, Gardner, KC [QB2] If Patrick Mahomes misses time, Minshew will be in a prime position to throw three touchdowns and two interceptions a week. A name to keep in mind in really deep Superflex formats. RB Pacheco, Isiah, KC [RB1] Isiah Pacheco was a hot commodity last summer but had a forgettable, injury-marred season (fractured fibula, 310 rushing yards, one TD in seven games). He got 41 touches in KC’s first two games before sitting out until Week 13. Once he returned, Pacheco was clearly behind Kareem Hunt. With Hunt back in Kansas City, Andy Reid will resort to a committee backfield, with Elijah Mitchell also in play. Pacheco’s high-energy style gives him the most potential, but Hunt’s presence means fantasy managers should approach this backfield with caution. ADVICE: Has the highest ceiling in Kansas City’s backfield, but Pacheco looks like an RB4/Flex option at best. RB Hunt, Kareem, KC [RB2] Hunt took over as Kansas City’s main back after Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula in Week 2. Andy Reid re-signed Hunt fairly early in the off-season, indicating that he will have a role with the Chiefs in 2025. Hunt has lost his burst, accounting for just 2.86 yards created per touch (51st) and ranking 41st in explosive play rate (71.4). But he did rack up 50 red-zone touches and will play valuable snaps in a high-octane Chiefs’ offense. That gives Hunt RB4/flex value. ADVICE: The Chiefs seem destined to use multiple backs, and Andy Reid likes what Hunt offers. He’s got week-to-week flex value. RB Smith, Brashard, KC [RB3] Sleeper As for the question of which KC back fantasy zealots should target, take a late-round stab on Brashard Smith. Smith’s usage in the passing game is intriguing, and he’s been seen throughout OTAs lining up in the slot. He racked up 1,659 yards and 18 scores last year and caught 108 passes in college. He also blazed a 4.39 40, making him an interesting weapon in Andy Reid’s offense. Read more about Smith in Jody Smith’s Preseason Pro. RB Mitchell, Elijah, KC [RB4] ADVICE: After three injury-marred seasons in San Francisco, where he averaged 4.7 yards per carry, Mitchell has an opportunity to carve out a valuable role in a Kansas City backfield that is decidedly unsettled. Solid late-round target in deeper leagues. WR Rice, Rashee, KC [WR1] Rashee Rice was off to a blistering start in 2024 before a knee injury ended his second season in Week 3. The good news on that front is that Rice did not tear his ACL and is already participating in OTAs. Before the injury, Rice looked like a WR1, averaging 96 receiving yards per game and scoring twice. Year Three breakouts are a popular target for fantasy managers, and Rice is shaping up to have his first 1,000-yard season. UPDATE: Rice is looking at a 4-6 game suspension THIS YEAR, which complicates his fantasy outlook.
2025 Fantasy Football Rankings Update and Player News
2025 Fantasy Football Rankings Update 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings Update and Player News (July) Training camps haven’t even opened yet, but we’ve already got developments that impact our award-winning 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings. Staying updated on player news and notes is integral for keeping rankings and projections as accurate as possible. That necessitated a refresh to our preseason projections. Before we get into this July fantasy football rankings update, here are some links that will help in your preseason research and draft prep: Jody Smith’s Fantasy Football Rankings with Tiers (Members only) 2025 Team Previews Fantasy football tools High-Stakes strategy Player News Impacting Rankings In many cases, rookies have already begun arriving at training camps. However, most veterans will report next week. With practices looming, there has been a flurry of activity that resulted in an update to our projections. Rashee Rice Many people didn’t expect any resolution in Rashee Rice’s pending legal issues this season. However, out of nowhere, Rice pleaded guilty to two 3rd-degree felonies related to a high-speed crash in Dallas. I’m no later, but my good friend Drew Davenport is. Below, Davenport breaks it down: What’s the suspension going to be for Rashee Rice this year? We’ve got the Jordan Addison case dialed