Week 10 @ Las Vegas Raiders
Patrick Mahomes had another off game last week, finishing with just 166 yards and a touchdown. It's the fewest pass yards he's had in a game with at least 15 attempts, and the third straight game he's had without multiple touchdowns. The fact that it's his third straight game with struggles is concerning as we can no longer pass it off as a bad stretch. He could have another down game this week against a tough Raiders defense. Las Vegas is fifth in the fewest pass yards allowed (207.1) to opposing teams and seventh in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Mahomes should still be viewed as a top 10 option at QB because of his crazy ceiling, but he's not as an automatic must-start as he has been in the past.
Week 9 vs. Green Bay Packers
Patrick Mahomes had a surprisingly bad game last week as he finished with just 275 yards despite attempting 48 passes, his second-most attempts in a game this season. Mahomes also finished with just one touchdown, and threw another interception, giving him 12 turnovers on the season. It's been an odd year for Mahomes, who started off the season hot with 15 touchdowns in his first four games. In the four games since, though, he's only scored five touchdowns, while turning the ball over eight times in that span. Even though he's in a bit of a slump, he should still be viewed as a must-start QB this week vs. the Packers. Mahomes' ceiling is so high that it'd be extremely rare for him to not be a recommended play on a given week. He'll be a strong start in Week 9 in a solid matchup vs. Green Bay.
Week 8 vs. New York Giants
Patrick Mahomes had one of the worst games of his career last week as he had a rare no-touchdown game. On top of that, he finished with 206 pass yards, which is the sixth-fewest he's ever had in a game, and turned the ball over twice (one INT, one FUM). While Mahomes has had his on-field struggles this season, this is the first time it's really translated into a poor fantasy performance. And the weird part is that it came in what was supposed to be a favorable matchup. Considering we rarely see Mahomes have such a bad game, we would expect him to bounce back this week vs. the Giants. It's a middle-of-the-road matchup as New York is 14th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Despite the bad game last week, Mahomes should still be viewed as a must-start QB1 in Week 8.
Week 7 at Tennessee Titans
Patrick Mahomes set a season-high in passing yards last week with 397 as he finished with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added 31 yards on the ground as he continues to provide a nice added floor with his rushing yards this season. Mahomes' interceptions have obviously been an issue this year as he already has two more picks this year than he had in his 15 starts last season. But he's more than made up for it by averaging 314.5 pass yards, 3.0 touchdowns and 30.7 rush yards per game. He's thrown for at least 250 yards and scored at least twice every week. And this week he draws a favorable matchup against the Titans who are 30th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Mahomes will be a must-start QB1 in Week 7.
Week 6 at Washington Football Team
Patrick Mahomes had his worst game of the season from a playing standpoint last week, but he still turned in a solid fantasy performance. Mahomes threw the ball a season-high 54 times, finishing with 272 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran eight times for a career-high 61 yards. Mahomes has been incorporating more runs into his game this year, averaging a career-high 30.6 rush yards per game. He's struggled somewhat as a passer (at least by Mahomes standards) as he's already matched his interception total from a season ago (6). But even with his "struggles" he's still averaging nearly 300 pass yards per game, and has scored at least twice every week with an average of 3.2 pass TDs. He's already a must-start option, but expect big numbers from him this week in a favorable matchup against Washington. Washington is 32nd in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
Week 5 vs. Buffalo Bills
Patrick Mahomes had another ridiculous day last week, finishing with 278 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. He also added 26 yards on the ground. Mahomes has now scored at least three touchdowns in every game this year while averaging over 300 yards passing and 20 yards rushing. It's a ridiculous pace, and it's why he's the current fantasy leader through 2021. Fantasy owners might be a little concerned with Mahomes this week in a brutal matchup against the Bills. Buffalo has allowed the fewest passing yards in the league, and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. The Bills boast an impressive 3-7 TD-INT ratio. But Mahomes is still a must-start option. While the Bills do have a great defense, they've also faced Davis Mills and Jacoby Brissett in two of their four games. Mahomes' numbers might be somewhat lower than you expect, but he's still a top-five option in Week 5.
Week 4 at Philadelphia Eagles
Even when Patrick Mahomes has a "bad" game, it's still a highly productive one. In Week 3, the Chiefs quarterback had his second-lowest QB rating in the past two seasons, but he still finished with 260 pass yards, three touchdowns and 45 rush yards. That more than makes up for the two interceptions he had in the game. He gets a somewhat tough matchup this week against the Eagles, who have allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards in the league so far. But we're not too concerned about that. Mahomes should still be viewed as a must-start option in Week 4.
Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
In Week 2, Patrick Mahomes had nearly an identical stat line as Week 1 through the air. Week 1 had Mahomes finish with 337 yards and three touchdowns, and Week 2 had him finish with 343 yards and three touchdowns. The only difference being that Mahomes had a rushing score in the first week, and added an interception in the second week. Still, if Mahomes is going to keep finishing with 300+ yards and 3+ touchdowns then there's no reason to even read this weekly blurb. Having said that, Mahomes does get a tough matchup against the Chargers this week who have given up a total of 372 passing yards with one score. Although Mahomes did finish with over 300 yards in his game against the Chargers last season. He should be viewed as a must-start option in Week 3.
Week 2 @ Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Mahomes did Patrick Mahomes things in Week 1, finishing with 337 passing yards and three touchdowns. He even added 18 yards and another touchdown on the ground. It's the 22nd game of Mahomes' career (out of 47) where he's thrown for at least three touchdowns. That's nearly half of his games, which is just absurd. As for Week 2, he'll be facing a Ravens defense that got torched for 435 yards by Derek Carr in Week 1. Mahomes will be a must-start option in Week 2 both because he's an incredible quarterback and because it's a great matchup.
Week 1 vs. Cleveland Browns
Patrick Mahomes had the most fantasy points per game of any player that played in at least 10 games last season. There's really no reason to expect him to get any worse in 2021 as the Chiefs kept around their top targets. Sammy Watkins is gone, but his absence won't play a huge role. Mahomes gets what should be a favorable matchup against the Browns in Week 1. If you drafted Mahomes, you know what you're getting. He's a must-start option this week.
