Travis Kelce should have a monster fantasy football impact vs. Colts

The Colts head to K.C. to clash against the Chiefs in what should be a thrilling Sunday Night Football matchup. Let’s take a look at the fantasy value for each skill position player for the game.

The Kansas City Chiefs play on Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts, which means that the game will not be apart of the main fantasy football slate. That said, the game will be a part of two different slates for this week: Sunday-Monday, and Thursday-Monday. By the time this article is circulating, the Thursday game will likely already be played, so this article will focus on the Sunday-Monday slate.

Last week, players like Chris Godwin and Nick Chubb lit up the fantasy sheets, exploding for a combined 86.5 fantasy points. There has been entire fantasy rosters that haven’t scored that much.

Perfect Lineup, Week 4 NFL (Draft Kings)

• Jameis Winston ($5700) 33.3 FP
• Nick Chubb ($6400) 42.3 FP
• Leonard Fournette ($6000) 29.5 FP
• Cooper Kupp ($6500) 29.9 FP
• Robert Woods ($6100) 32.4 FP
• Chris Godwin ($6000) 44.2 FP
• Austin Hooper ($4300) 25 FP
• Wayne Gallman Jr. ($4600) 28.8 FP
• Patriots ($3700) 25 FP

Quarterback

There is a major difference between the starting quarterbacks for this game: one is a proven elite player, and the other is a veteran Bill Belichick product that has been outstanding to start the season.

It is probably pretty easy to discern who is whom, but in case it isn’t: Jacoby Brissett has been performing very well on the season for the Colts. Over the last four games, Brissett is averaging 20.5 fantasy points and 2.5 touchdowns. LineStar projects him to have 18 fantasy points for Sunday night’s game, which is decent for his price of $5,300. However, the Chiefs are getting cornerback Mo Claiborne in the lineup, and they tend to do well in primetime in Arrowhead Stadium. Proceed with caution when drafting Brissett; the Chiefs’ defense either does very, very well or very, very bad against quarterbacks.

For quarterback Patrick Mahomes, this week should be a bounce back game for him, no doubt. After failing to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 12 games, Mahomes hopes to deliver a powerhouse performance in Week 5. So much so, in fact, that LineStar projects him to score 29 fantasy points, the highest his projection has been so far this season.

In four games, Mahomes is averaging 2.5 touchdowns per game, 377.5 passing yards and 26.5 completions. He also has 29.5 fantasy points per game, so it is safe to say that he will continue to be the top option on any slate. His price is very high, though, sitting at $7,500. If someone is willing to pay up for him, then it will be worth it. That would require very delicate salary maneuvering, however.

Running Backs

The running back position is foggy for both teams. For Kansas City, Damien Williams is starting to make his return to the team after sitting out the last two weeks with a knee injury. Listed as a full practice participant on Wednesday, it seems like Williams will be the starter once again; especially with LeSean McCoy,who had started the previous two games, dealing with a knee injury that left him as a limited participant in practice on the same day.

A lot can change in the next few days, though, so keep an eye on the injury designations. McCoy was listed as a full participant in Thursday’s practice, so Williams and McCoy could end up splitting carries. If McCoy and Williams both play, opt for Williams. Williams is $5,700 on Draft Kings right now, which is fairly cheap. Make sure it’s Damien Williams, and not Darrel. It’ll be a gamble, though, so exercise caution.

Same goes for the Colts. Marlon Mack, the team’s starting running back, did not practice on Wednesday because of an ankle injury. If he does not play, Nyheim Hines will likely end up starting and see favorable numbers against a struggling defensive front for the Chiefs. As is the case for the Williams-McCoy debacle, keep an eye on the injury report. If Mack starts, he should be well worth the $5,600 price tag, one that is fairly cheap in Draft Kings. Mack is averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game, with 2 touchdowns on the season.

Wide Receiver

The statuses of both of the top wide receivers for this game are unknown. T.Y. Hilton did not practice on Wednesday, but last season, Hilton spent several weeks on the injury report and still ended up playing. So, if he plays, LineStar projects him to score 20 fantasy points. For a $6,200 price tag, that is a fairly decent prediction, but be mindful of his status. Keep an eye on the injury report to see if he ends up playing. If he doesn’t, avoid Colts receivers if possible. It’ll be a coin flip of who to choose, and since this isn’t a single-game slate, there are much better options.

As for the Chiefs, the wide receiver corps is a little bit more clear cut. If Tyreek Hill doesn’t play, which is the most likely scenario, Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson will be two of the top fantasy options for this game. Even still, there are better options outside of this game as well, so be wary of that when selecting players. Robinson is fairly cheap at $5,300, but Watkins’ $6700 price tag may be one to avoid.

Tight End

It seems like the only player in this game to actually start with confidence is Travis Kelce. Kelce is Mahomes’ favorite target, and has 17.5 fantasy points on the year. He is projected to score 18 fantasy points this week, and is definitely a top option for the Sun-Mon slate. Even with 1 touchdown on the season, Kelce has been lighting up the stat sheet. He is currently 5th in receiving yards for all positions.

At $7300, his price tag is fairly high, but well worth it. Consider paying low for the running back position to stack Mahomes and Kelce. Indianapolis’ tight ends will be a little hard to determine. Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle are both currently in the mix for the starting spot, hence their respective low prices ($4000, $3700). If salary cap is a major issue when constructing lineups, one of them could be used; however, be careful. They are both averaging 7.5 fantasy points per game.

Defense

For defense, avoid the Colts. Don’t even consider it. Their $2,000 price tag may look enticing, but they’re priced low for a reason. Mahomes is going to bounce back and more than likely torch the defense, especially with safety Malik Hooker out.

The Chiefs defense, however, is a different story. They’ll likely perform well enough to, at the very least, give you some points. However, since this is a home game in prim time, and the Chiefs are getting Claiborne back, there is a chance that the defense rallies together and delivers a surprising performance. That chance alone makes them a viable starter at DST, one to surely consider.

The following lineups are examples ONLY, and should not necessarily be used as a final lineup consideration.

Lineup consisting of players from ONLY the Colts v. Chiefs game:

• QB Jacoby Brissett ($5300)
• RB LeSean McCoy ($5800)
• RB Marlon Mack ($5600)
• WR Zach Pascal ($4800)
• WR Demarcus Robinson ($5300)
• WR Chester Rogers ($4100)
• TE Travis Kelce ($7300)
• FLEX Damien Williams ($5700)
• DST Chiefs ($3000)

Lineup for the Sun-Mon slate:

• QB Jacoby Brissett ($5300)
• RB Christian McCaffrey ($8700)
• RB Joe Mixon ($6100)
• WR Mike Evans ($7100)
• WR Emmanuel Sanders ($5100)
• WR Michael Thomas ($6600)
• TE Eric Ebron ($4000)
• FLEX Ricky Seals-Jones ($3200)
• DST Bears ($3800)