An AFC West showdown will be one of the highlights of the NFL’ s late-afternoon window in Week 7. The Denver Broncos (2-3) will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) one week after securing a road victory in New England. Quarterback Drew Lock returned to the field after missing the last few weeks due to a shoulder injury. But Lock looked rusty as he completed just 10 of 24 passes for 189 scoreless yards and two interceptions. Phillip Lindsay gained 101 yards on 20 carries in place of the inactive Melvin Gordon. Wide receiver Tim Patrick secured four catches for another 101 yards. But it was kicker Brandon McManus who supplied all of the Broncos’ scoring. He went 6-for-6 on field goals in the 18-12 triumph.
The Chiefs rebounded from their Week 5 home loss to the Raiders with a 26-17 win on Monday over the Bills. Clyde Edwards-Helaire darted his way through some huge holes to pick up 161 yards on 26 carries. Kansas City ran for 245 yards on 46 attempts and called 20 more run plays than pass plays. Tight end Travis Kelce wasn’t a target monster, but he delivered in the red zone with two touchdowns. The rich will get richer in Week 7 as Le’Veon Bell will likely see his first action with his new team.
TV Info
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Broadcast map
Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)
Chiefs: #6 Overall — #2 offense, #10 defense, #29 special teams
Broncos: #24 Overall — #29 offense, #6 defense, #15 special teams
DraftKings Sportsbook odds
Chiefs: -9.5, -420
Broncos: +9.4, +350
Total: 47
Injury report
Chiefs
Coming Saturday
Broncos
Coming Saturday
Fantasy football start/sit advice
Chiefs
Tyreek Hill, WR, $6,400
It took six weeks, but Hill finally didn’t score in a game. The Chiefs went run-heavy in Buffalo, which limited him to just three catches and 25 total yards. There’s nothing terribly frightening about this matchup with Denver, so it’s highly unlikely that the speedster will turn in two stinkers in a row. Hill is at his cheapest price of the season. DFS enthusiasts should take advantage.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, $6,100
CEH’s owners have been depending on him as an every-week starter, but even after his standout performance last week, his fantasy stock is about to get a little murky. Between Bell’s assumed involvement and the upcoming matchup — the Broncos have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs -- Edwards-Helaire is more of an RB2 type this week.
Broncos
Tim Patrick, WR, $4,600
The Broncos may have found something in this formerly undrafted player out of Utah. He has paced the Broncos in snaps, targets, catches and receiving yards in each of Denver’s last two games, resulting in 10 catches for 214 yards and a score. He is worth a look against Kansas City, where shootout potential always exists.
Melvin Gordon, RB, $5,500
Any celebration over Lindsay’s Week 6 performance may be short-lived as Gordon is expected to return from his one-week absence and reportedly won’t face any discipline from the Broncos for his DUI arrest last week. Gordon may lose a few more carries than usual, but he should be a worthwhile start against a defense that is among the top 10 in most DraftKings points allowed to RBs.