Texans vs. Chiefs Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Isiah Pacheco, Joe Mixon, Travis Kelce, Nico Collins, Hollywood Brown, more

Happy holidays, football fans! We have two games to unwrap on Saturday in Week 16. Fantasy football playoffs are in full swing and these Saturday matchups will undoubtedly impact the fate of your league's championship. Below you can read our matchups analysis article for the Texans vs. Chiefs game to help make any fantasy lineup decisions for both season-long and DFS.

This Week 16 matchup features two AFC squads who are playoff bound. Despite each team's strong win/loss record, it's tough to argue that either the Texans or Chiefs are hitting on all cylinders at the moment, as each of these postseason contenders have dealt with a number of injuries in 2024.

Read our fantasy football breakdowns for these games -- the recommended starts, sits, and matchups we love heading into the Week 16 matchups. Good luck, RotoBallers!

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Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs

Spread: Chiefs -3.5
Implied Total: 42.5

Matchups We Love

WR Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy has surely been more involved in recent weeks and is coming off a career-high nine-touch performance last week. So, Worthy has some flex potential in 12-plus team leagues in Week 16. With Mahomes suiting up, Worthy is a solid start against a Texans defense that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to wideouts this year.

Mahomes' throw was unbelievable here (as was Perine's pickup in pass pro), but Xavier Worthy finding the right spot and presenting a target on the most crucial down of the game is worth noting.

Gonna be writing about Worthy shortly. pic.twitter.com/GOvteBZtPC

— Seth Keysor (@RealMNchiefsfan) December 11, 2024

TE Dalton Schultz 

After a strong performance in Week 13, Dalton Schultz went back to being a non-factor in the passing game last week. He caught just two passes for 13 yards. However, Schultz can be a sneaky start in deeper leagues against the Chiefs. Kansas City has given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, and this secondary has allowed at least 50 receiving yards to five different tight ends over the last nine weeks.

Matchups We Hate

RB Joe Mixon 

No, you shouldn't sit Joe Mixon because he's listed in this section. However, expectations should be tempered for the veteran running back. The Chiefs have given up the fewest fantasy points to running backs while allowing opposing backs to average only 3.66 yards per carry on the ground this season. Therefore, Mixon will be more of an RB2 on Saturday.

Though the Chiefs' rush defense has been known to be tough against opposing running backs, they allow the 10th-most adjusted yards before contact per attempt in Weeks 10-15 per @FantasyPtsData.

Theoretically, it should bode well for Joe Mixon, but the Texans' run blocking has… pic.twitter.com/b6MiVM0abs

— Corbin (@corbin_young21) December 20, 2024

RB Isiah Pacheco 

Since returning from injury, Isiah Pacheco has not been a strong fantasy option. He has scored under 10 PPR fantasy points in three straight weeks and has played under 40% of the team's offensive snaps in two of those games. As a result, Pacheco will be a risky flex play against the Texans in Week 16. Houston has allowed only one running back to score above 15 PPR fantasy points since Week 9.

Other Matchups

QB Patrick Mahomes

The biggest question mark heading into Week 16 was the injury status of Mahomes, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in last week's win over Cleveland. Despite a short turnaround - and a looming Christmas Day matchup - it appears as though the Chiefs' superstar QB will be under center against Houston.

The #Chiefs have removed QB Patrick Mahomes from the injury report and he’s officially good to go. Of course.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 19, 2024

Mahomes himself falls into QB2 territory against a Texans secondary that has allowed 20 fantasy points to the position just three times since Week 4. However, his presence undoubtedly raises the fantasy outlook for this Chiefs offense as a whole.

QB C.J. Stroud 

C.J. Stroud has been one of the bigger busts in fantasy this year, and he'll continue to be more of a QB2 option in Week 16 against the Chiefs. Stroud has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback just once since Week 5, which makes him too hard to trust as a QB1 play this weekend. On top of that, Kansas City has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks over the last four weeks.

WR Nico Collins 

Nico Collins will remain a strong WR1 play in Week 16 against the Chiefs. He has scored over 17 PPR fantasy points in three straight games and is currently averaging 19.3 PPR fantasy points per game this season. So, Collins should be in all lineups this week.

➖#Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo asked what’s the challenge with a matchup nightmare like #Texans WR Nico Collins

📅 Week 16 • Texans at Chiefs

🗣️ “Well he’s big and he’s fast. It’s like you say about all these good wide receivers that those 50-50 balls, he usually comes down… pic.twitter.com/waQVoVt4PP

— sidelinesarah (@sidelinesarah) December 19, 2024

WR DeAndre Hopkins

Given that this is the second round of the fantasy football playoffs, it might be hard to trust DeAndre Hopkins in most leagues. He has scored under 14.5 PPR fantasy points in seven of his eight games with the Chiefs and only played 45% of the team's snaps last week in the win. So, Hopkins will be more of a low-end flex play in 12-plus team leagues in Week 16.

TE Travis Kelce

Although the Texans have given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, Travis Kelce is still a strong TE1 option in Week 16. Both Evan Engram and Jonnu Smith caught at least seven passes against this Houston secondary over the past two weeks, and this defense has allowed six top-12 fantasy tight-end finishes over the last nine games.

WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown

Offseason acquisition Hollywood Brown is expected to make his season debut for the Chiefs in Week 16. Brown has missed the entire regular season with a shoulder issue that required surgery. We can expect him to be eased into action against the Texans, making him nothing more than a fantasy dart throw for only the most desperate of managers.

Notable Fantasy-Relevant Injuries

None

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