This is our Sunday Night Football DFS breakdown, running through all the relevant player salaries on DraftKings and FanDuel while forecasting the potential game outcomes as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Detroit Lions.
Both the visiting Lions (4-1) and the Chiefs (2-3) went into the season with Super Bowl ambitions, but of the two only Detroit has kept their record in a shape befitting a Super Bowl contender. The puts the pressure on the Chiefs, who can't afford to fall to 2-4 unless they want to start thinking about 2026 earlier than they'd otherwise prefer to. The good news for the Chiefs is the Lions are dealing with challenging injuries – left tackle Taylor Decker and both starting corners (D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold) are out, which should boost the Chiefs pass rush and passing game, respectively.
The Chiefs are favored by 2.5 points and the over/under is 52.5 at Arrowhead.
QUARTERBACK
Jared Goff ($9600 DK, $12200 FD) is playing great and may very well continue to do so in this matchup, but generally Arrowhead can be a challenging setting and without left tackle Taylor Decker the Lions might struggle to pass block up to their customary standard.
Patrick Mahomes ($10000 DK, $12000 FD) is picking up momentum despite losing to the Jaguars last week. The return of Xavier Worthy has proved significant, and Mahomes' escalated rushing production in 2025 might be an ongoing feature given the struggles of their running back group. Particularly with the Lions down both starting corners, this might be a good game to consider Mahomes, especially with his price more or less the same as Goff.
RUNNING BACK
Jahmyr Gibbs ($11000 DK, $12800 FD) is always a perilous fade on a one-game slate, because even if the Lions lose he tends to see his pass-catching production preserved anyway, whereas David Montgomery ($7000 DK, $9200 FD) would be liable to get phased out of the game flow a little bit if the Lions are forced to reduce their rushing volume. Montgomery isn't an easy fade, either – if the Lions win or make the game close then there is absolutely room for Gibbs and Montgomery to coexist on a cashing ticket, but if the Chiefs prove victorious it makes it tougher for both to come through for their fantasy investors.
Good luck figuring out the Chiefs backfield. Their prices are cheap enough to make a case for any of them, but discerning the top value out of Isiah Pacheco ($4000 DK, $7400 FD), Kareem Hunt ($4600 DK, $5400 FD) and Brashard Smith ($3000 DK, $3000 FD). Pacheco is likely to play the most snaps and is a good candidate to see the most usage, but Hunt seems to be the preferred red-zone ballcarrier of the two and might get most of the touchdowns for himself. Smith is the pass catcher/big-play specialist who has three catches in both of the last two games.
WIDE RECEIVER + TIGHT END
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($10800 DK, $13000 FD) probably is not a safe fade in this game. If the Lions win, it will likely be due in large part to a good game from St. Brown. If the Lions lose, it will likely force them to lean on St. Brown even more in an attempt to catch back up. Jameson Williams ($5800 DK, $7800 FD) has been suspiciously quiet this year, but his struggles are likely related to Detroit's decision to use Williams more on deep targets this year than last. Goff is not a good downfield passer – if the Lions keep trying to force Williams' routes downfield then they might just make him inaccessible to Goff. Kalif Raymond ($2000 DK, $2800 FD) has been the general WR3 but is playing through injury and might be losing ground to rookie third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa ($2400 DK, $3800 FD).
If Williams continues to disappoint or if St. Brown comes up flat in this game then it might leave slack for Sam LaPorta ($7600 DK, $7200 FD) to make up the difference. If there's a specific concern with LaPorta in this game it might be the Taylor Decker injury, but the Lions tend to leave the most thankless blocking to Brock Wright ($1600 DK, $2000 FD) instead of LaPorta.
Xavier Worthy ($9000 DK, $10000 FD) is not easy to fade against this backup Detroit cornerback rotation. Amik Robertson is a slot guy at most, Rock Ya-Sin is a nondescript journeyman, and Tre Flowers might be a little more vulnerable yet than both of them. Tough as it might be to fade Worthy, at least one other wideout among JuJu Smith-Schuster ($2800 DK, $4600 FD), Hollywood Brown ($5400 DK, $5800 FD) and Tyquan Thornton ($4400 DK, $5000 FD) might have a chance to make an impact against Detroit's vulnerable secondary, as well. Jalen Royals is a promising rookie but only played six snaps last week.
Travis Kelce ($8000 DK, $8600 FD) is always a central consideration for single-game slates and this one is no exception, but the Lions are generally tough on tight ends. If Brian Branch in particular is assigned to Kelce then that would be a bad sign for Kelce's projection. Noah Gray ($1200 DK, $3400 FD) has stayed quiet all year but produced 437 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, making him a tempting buy-low punt pick.
KICKER
Harrison Butker ($5000 DK, $6800 FD) is still often a source of double-digit fantasy points in a given game, but by now it would probably be attributed more to the opportunity level he sees with the Chiefs than his own abilities. Butker has made only 10 of 13 field goals this year and is under 85.0 percent converted in three of the last four years, but he also has double-digit points in three of five games in 2025.
Jake Bates ($5200 DK, $6600 FD) doesn't have an obvious angle kicking as a road underdog, and his production in 2025 hasn't been quite as sterling as it was in his excellent 2024 debut. There's still reason to believe Bates is a good kicker with standout range, however, so there's a case to consider him.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Lions ($3800 DK, $6400 FD) probably are not an advised play on the road and with both starting corners out. It's not as if the Chiefs passing game is a juggernaut on the other side, but corners like Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin aren't meant to be starters. Then again, the Chiefs probably can't run for much on the Lions, so it's not as if the Detroit defense is helpless.
The Chiefs ($3400 DK, $6000 FD) defense might be worth consideration, because Jared Goff sometimes posts his lesser box scores outdoors, and Arrohwead generally isn't friendly to visiting quarterbacks. The absence of Taylor Decker at left tackle can't make the task any easier for Goff.
