PatrickMahomes

News: 1 day agoMahomes (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest at Denver.

Spin: Speaking to the media Friday, coach Andy Reid effectively ruled out Mahomes for Week 18 action, per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com. Having said that, the Chiefs may not make it official until about 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. In any case, Carson Wentz is set to lead Kansas City's offense this weekend, but with RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs) also sidelined and TE Travis Kelce and RB Kareem Hunt listed as doubtful (meaning they'll likely be healthy scratches), Wentz will be working without a few key skill-position players. As for Mahomes, he'll turn his focus to the divisional round on either Jan. 18 or 19.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Though Mahomes' 2023 saw him post his worst yards per attempt (7.0), aDOT (6.2), touchdown (4.5%) and interception (2.3%) rates of his six seasons as an NFL regular, consider the context: He was working with his weakest set of receivers in any of those years. The Chiefs were worst in the league in drops (38) and had the second-worst catch rate on throws 20-plus yards downfield (27.4%), after having been seventh best in that department the season before. Mahomes made it work -- he led the team to a Super Bowl title, after all -- and it's a testament to his overwhelming, Hall of Fame-caliber talent that he finished eighth among quarterbacks in scoring in spite of his supporting cast. The additions of Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy, coupled with Rashee Rice's late-season emergence, should give Mahomes the weapons necessary to rebound as a top-five positional pick and early-round selection.