Jun 15, 2026, 6:05 AM ET

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) suffered a torn ACL/LCL in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, ending his season. Before the injury, Mahomes was set to bounce back in fantasy from a mediocre 2024 by throwing for 3,587 yards and a 22:11 TD:INT ratio while rushing for a career-high 422 yards and five scores in 14 games. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Chiefs and Mahomes are both "leaning into this Week 1 possibility" that he'll be ready to go for the first Monday night game of the 2026 season against the Denver Broncos. He continues to progress in OTAs as he's been participating in 7-on-7 drills. The Chiefs added Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker, and wide receivers Rashee Rice (knee), Xavier Worthy, and tight end Travis Kelce are all returning. However, Rice is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp. Mahomes will see a decline in rushing yards this upcoming season with the injury on top of the addition of Walker. Fantasy managers should monitor his status throughout training camp, but all signs point to Mahomes being ready for Week 1. RotoBaller projects the 30-year-old to accumulate 287 fantasy points and throw for 29 touchdowns, while ranking him QB13 heading into upcoming fantasy football drafts. Mahomes might not be projected to finish as a top-10 fantasy quarterback, but there is no reason to doubt Mahomes as a borderline QB1/high-end QB2 in 2026 given his very successful past.--Brad Camara - RotoBaller