Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes tore his left ACL in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Chargers. That will obviously end his season. We'll see about the return timeline once doctors assess and address the full damage.
Team statement: "An MRI has confirmed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in today's game. Patrick and the club are currently exploring surgical options."
The impact on this season is pretty obvious. Going from Mahomes to Gardner Minshew the rest of the way hurts the fantasy outlook everyone on the Chiefs' offense.
Further, K.C. officially falling out of playoff contention could remove any motivation to try to play other starters through injuries. That could prove especially impactful on the O-line.
LT Josh Simmons is already out for the season. RT Jawaan Taylor, RG Trey Smith, and reserve OT Wanya Morris all joined Simmons in being inactive for Sunday's game. If those guys remain out, it'll further damage the protection for Minshew.
The backup QB gets a positive matchup with Tennessee in Week 16, but that's not likely to be enough to raise him out of low-QB2 territory. And it'll be tough to like any Chiefs for a Week 17 date with the Broncos.
WR Rashee Rice has been a high-level fantasy option and probably won't drop all the way out of starter territory in our Week 16 WR rankings.
TE Travis Kelce could remain usable as well, with his short-range work potentially fitting the modified passing plan well.
WR Xavier Worthy, on the other hand, has struggled to provide useful numbers even with Mahomes. He's droppable.
The K.C. backfield has been lackluster and now looks utterly forgettable.
The timing of Mahomes' injury could challenge his start to 2026. Even if he's ready to go, Mahomes will near-certainly see his mobility limited.
That's especially worrisome coming off this season's career-high 31.3 rushing yards per game (entering Sunday's action).
Mahomes' rushing has been key to stabilizing his 2025 fantasy worth. Losing that could make him a fringe QB1 -- or worse.
ACL tears aren't as devastating to multi-season values as they used to be. And at 30 (until Sept. 17), Mahomes should still have plenty of productive years ahead.
In short, this injury shouldn't dramatically impact his dynasty value.
If you have Mahomes, though, you'll want to secure good insurance ahead of the 2026 season.
And if the Mahomes team in your league looks like it might be headed for rebuild mode, perhaps there's a "buy" opportunity.
You have our personal money-back guarantee: If you’re not happy with our service for any reason, just reach out by December 31, 2025, and we’ll give you 100% of your subscription money back. No strings attached. You can cancel with one-click from your account page anytime.
Search
Redraft
Dynasty
Best Ball
