Chiefs, Bills Divisional Round Fantasy Football Takeaways: Patrick Mahomes, Isiah Pacheco, Travis Kelce, Josh Allen, James Cook and More

Takeaways from the Chiefs playoff win over the Bills.

The Divisional Round of the NFL postseason wrapped up with two great games on Sunday.

Let’s take a look at the second game of the day, a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, and discuss some things from a fantasy football perspective.

We already looked at the Divisional Round games between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Packers and the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so be sure to check those articles out too.

Chiefs Hold on Late

The battle between the Chiefs and Bills lived up to the hype. The game went back and forth most of the way, with the difference being two second-half touchdowns for the Chiefs to just one for the Bills.

Kansas City went for 361 total yards of offense. The Chiefs overcame one turnover and only had the ball for 22 minutes, 57 seconds.

Patrick Mahomes had a strong outing in his first true playoff road game (someone has to explain to me why that was a negative talking point against him all week). He was 17-of-23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while avoiding an interception and fumble. He rushed six times for 19 yards.

Mahomes will now appear in the AFC Championship Game for the sixth straight season (his entire starting career). He just continues to deliver when his team needs him the most. Even in a game where the team only had 50 offensive snaps, he still put up good fantasy numbers. He’ll remain a strong fantasy option until the team’s postseason run wraps up.

Isiah Pacheco had a strong showing out of the backfield. He rushed 15 times for 97 yards and a score, while hauling in his lone target for an additional 14 yards.

I expected Pacheco to be heavily involved this week, but to get 15 touches across 50 offensive snaps (of which Pacheco only played 36) is really what you need to focus on. He’ll remain heavily involved the rest of the way.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 30 total yards on three touches. Apparently his fumble last week didn’t put him in the doghouse. However, he’s still not going to be involved enough to start in fantasy playoff leagues or DFS.

Tight end Travis Kelce put together one of his best games of the season to help the team advance. He had five catches on six targets, going for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Kelce helped out with Rashee Rice dinged up a bit. You can talk about his “down” regular season all you want, but Kelce is a go-to option for Mahomes when things matter the most, so he’s a great fantasy option right now.

Since we already mentioned Rice, let’s talk about him next. He was limited to 47 yards on four grabs and catches.

It wasn’t nearly the outing he had last week, but as I already mentioned, he was a bit dinged up in the contest, and the lack of offensive plays hurt his fantasy value a bit. Granted he’s able to play next week, Rice is a good starting option still.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling made two grabs across his four targets. One catch went for 32 yards, while the other was a 30-yarder. 

MVS is basically a boom-or-bust wideout right now, so while he’s capable of posting decent fantasy scores, it hasn’t happened consistently enough to be really confident in him as a starting option.

Noah Gray was the only other player with multiple targets. He caught all three of his targets for 16 yards. He’s a nice safety valve for Mahomes, but isn’t playing enough snaps to contribute big fantasy totals.

I also need to mention Mecole Hardman. He gained just one yard on his two touches and fumbled twice, losing one. Most would think that’s enough to bench him next week, but on an offense lacking playmakers, the Chiefs might need him to play. He’s not a good starting option, even though both of his looks came in the red zone.

Bills Fall Short Again

The Bills’ playoff struggles against the Chiefs continued, but it wasn’t for a lack of offense. Buffalo had 368 total yards of offense and didn’t have a turnover. 

Buffalo settled for an early short field goal, and then Tyler Bass missed a 44-yarder that would have tied the game late.

Quarterback Josh Allen finished 26-of-39 passing for 186 yards and a touchdown. He avoided turnovers and added 72 rushing yards and two scores on 12 attempts. There were some throws that Allen definitely wanted back, but he also had a couple potential touchdowns dropped along the way.

He should be the first quarterback drafted in most fantasy drafts before next season. Allen gets that nod because of his rushing ability, which just adds to his ability as a passer. If he ever limits his turnovers, he could easily outscore every other quarterback in the league by a wide margin.

Running back James Cook had 82 total yards on 22 touches. He rushed 18 times for 61 yards and caught 4-of-5 targets for an additional 21 yards.

Cook had over 1,500 scrimmage yards this season, but only scored six total touchdowns. Those numbers make him a great value pick, and a bit of a sleeper if he starts scoring touchdowns at a better clip.

Ty Johnson tallied 54 yards on eight touches. He could have played himself into the backup RB role in Buffalo, as the team has Latavius Murray and Damien Harris hitting free agency this offseason. Johnson would be a decent handcuff option late in drafts if he remains in Buffalo himself.

Stefon Diggs had the biggest drop of the night on a well-thrown deep ball by Allen late in the game. Diggs finished with 28 total yards on four touches. He only caught three of his eight targets.

Diggs really stumbled down the stretch, which has plummeted his draft stock way down in early mock drafts. With the team continually falling short of the Super Bowl, and his lack of production later in this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants out of Buffalo - or the team decides to move on from him.

Khalil Shakir had 44 yards and a touchdown on seven catches and nine targets. 

Shakir didn’t post otherworldly numbers this postseason, but he did score twice and finish with 10 receptions on 12 targets. His offensive role next season seems likely to expand, which could make him a sleeper option later in fantasy drafts.

Tight end Dalton Kincaid and Murray were the only other receivers to have multiple catches. Kincaid went for 45 yards on five grabs and targets, while Murray added 27 yards on three catches and four targets.

Murray saw his numbers fade a good amount this season, but he can still be a solid No. 2 option for a team with a workhorse if he wants to continue playing. I’d expect him to be on a different team by the start of next season.

Kincaid showed flashes of big potential this season. He should be heavily involved offensively going into next season, especially if the team moves on from Diggs and Gabe Davis.

The Bills have some great offensive pieces to build around, but after falling short again this season, I’d be surprised if the same cast is back next season. Look for Buffalo to make some moves in free agency and use some draft picks to add some more offensive firepower. Anyone who plays 60% or more of the offensive snaps is going to be a fantasy threat with Allen at quarterback.

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