The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 2 matchup between the Chiefs and Bengals.
Find a breakdown of every Week 2 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Cincinnati | Rank | @ | Kansas City | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | Spread | -6.0 | ||
| 21.25 | Implied Total | 27.25 | ||
| 10.0 | 28 | Points/Gm | 27.0 | 11 |
| 16.0 | 6 | Points All./Gm | 20.0 | 12 |
| 48.0 | 31 | Plays/Gm | 50.0 | 27 |
| 64.0 | 22 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 74.0 | 29 |
| 4.7 | 21 | Off. Yards/Play | 7.1 | 2 |
| 4.5 | 11 | Def. Yards/Play | 6.1 | 25 |
| 33.33% | 29 | Rush% | 40.00% | 22 |
| 66.67% | 4 | Pass% | 60.00% | 11 |
| 60.94% | 31 | Opp. Rush % | 43.24% | 16 |
| 39.06% | 2 | Opp. Pass % | 56.76% | 17 |
- Kansas City has a 30-12 record under Andy Reid with a rest advantage including a 19-4 record with Patrick Mahomes as the starter.
- Kansas City had a league-high 17 offensive plays that gained 10 or more yards in Week 1.
- 50% of the Cincinnati drives in Week 1 were three plays and then a punt, the highest rate in the league.
- The Chiefs had zero drives that were three plays and then a punt in Week 1, one of three teams.
- 75% of the completions from Patrick Mahomes in Week 1 resulted in a first down or touchdown, the highest rate in the league.
- The Chiefs had a first down or touchdown on a league-high 36.6% of their early down plays in Week 1. The Bengals were 22nd (22.2%).
- The Bengals allowed 4.31 yards after contact per running back rush in Week 1, 31st in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes kicked off the season as QB12 (15.1 points) against Baltimore.
He did not have an elite fantasy night since he only threw one touchdown, but there were plenty of changes based on how he was limited as a scorer in 2023.
Mahomes threw for 10.4 yards per pass attempt, more than he threw for in any game last season.
After struggling on throws downfield last season, Mahomes connected on 6 of 10 of those throws in Week 1 for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Only two quarterbacks had more completions on those throws in Week 1.
He was QB21 in rating throwing the ball to wide receivers in 2023 (92.2) while ranking 20th in yards per attempt to wide receivers (7.8 Y/A).
In Week 1, he had a 107.7 rating throwing to wide receivers (11th) while averaging 12.5 yards per attempt to his wideouts (2nd).
We have still yet to see Marquise Brown added in here, something that appears doubtful again in Week 2.
The Cincinnati defense was not challenged by Jacoby Brissett, but their new pieces on the back end will be tested here.
The last time these teams met, Mahomes was 21 of 29 for 8.4 Y/A.
The last two times these teams have played, Lou Anarumo has ramped up man coverage, playing Cover 1 on 30.6% and 31.4% of Mahomes’ dropbacks.
The Ravens tried to do something similar in the opener.
On 12 dropbacks against Cover 1 in Week 1, Mahomes was 9 of 10 for 101 yards (10.1 Y/A).
Mahomes is a front-end QB1 option this week. We just need the Cincinnati offense to show up and push him.
Joe Burrow: Burrow kept up the trend of starting slowly in Week 1, ending last week as the QB27 (8.1 points).
Burrow completed 21 of 29 passes, but he only averaged 5.7 yards per pass attempt (22nd) because the Bengals did not push the ball down the field.
Only 20.7% of Burrow’s pass attempts traveled 10 or more yards downfield, 28th in the league.
The Bengals were without Tee Higgins, but that has been an ongoing issue for Burrow.
Last season, a league-low 26.1% of his passes were 10-plus yards downfield.
In 2022, that rate was 30.8%.
Burrow had open shot plays on Sunday but seemed hesitant to let things rip.
The Bengals have questions on offense, and it looks as if they will be without Higgins again for one more week.
While Higgins takes his lumps as being overrated, he has mattered to this offense.
This team does not have much outside of Ja’Marr Chase to scare anyone.
For at least the short term, I am handling Burrow as a volatile QB2.
Players like Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff just look more favorable at the moment.
If the Bengals can find a quick turnaround, Burrow has played well in this matchup.
In two regular-season games against the Chiefs, he has been the QB1 and QB2 in weekly scoring.
Running Back
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More Week 2 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Bills @ Dolphins -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Saints @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Packers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| 49ers @ Vikings | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Giants @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bucs @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Chiefs | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Texans | Sunday Night Football |
| Falcons @ Eagles -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
