The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Chiefs vs. Broncos Week 8 matchup.
Find a breakdown of every Week 8 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Kansas City | Rank | @ | Denver | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1.5 | Spread | 1.5 | ||
| 21.5 | Implied Total | 20.0 | ||
| 23.8 | 14 | Points/Gm | 20.6 | 24 |
| 17.2 | 2 | Points All./Gm | 20.1 | 7 |
| 59.8 | 25 | Plays/Gm | 57.1 | 30 |
| 64.5 | 24 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 69.9 | 31 |
| 6.4 | 2 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.7 | 26 |
| 5 | 10 | Def. Yards/Play | 5 | 9 |
| 44.9% | 13 | Rush% | 43.3% | 19 |
| 55.2% | 20 | Pass% | 56.8% | 14 |
| 43.2% | 17 | Opp. Rush % | 41.7% | 14 |
| 56.9% | 16 | Opp. Pass % | 58.3% | 19 |
- The Chiefs have converted 32.4% (11 of 34) of third downs over the past four weeks (28th), after converting 45.9% in the first three weeks (9th).
- The Broncos have converted 31.1% of their third downs for the season, 31st in the league.
- The Broncos average 5.1 plays per possession, the fewest in the league.
- 13.5% of Denver's offensive plays have gained 10 or more yards, the lowest rate in the league.
- The Chiefs have allowed a 26.7% touchdown rate on red-zone possessions (4 of 15), 2nd in the league.
- Kansas City has allowed a touchdown on 14.8% of opponent possessions, 3rd in the league.
- Denver has allowed a touchdown on 17.5% of opponent possessions, 6th.
- The Chiefs allow 2.0 sacks plus turnovers per game, the fewest in the league.
- The Broncos allow 2.1 sacks plus turnovers per game, 2nd in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Chiefs vs. Broncos Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes is coming off a tough matchup in Seattle, completing 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for a season-low 165 yards (5.0 Y/A) with no touchdowns and an interception.
He rushed two times for 14 yards.
The Chiefs never even got to the red zone on Sunday night, the first time ever in a game with Mahomes.
His 5.0 yards per pass attempt were the fifth-lowest of his career.
The Seahawks were not only a tough draw, but they also took away Kenneth Walker, exposing this offense's lack of top-down talent.
While struggling in Seattle was hardly unexpected, Mahomes has closed his past four games as a QB2 scorer.
Things do not objectively look a lot better here to move Mahomes out of that QB2 range.
The Chiefs have a 21.5-point team total on the road in Denver.
Mahomes had a 36.1% success rate on Sunday night, the same rate he had against Denver in Week 1.
Mahomes finished Week 1 as the QB9 (21.7 points), but he added 8.3 rushing points.
He has 4.8 rushing points since.
Mahomes produced only 13.4 passing points (QB17) in that game.
He threw a pair of touchdowns, but Mahomes completed only 55.6% (28th) of his passes for 6.8 yards per attempt (20th).
Mahomes was 28th in completion rate in Week 1 despite averaging only 4.1 air yards per attempt.
He completed 12.3% of his passes below expectations in Week 1.
On his completed passes, Mahomes averaged 1.1 air yards.
He was 0-of-4 on throws 10 or more yards downfield.
Things should be better by default here, but the Denver defense is still a challenge.
They are allowing a 56.4% completion rate (2nd), 6.3 yards per pass attempt (6th), and a 3% touchdown rate (6th).
In seven full games in Denver, Mahomes has averaged 14.6 fantasy points per game, throwing 1 or fewer touchdown passes in five of those games.
Denver also got Jonathon Cooper back on Sunday, and they could be getting Patrick Surtain and Talanoa Hufanga back this week.
However, they could be without Zach Allen, who suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday.
Bo Nix
Gamers who rolled the dice on Nix based on the matchup last week were rewarded with a QB3 scoring week (26.2 points).
While nobody will give back the fantasy points, the outcome was fortunate.
Nix largely made his day on two plays.
The first was a 62-yard touchdown run where he stepped up to scramble and just had green grass in front of him, going into the end zone untouched until he got to the goal line.
BO NIX 62-YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN
DENvsAZ on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/sxC4uWF33r— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
Nix's other touchdown was a 52-yard screen pass to RJ Harvey.
Overall, Nix still underwhelmed as a passer.
He completed a season-low 51.7% of his passes for 222 yards.
To their credit, Denver did try to go downfield more on Sunday.
Nix averaged a season-high 9.4 air yards per attempt.
He threw a season-high 50% of his passes 10 or more yards downfield and 33.3% 20 or more yards downfield.
He completed 4 of 12 on those 10-plus-yard throws and 1 of 8 on his 20-plus-yard throws.
While Denver should build on that approach versus what we have seen from the passing game to open the year, this is a tough assignment, keeping Nix as a back-end QB2.
The Chiefs have allowed 10.9 passing points per game (3rd), a 62.3% completion rate (9th), 6.5 yards per pass attempt (9th), and a 2.4% touchdown rate (2nd).
Nix had a nightmare outing in Week 1 in Kansas City.
He was the QB31 (5.4 points).
He averaged 4.7 yards per pass attempt.
Nix completed 9.1% of his passes below expectations (30th).
Nix was pressured on 51.5% of his dropbacks, 30th in the league.
Under pressure, he was 4 for 13 (30.8%) for 11 yards (0.8 Y/A) with an interception and 4 sacks.
The Broncos may also miss Jaylen Waddle this week, who aggravated a chest injury on an end-around play call late in the game while the game was in control.
Chiefs vs. Broncos Fantasy Running Back Preview
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More Week 8 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Week 8 NFL Games | Time |
|---|---|
| Panthers @ Packers | Thursday Night Football |
| Ravens @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Buccaneers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Rams | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Commanders | Sunday Night Football |
| Bears @ Seahawks | Monday Night Football |
