On paper, the Texans and Chiefs matchup should be one of the tightest of the entire season. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is working on recovering from an ankle injury, though, meaning he either won’t play at all, or he might play hurt. On the other side of the ball, Houston did beat Miami, but with lackluster numbers offensively. Considering that the Chiefs have an elite defense, it looks like both teams are going to be jumping through hoops to put points on the board.
Texans at Chiefs Start Em’
Joe Mixon (Draft Kings Price 7.8K, FanDuel Price 8.6K)
Much has been made about the struggles that the Texans offensive line has had protecting C.J. Stroud this season. Therefore, whenever they’re matched up against a strong defense like the Chiefs defense, look for them to run the ball early and often. Mixon is coming off of a poor game against Miami, but that should be an aberration; he should be motivated to get back to his old ways in this game.
Travis Kelce (Draft Kings Price 5.6K, FanDuel Price 6.5K)
It can be really tough investing in Kelce after his 27-yard outing against Cleveland. Kelce is in a good position in this game, though, because Mahomes might want to throw away from the Texans’ strong corners (Derek Stingley Jr. and Karamir Lassiter). On top of that, the Chiefs offensive line hasn’t been playing well either, so Mahomes won’t be able to dial up too many long throws. Look for Kelce to catch plenty of check-downs in this game.
Isaiah Pacheco (Draft Kings Price 6K, FanDuel Price 6K)
The Chiefs will have lots of trouble throwing the football in this game. Mahomes is hurt, the offensive line is having trouble, and the Texans have a strong defense. Therefore, Andy Reid might run the ball more than he is accustomed to. The Texans are 6th in the league in passing defense, so this is a big opportunity for Pacheco to get a lot of carries so that Mahomes doesn’t stress that ankle.
Texans at Chiefs Sit Em’
Patrick Mahomes (Draft Kings Price 6.4K, FanDuel Price 7.6K)
If he is set to play this week, Mahomes will have a tough time. Andy Reid could always choose to sit him, but if not, he will have to put major stress on that ankle against the sixth-best defense in the NFL. Mahomes is also pretty expensive, so now might be a good week to save some money for DFS by buying a cheaper quarterback.
Xavier Worthy (Draft Kings Price 5K, FanDuel Price 6.4K)
Even if Mahomes is healthy enough to get on the field, that doesn’t mean he will be capable of doing what he usually does: evade defenders and fling the ball. That means lots of check-downs to Kelce and Pacheco, but it hurts Xavier Worthy’s stock as well since Worthy is the Chief’s primary deep threat. If the Chiefs can get in the endzone, it will likely be because of a long drive where they mix run and pass; not from long shots to Worthy.
Tank Dell (Draft Kings Price 5.1K, FanDuel Price 6K)
Dell, while still very talented, finds himself in a tough position where he doesn’t get enough targets in the red zone to get a considerable amount of fantasy points. The Texans like to run the ball within the 20 or throw the ball to Nico Collins and even Dalton Shultz. Dell is still a great receiver, he just doesn’t play that big of a role in this offense.
Texans at Chiefs Lock
Nico Collins (Draft Kings Price 8.1K, FanDuel Price 9K)
A pessimist may look at Nico Collins and be disappointed at his 17 yards against Miami. An optimist may look at the same game and be pleased with his two touchdowns. The bottom line is that Collins gets too many valuable targets to ever bench. He is one of those receivers who gets more targets against tough defenses because Stroud has so much trust in him.
Texans at Chiefs Fade
DeAndre Hopkins (Draft Kings Price 5.3K, FanDuel Price 6.5K)
So, due to his injury, Mahomes won’t be throwing the ball long. That hurts Xavier Worthy’s stock, but it hurts DeAndre Hopkins even more because he is a specialist in that area. That being said, he hasn’t even gotten that many yards per game since being on the Cheifs; he’s earned less than 36 yards in four out of the past five games.
