Chiefs 31, Broncos 10: The Fantasy Takeaways
Highlights, the full box score and the injury fallout from Broncos-Chiefs, where Kenneth Walker III led all scorers with 34.1 PPR points.
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos0-1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Kansas City Chiefs1-0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
Monday, September 14 at Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City Chiefs 31, Denver Broncos 10. Chiefs led wire to wire. 73,543 watched it in Kansas City, MO.
Broncos gave it away twice, Chiefs once, though at 21 points this was not decided by that alone. Chiefs were the more efficient side, 5.9 yards a play to 3.7.
Measured against the pre-kickoff numbers, the night's biggest surprise was Kenneth Walker III: our Clutch Score had him at 12.9, actual 34.1, a gap of +21.2. It ran the other way for Jaylen Waddle: our Clutch Score had him at 12 against 1.2 actual (-10.8).
For fantasy purposes the night belonged to Kenneth Walker III: 23 car, 173 rush yds · 1 TD · 3 rec, 18 yds on 6 tgt · 1 TD, worth 34.1 PPR points and more than any other player on the field.
The night’s best fantasy lines
Full-PPR points, both teams, quarterbacks included, against what each was projected for before kickoff.
34.1PPR
22.7PPR
How it was scored
Every scoring play, in order.
- Q1 8:11Patrick Mahomes 15 Yd Rush (Harrison Butker Kick)DEN 0–7 KC
- Q1 3:48Evan Engram 19 Yd pass from Bo Nix (Wil Lutz Kick)DEN 7–7 KC
- Q2 1:39Rashee Rice 13 Yd pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker Kick)DEN 7–14 KC
- Q3 12:43Kenneth Walker III 60 Yd Rush (Harrison Butker Kick)DEN 7–21 KC
- Q3 7:34Wil Lutz 31 Yd Field GoalDEN 10–21 KC
- Q3 3:17Harrison Butker 28 Yd Field GoalDEN 10–24 KC
- Q4 14:39Kenneth Walker III 2 Yd pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker Kick)DEN 10–31 KC
The box score
Denver Broncos 10 points · 0-1
| Player | Line | PPR |
|---|---|---|
| Evan Engram | 4 rec, 43 yds on 5 tgt · 1 TD | 14.3 |
| Pat Bryant | 4 rec, 42 yds on 6 tgt | 8.2 |
| RJ Harvey | 3 car, 18 rush yds · 4 rec, 23 yds on 4 tgt | 8.1 |
| Bo Nix | 17/28, 131 pass yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · 3 car, 2 rush yds | 6.4 |
| J.K. Dobbins | 8 car, 36 rush yds | 3.6 |
| Courtland Sutton | 2 rec, 11 yds on 5 tgt | 3.1 |
| Adam Trautman | 2 rec, 10 yds on 3 tgt | 3 |
| Jaylen Waddle | 1 rec, 2 yds on 3 tgt | 1.2 |
| Troy Franklin | 1 car, 5 rush yds · 0 rec, 0 yds on 1 tgt | 0.5 |
Kansas City Chiefs 31 points · 1-0
| Player | Line | PPR |
|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker III | 23 car, 173 rush yds · 1 TD · 3 rec, 18 yds on 6 tgt · 1 TD | 34.1 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 15/27, 184 pass yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · 7 car, 23 rush yds · 1 TD | 22.7 |
| Travis Kelce | 3 rec, 71 yds on 5 tgt | 10.1 |
| Rashee Rice | 2 rec, 19 yds on 2 tgt · 1 TD | 9.9 |
| Emmett Johnson | 8 car, 24 rush yds · 2 rec, 44 yds on 2 tgt | 8.8 |
| Xavier Worthy | 3 rec, 18 yds on 6 tgt | 4.8 |
| Jake Briningstool | 1 rec, 9 yds on 1 tgt | 1.9 |
| Noah Gray | 1 rec, 5 yds on 1 tgt | 1.5 |
| Tyquan Thornton | 0 rec, 0 yds on 1 tgt | 0 |
| Cyrus Allen | 0 rec, 0 yds on 1 tgt | 0 |
Where the targets went
One game is a small sample, but target share is the first thing to check after an opener: it is the closest thing to a stated plan for who gets the ball.
Denver Broncos
- Pat Bryant6 tgt22%
- Evan Engram5 tgt19%
- Courtland Sutton5 tgt19%
- RJ Harvey4 tgt15%
- Adam Trautman3 tgt11%
Kansas City Chiefs
- Kenneth Walker III6 tgt24%
- Xavier Worthy6 tgt24%
- Travis Kelce5 tgt20%
- Rashee Rice2 tgt8%
- Emmett Johnson2 tgt8%
Team totals
| DEN | KC | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 176 | 392 |
| Yards per Play | 3.7 | 5.9 |
| Passing | 115 | 172 |
| Rushing | 61 | 220 |
| 1st Downs | 9 | 19 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 2-12 | 9-17 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-2 | 3-5 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 4-16 | 2-12 |
| Penalties | 7-52 | 7-60 |
| Possession | 26:18 | 33:42 |
The injury report
Designations as of this game. Healthy scratches are left out; these are the ones that change a lineup.
Mansoor Delane CB · KC
Out · Shoulder
Josh Simmons OT · KC
Out · Back
Cooper McDonald LB · KC
Questionable · Knee
Box score captured from ESPN after the final whistle and frozen, so these numbers stay what they were on the night. Fantasy points are full PPR on Sleeper's scoring.