Chiefs 30, Chargers 27 (Chargers covered +5.5, O52)

Postgame: It seems that whenever these two teams square off, the game turns out to be one of the best games of the season. Patrick Mahomes was once again able to surmount an incredible comeback victory, while it seems that every week the Chargers get passive in the second half of games and blow a should-be victory. With the win, the Chiefs (8-2) retain sole possession of the top spot in the AFC, while the Chargers (5-5) continue to slide further from the playoff conversation.  With this game having the highest O/U of the week and managing to still hit the over, there was an abundance of impressive fantasy performances in this game that fantasy GMs should make note of. 

Pregame: Sunday night features another great matchup between two powerful division rivals.  The Chiefs (7-2) are first in the conference, leading the Chargers (5-4) by two games in the AFC West. A win for either squad would be crucial, as it would set the Chiefs up nicely for that elusive first-seed bye week, while the Chargers need a win to stay alive in the wildcard hunt. The Chargers are hopeful to see Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Gerald Everett return to action this week, which would make this game much better from a fantasy perspective. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs will be without two of their top receiving options, which should open things up for other players to have big games.

Chiefs

QB

Patrick Mahomes:

Postgame: No lead is ever safe when playing against Mahomes, as he once again put together another comeback victory on Sunday night.  He continues to dominate this season, even while losing weapons each week.  Mahomes completed 20-of-34 pass attempts for 329 yards and a trio of scores. He added 23 yards on the ground on four attempts, including a very crucial 16-yard run on the game-winning drive. Mahomes has officially passed Josh Allen as the overall QB1 on the season with this week’s performance. 

Pregame: Mahomes has been playing great football this season, ranking as the QB2 through the first 10 weeks. He gets a matchup with the Chargers defense that is riddled with injuries which has resulted in them being extremely vulnerable to opposing offenses. Much like the other top options at his position,  Mahomes is matchup-proof. Back in their Week 2 matchup, Mahomes tossed for 236 yards and two touchdowns, but that was when this Chargers defense was relatively healthy. Fantasy GMs should expect a big game out of Mahomes on Sunday night. 

RB

Isiah Pacheco & Jerick McKinnon:

Postgame: The rookie Pacheco looked great running the ball on Sunday night, exploiting the bottom-three rush defense of the Chargers.  He rumbled for 107 yards on 15 carries, breaking multiple runs of over 10 yards, but was not incorporated in the passing game once again.  McKinnon was surprisingly uninvolved in the passing game as well, hauling in his lone target for zero yards.  He rushed six times for 24 yards, losing a crucial fourth-quarter fumble.  The Chiefs were trying to get Clyde Edwards-Helaire involved early on in the game, but he exited with a high-ankle sprain and did not return.  If Pacheco is able to keep this up, he will turn into a potential league-winning player for a large number of fantasy GMs. 

Pregame: It seems that Edwards-Helaire has officially been taken out of the timeshare in the Chiefs backfield, only playing four snaps last week. This means the workload will be split by Pacheco on the early downs, and McKinnon for the passing downs. Both players are decent options against the Chargers incredibly poor rush defense. Pacheco has the better path to finding the endzone, while McKinnon has been getting a bunch of receptions and targets every week, making him worth a look in PPR formats. 

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WR

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