Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, More Fantasy Impact After Patrick Mahomes' Injury

The Kansas City Chiefs offense has taken a major hit as starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a right knee injury against the Denver Broncos on Thursday following a goal-line quarterback sneak attempt in the second quarter. The team immediately ruled him out.

Per James Palmer of NFL Network, Mahomes suffered a patella (kneecap) dislocation. Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports reported that Mahomes did not suffer a fracture and will undergo an MRI on Friday.

Veteran backup Matt Moore took over, and that figures to have a major impact on the fantasy value of Kansas City's skill-position players.

According to Dr. David Chao of ProFootballDoc.com, "The best the Chiefs can hope for is a return in a few weeks with a brace." Kansas City has four games between Sunday, October 27 and Monday, November 18 before its Week 12 bye.

Here is a rundown of what to expect from the Chiefs' top offensive players until Mahomes is able to return to the lineup.

Tyreek Hill

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill is the Chiefs' most explosive offensive player. A broken collarbone in Week 1 kept him out for four full matchups this season, but Hill caught 87 passes for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns last year.

Hill's speed is aided by Mahomes' big arm, and it makes him a threat to score on every snap no matter where the Chiefs are on the field.

That won't necessarily be the case with Moore since he has traditionally been a more conservative passer over the course of his career.

While Moore has a fairly strong arm in his own right, it would be surprising if head coach Andy Reid has him push the ball down the field with regularity.

Hill may get more catches at or around the line of scrimmage, which will help keep his value up in PPR leagues, but it seems like a safe bet that his yardage and touchdown totals will be down until Mahomes comes back.

Although Hill is still a starting commodity in fantasy, his production may be closer to a WR2 during Mahomes' absence.

Travis Kelce

Kelce is unquestionably one of the best tight ends the NFL has to offer, and he should have no problem holding his value regardless of the quarterback situation.

With Mahomes as his quarterback, Kelce has registered 32 receptions for 497 yards and one touchdown through Week 6.

Kelce is a big, athletic target with soft hands, and that makes him the ideal safety valve in all passing situations.

Provided Moore keeps things simple and tries to move the chains rather than taking consistent shots down the field, Kelce may be the biggest beneficiary of that approach among pass-catchers.

It may not yield many big plays, but from a PPR perspective, Moore figures to be a good quarterback for Kelce's fantasy value.

He will remain one of the top tight ends in fantasy football, and don't be surprised if Moore helps him to some seven- or eight-catch performances while Mahomes is out.

Matt Moore

After Chad Henne broke his ankle during the preseason, the Chiefs signed Moore to provide a veteran presence behind Mahomes.

Moore did not play at all in 2018, but he did see a decent amount of action the previous two seasons. In 2016, Moore went 2-1 in two starts for the Miami Dolphins and threw for 721 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He also started a playoff game for Miami that season.

Then, in 2017, Moore went 0-2 in two starts and finished with 861 passing yards, four touchdowns and five picks.

The 35-year-old veteran has played a lot of football over the years despite serving primarily as a backup for the Carolina Panthers and Dolphins. The season that saw him play the most was 2011, as he went 6-6 in 12 starts and completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,497 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions for Miami.

Moore is a solid backup who can help the Chiefs remain competitive until Mahomes returns, but he is not a good fantasy option.

Even though Moore will have a ton of talent around him in Kansas City, he has never been one to put up big numbers.

Most fantasy leagues likely have some solid fantasy quarterbacks available on the waiver wire, and adding one of them is a far more logical move than seeing what Moore can do after a year out of football.

---

Need more help with your fantasy football lineup? Matt Camp solves your fantasy problems live on B/R Gridiron's new show, Your Fantasy Fire Drill. Download the B/R app now to submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET.