The NFL season is fast approaching, which means your fantasy football draft is, too.
With the Kansas City Chiefs’ current circumstances, headlined by quarterback Patrick Mahomes recovering from a torn ACL (and LCL), the collective group of fantasy-eligible players on the team could be as overlooked as it ever has been in this era. It only makes it easier for Chiefs fans to draft their favorite players.
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Whether that’s a smart move in 2026 remains to be seen, but let’s make sure we’re prepared to consider Kansas City’s fantasy representatives. These are the Chiefs players ranked by ESPN, Yahoo! and Sleeper fantasy platforms, with all analysis based on a 12-team draft format.
Patrick Mahomes
ESPN — 13th among QBs
Yahoo! — 15th
Sleeper Average Draft Position (ADP) — 12th
Mahomes has never ranked this low headed into a fantasy season, but he’s earned it by finishing the last few years in this realm. With the injury in mind, and the nature of the quarterback position in a fantasy draft, Mahomes may fall past the ninth round, where he sits as the 103rd-ranked player by consensus ADP.
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Kenneth Walker
ESPN — 14th among RBs
Yahoo! — 12th
Sleeper ADP — 6th
Walker ranges from a late-first-round pick to potentially a third-round choice.
Emmett Johnson
Consensus ADP — 166th
If you want to take a swing on the rookie back, he may need to be selected with one of your final picks to secure for the season.
Brashard Smith
Consensus ADP — 299th
With a wide array of ways Smith can have the ball in his hands, including the return game, Smith snuck his way into the top-300 consensus ADP.
Rashee Rice
ESPN — 9th among WRs
Yahoo! — 15th
Sleeper ADP — 13th
Rice is firmly a third-or-fourth-round choice.
Xavier Worthy
ESPN — 51st among WRs
Yahoo! — 47th
Sleeper ADP — 54th
The Chiefs’ former first-round pick and secondary wideout is viewed as a 10th- or 11th-round pick.
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Tyquan Thornton
ESPN — N/A (Did not appear on top-60 WR rankings list)
Yahoo! — 94th among WRs
Sleeper ADP — N/A
Thornton is hard to find on some rankings lists; he could be a worthwhile last-round pick if he takes another step as a player this year.
Travis Kelce
ESPN — 10th among TEs
Yahoo! — 13th
Sleeper ADP — 14th
Only a few years removed from being drafted among the top wide receivers and running backs in fantasy, Kelce is slated as an eighth-or-ninth-round pick.
Harrison Butker
ESPN — 8th among Ks
Yahoo! — 15th
Sleeper ADP — N/A
Butker feels like a boom-or-bust pick that doesn’t need to be made; pick him up off waivers if he and the offense start the season off on the right foot.
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Chiefs D/ST
ESPN — 14th
Yahoo! — 13th
Sleeper ADP — 17th
There’s actually a strong case to draft the Chiefs’ defense and start the unit through the first four weeks of the season based on the opposing offenses the team is slated to face, on top of the two home primetime games.