Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos Matchup Preview 10/17/19: Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy

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The Chiefs’ last two games have been disappointing. They have lost two games in a row, which is extremely disappointing for a team that has the best offense in the league. The offense has not been as good, averaging 18.5 PPG in the last two games, compared to 33.8 PPG in the first four games. Against the Broncos, the Chiefs might struggle to put up points. The Broncos are on a two game win streak and only allowed 6.5 PPG and 225 YPG in the last two games. Currently, the spread for this game is 3.5 points in favor of the Chiefs. This could end up being a close game or a blowout win for the Chiefs, but it really depends on how well the Broncos defense plays and how well the Chiefs defense plays. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos matchup page.

TV Schedule

Date: Thursday, October 17th, 2019
Time: 8:20 ET
Location: Empower Field at Mile High – Denver, CO
Coverage: FOX, NFL Network

Injury Report

Kansas City Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes (P) – Ankle, WR Tyreek Hill (Q) – Shoulder, WR Sammy Watkins (Q) – Hamstring, CB Kendall Fuller (Q) – Thumb, T Eric Fisher (O) – Groin, DT Chris Jones (O) – Groin, G Andrew Wylie (Q) – Ankle, T Cameron Erving (Q) – Groin, LB Anthony Hitchens (Q) – Groin
Denver Broncos: CB Bryce Callahan (O) – Foot, T Ja’Wuan James (Q) – Knee, WR Emmanuel Sanders (Q) – Knee, DE Derek Wolfe (Q) – Hip, S Will Parks (Q) – Wrist

Kansas City Chiefs Analysis

Tyreek Hill is back for the Chiefs and it is a big deal. In his first game back from a shoulder injury, Hill had 5 receptions for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 targets. While the top receiver has varied from week to week in Hill’s absence, it appears that he is clearly the WR1 on this team. Also, Mecole Hardman appears to be the clear WR2 for this team now. He has had 10 targets and 124 receiving in the last two games combined. Those are not extremely impressive stats, but it is solid for a rookie receiver. This game, these receivers might do very well, as the Broncos rank 6th in pass yards allowed. Also, the Broncos pass rush is very good, and the Chiefs have several injured offensive linemen. If the Broncos get pressure on Mahomes early, Mahomes will not play as well as he had at the beginning of the year. He is currently dealing with an ankle injury that seems to be affecting his play slightly, so the passing game may not be as explosive as normal.

The running game for the Chiefs has been interesting. With Damien Williams returning in week 5, he appeared to be the primary option for the Chiefs. He had 9 of the team’s 11 handoffs and had 3 receptions. However, this was not the case in week 6, where LeSean McCoy received 8 of 10 handoffs. Williams still had the better fantasy performance, as one of his two touches on the ball was a touchdown. It will be interesting to see who the Chiefs rely more on this week, but it is likely that neither player will have a good game. The Broncos have allowed 37 rush YPG in the last two games, so there will not be much space for Williams and McCoy to run.

Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart

QB: Patrick Mahomes
RB1: Damien Williams
RB2: LeSean McCoy
WR1: Tyreek Hill
WR2: Sammy Watkins
WR3: Mecole Hardman
TE: Travis Kelce

Denver Broncos Analysis

For the past two weeks, teams have beaten the Chiefs by consistently running the football. The Chiefs run defense is awful (31st in the league) and opposing teams have exploited that weakness. Marlon Mack had 29 carries for 132 yards in week 5 and Carlos Hyde had 26 carries for 116 yards in week 6. Not only is this a good matchup for the Broncos running backs, but also they have been using the running game a lot in the last two weeks to win games. In week 5 against the Chargers, Phillip Lindsay had 15 carries for 114 yards and 1 touchdown, and Royce Freeman had 13 carries for 61 yards. In week 6, Lindsay had 15 carries for 70 yards and 1 touchdown and Freeman had 11 carries for 34 yards. The Broncos have been committing to the running game and it has helped them win games. Expect to see a similar split of carries this week. While Lindsay is the more efficient runner, the Broncos like to rotate both running backs into the game. Both Lindsay and Freeman are great starts for this week, with Lindsay being the better option.

The passing game has been worse than the running game for the Broncos. However, Courtland Sutton has been playing well. Over the last two games, he has had 8 receptions for 168 yards and 1 touchdown on 15 targets. He has taken over from Emmanuel Sanders as the top target in the Broncos offense. Sanders only had 2 receptions for 9 yards on 4 targets in the last two games. As the primary target for Joe Flacco, Sutton will have another good game against a Chiefs pass defense that ranks 23rd in yards allowed.

Denver Broncos Depth Chart

QB: Joe Flacco
RB1: Phillip Lindsay
RB2: Royce Freeman
WR1: Emmanuel Sanders
WR2: Courtland Sutton
WR3: DaeSean Hamilton
TE: Jeff Heuerman

Daily Fantasy: Broncos Running Game

Phillip Lindsay (DK: $5,700, FD: $6,600) will have a great game. He is averaging 16.7 PPR points per game and is against the Chiefs, who rank 24th in points allowed to opposing running backs. He has a very low salary and could easily put up 20+ points. Also, Royce Freeman (DK: $4,700, FD: $5,400) is another decent option because he splits carries with Lindsay, but Lindsay will still have a better game. Courtland Sutton (DK: $5,200, FD: $5,900) is another cheap option that could have a great game. He is very hot right now and is facing a defense that ranks 15th in points allowed to opposing receivers. I do not like Tyreek Hill (DK: $7,500, FD: $7,900) very much for this game. He could have a decent game, but his salary is way too high and he is as likely to have a horrible performance as he is to have a great one. He is a very boom-or-bust type player and is not worth the risk against the Broncos defense this week.