in (see the included tweet for that Update), but the Rice case is more complicated. Here’s my #FFLegalUpdate on what suspension to expect… 1/🧵https://t.co/abOR9whjsR — Drew Davenport (@DrewDavenportFF) July 18, 2025 It sounds like a suspension is looming in 2025 for Rice. Not next year, as many projected. The suspension could be anywhere from two to six games, with three to four most likely. This quells the notion that Rice is a top-20 fantasy wideout this season. I accounted for a ~4-game absence for Rice, which drops him down into WR4 territory. It also gives a slight boost to Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown, with Brown moving up inside the top 60. Jordan Addison We also got some clarity on Jordan Addison’s looming suspension. Once again, consulting a legal expert, Addison is looking at a shorter suspension. It’s been a wild day with two legal situations being resolved on the same day. I’ll keep them separate for clarity. First up, an #FFLegalUpdate on Jordan Addison and a 2025 suspension from the NFL. 1/🧵 — Drew Davenport (@DrewDavenportFF) July 18, 2025 However, if he does indeed miss the 2-3 games that are currently projected, Addison becomes a touchdown-dependent WR3. That, and the QB change in Minnesota, makes Addison a volatile WR3. Who benefits? That’s TBD. Keep an eye on the Vikings’ WR3 job between Jalen Nailor and incoming rookie Tai Felton, who we like. Jauan Jennings Contract Set to make $7.5 million this season, Jauan Jennings has demanded a new contract or trade. Reportedly, Jennings is seeking $15-20 million annually. Jennings didn’t do a lot in his first three seasons before stepping up last year to deliver WR27 numbers. However, that opportunity only came after Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk struggled through injury-shortened 2024 campaigns. But with Samuel traded to Washington and Aiyuk expected to open the season on the PUP list, Jennings was set to open the season as Kyle Shanahan’s No. 1 wideout. Jennings, 28, has leverage. But it remains to be seen if John Lynch will engage a potential holdout. For now, I have not changed Jennings’s projections. However, the risk of missing preseason reps or a potential trade is worrisome. Quinshon Judkins Arrest More legal woes. Judkins was arrested for battery. It’s an inauspicious start for the rookie rusher’s career. With the release of the police report in the Quinshon Judkins case we have more information to dissect in figuring out his pending Battery charge. Here are some of my initial reactions to what’s contained in the report and how it impacts the final outcome.#FFLegalUpdate 1/ pic.twitter.com/bBFLd3YyMH — Drew Davenport (@DrewDavenportFF) July 14, 2025 It sounds like a lengthy suspension is looming for Judkins. He had RB3/flex potential, but he’s now a total fade for us. My update has Judkins below Jerome Ford, who looks like a solid mid-to-late round target. Also, fellow rookie Dylan Sampson has some late-round sleeper appeal. Mike Williams Retires After eight NFL seasons, Mike Williams, 30, retired. A first-round pick in 2017, Williams played 18 games last year but only managed to snag 21 passes. Injuries sapped his explosiveness. In fact, per FantasyPoint’s Average Separation Score (ASS), Williams was one of the worst separators in the NFL. He simply couldn’t get open any longer. While Williams’s retirement will give more targets to Quentin Johnston, Johnston is also near the bottom in creating separation. Ladd McConkey is the only Chargers’ wideout who can consistently get open. Could a reunion with Keenan Allen be looming? Stock Report 📈 Drake Maye D’Andre Swift Jerome Ford Roschon Johnson Dylan Sampson Brashard Smith Jakobi Meyers Ricky Pearsall Hollywood Brown Tai Felton Dont’e Thornton Savion Williams David Njoku 📉 Baker Mayfield James Cook Joe Mixon Trey Benson Terry McLaurin Rashod Bateman Tre Harris Ray-Ray McCloud Jonnu Smith WARNING! Don’t let a fancy website fool you! You need trustworthy rankings to win at fantasy football. We’ve got them! 150+ websites ranked us Top 2 in the industry for our draft rankings. Get expert advice from Captain Jody Smith and our team of high-stakes winners. Use code JODY30 for 30% off your first two months. Ready to bring home that championship? Click NOW!