The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Patrick Mahomes.
Is Patrick Mahomes Playing in Week 13?
Mahomes is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play on Friday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chiefs’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Patrick Mahomes in Week 13?
Is Patrick Mahomes here to save your fantasy season (if there is a season left to save)? The former MVP has thrown six touchdown passes on 70 attempts over his past two games after throwing for six scores on 190 passes in the five games prior.
We know that this offense is more than capable of putting points on the board in a hurry. Mahomes has been good for multiple passing touchdowns in four of his past five and has been more willing to pick up chunk plays with his legs than in regular seasons past.
My concern here is the return of Isiah Pacheco and the potential to physically dominate on a short work week. Mahomes is my QB13 this week, and I think your willingness to go this direction is matchup-dependent.
The former MVP carries a reasonable floor, but I don’t think he has access to a ceiling that QBs in good spots like Russell Wilson (at CIN) or Baker Mayfield (at CAR) share.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Patrick Mahomes’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of Friday afternoon, Mahomes is projected to score 18.4 fantasy points in Week 13. This includes 244.6 passing yards, 1.7 passing touchdowns, and 0.8 interceptions. It also includes 3.7 rushing attempts for 19.2 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Raiders' Defense
It seems unfair that the finger of blame was pointed almost solely at the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive staff given the significant defensive drop-off from last year.
The Raiders were a league-average unit in 2023, and they are back to the levels we saw between 2020 and 2022. If Antonio Pierce survives this offseason, he cannot let his defense (his strongest suit) be this bad again, or he won't make it to Year 3.
Everything about Las Vegas' pass defense has been bad, and it starts with the pressure up front. Despite having Maxx Crosby, who is one of the best pass rushers in the league, the Raiders rank 27th in pressure rate when not blitzing and 29th in sack rate.
It was not a bad outing against the Denver Broncos this week. That offense is playing better each week, so the Raiders' being a top-15 team was a credit to them. Still, Las Vegas is going to need to keep playing to that level if it wants to be competitive down the stretch.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Patrick Mahomes’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 QB PPR Rankings
1) Jalen Hurts | PHI (at BAL)
2) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. SF)
3) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. PHI)
4) Justin Herbert | LAC (at ATL)
5) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. TEN)
6) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. PIT)
7) Kyler Murray | ARI (at MIN)
8) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at JAX)
9) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at GB)
10) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. LV)
11) Baker Mayfield | TB (at CAR)
12) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. CLE)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (at CIN)
14) Anthony Richardson | IND (at NE)
15) Brock Purdy | SF (at BUF)
16) Jordan Love | GB (vs. MIA)
17) Jared Goff | DET (vs. CHI)
18) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Drake Maye | NE (vs. IND)
20) Matthew Stafford | LAR (at NO)
21) Kirk Cousins | ATL (vs. LAC)
22) Geno Smith | SEA (at NYJ)
23) Derek Carr | NO (vs. LAR)
24) Jameis Winston | CLE (at DEN)
25) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. SEA)
26) Caleb Williams | CHI (at DET)
27) Bryce Young | CAR (vs. TB)
28) Drew Lock | NYG (at DAL)
29) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. NYG)
30) Will Levis | TEN (at WAS)
31) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. HOU)
32) Trevor Lawrence | JAX (vs. HOU)
33) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at KC)
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs Trends
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The Raiders pulled off the upset in Kansas City last year, but they entered that game after dropping 63 points on the Chargers the week prior. This year’s team enters play having scored 55 points over their past 11 quarters of action and is in the midst of a seven-game skid.
QB: Gardner Minshew posted a 4.9-yard average depth of throw in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, the third time in four games his rate was under five yards.
Offense: The Raiders entered the red zone a season-high five times on Sunday against the Broncos – those drives netted just 16 points.
Defense: Vegas has allowed points on the majority of opponent drives in four straight games (last two weeks: 72.2%).
Fantasy: CeeDee Lamb (11.2), Malik Nabers (11.1), Garrett Wilson (10.1), and Ja’Marr Chase (9.9) – that’s your entire list of players averaging more targets per game since Week 3 than Jakobi Meyers (9.6).
Betting: The Raiders have seen eight of their past 11 games played on short rest go under the total.
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: Kansas City has won eight games by seven or fewer points this season, tying the most such wins this franchise has had in a single regular season since 2000. Over that stretch, only six times has a team won nine such games in a regular season:
- 2023 Steelers (lost in Wild Card)
- 2022 Vikings (lost in Wild Card)
- 2019 Seahawks (lost in Divisional Round)
- 2015 Broncos (won Super Bowl)
- 2012 Colts (lost in Wild Card)
- 2003 Panthers (lost in Super Bowl)
QB: Patrick Mahomes has completed all nine of his third-down passes over the past two weeks (last five games: 36-of-44, 81.8%).
Offense: The Chiefs scored a touchdown on three of eight drives against the Panthers, 37.5%, their highest rate in a game this season.
Defense: Against Carolina on Sunday, Kansas City allowed just 1.25 yards per carry after contact, a rate that was 25.1% better than anything this defense had produced through 11 weeks.
Fantasy: Is Patrick Mahomes here to save your fantasy season (if there is a season left to save)? The former MVP has thrown six touchdown passes on 70 attempts over his past two games after throwing six scores on 190 passes in the five games prior.
Betting: Unders are 7-1 in the Chiefs’ past eight games played on short rest.