Through two weeks the Chiefs' 2025 season couldn't have gone much worse than it has, going 0-2 with the offense looking borderline hopeless in what was supposed to be a rebound year. Now a Week 3 game that was supposed to be a gimme against the fellow 0-2 Giants looks perilous, both in general and because they'll face off in East Rutherford. The over/under is set at 45.0 with the Chiefs favored by six points.
This article will break down the matchup as a single-game fantasy slate, outlining the potential Sunday Night Football DFS strategies for the game
QUARTERBACK
Patrick Mahomes ($10400 DK, $13000 FD) has basically been non-viable as a passer through two games, completing 58.8 percent of his passes for just 6.5 yards per attempt, perhaps in some part because Xavier Worthy (shoulder) has been out for all but three snaps. Worthy will be out again in this one, so Mahomes might face the same challenges as the first two weeks. It's possible that rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Royals (knee) proves a revelation in his debut, but if not the pass catcher rotation is likely a bit limited for the Chiefs. As much as it could be spun as a positive that Mahomes has run for 123 yards and two touchdowns in two games, it's more the case that he has run so much out of necessity due to the struggles in the passing game.
Russell Wilson ($9400 DK, $12000 FD) was an enormous fantasy value in Week 2, throwing for 450 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against Dallas. It was an encouraging showing for Wilson after a brutal Week 1 against Washington, but the Cowboys defense was in a particularly weak state in that matchup. The Chiefs defense will likely prove a tougher test. The good news is that standout left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot) might be able to make his season debut, which would be reassuring for Wilson's blindside blocking. As much as it makes sense to consider a Giants passing game stack, it might also be possible to poach most of Wilson's production through his three lead receivers, as he rarely throws to anyone other than Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, or to a lesser extent Darius Slayton.
RUNNING BACK
Cam Skattebo ($6400 DK, $7200 FD) is climbing the Giants depth chart and might be on the verge of seizing the starting running back role after an impressive Week 2. Tyrone Tracy ($6600 DK, $7800 FD) was disappointing through two games and might be shifting to more of a part-time role on offense with an increase in work as a kick returner. Tracy played 27 snaps last week to Skattebo's 33, with Tracy accumulating 51 yards from scrimmage (15 rushing, 36 receiving) while Skattebo produced 59 yards from scrimmage (45 rushing, 14 receiving) and one touchdown. Skattebo had 11 carries and 19 routes on 33 snaps, while Tracy had five carries and 19 routes on 27 snaps. Devin Singletary ($2400 DK, $4800 FD) played four snaps.
The Chiefs run defense will likely show up ready to play, if only because it makes Russell Wilson's job harder if he needs to throw without a credible run game to leverage. Skattebo and to a lesser extent Tracy could be up to the task, but in general it might be difficult for Skattebo and Tracy to coexist on a cashing lineup.
Isiah Pacheco ($7000 DK, $6800 FD) has been one of the most disappointing NFL running backs through two weeks, and it's fair to wonder if he'll cede even more of the Chiefs backfield to Kareem Hunt ($4000 DK, $5400 FD) than the first two weeks. Pacheco has just 47 yards on 15 carries compared to 47 yards on 13 carries for Hunt. Neither running back appears particularly effective at the moment, but the Giants run defense can be quite accommodating. It's possible either of Pacheco or Hunt has a good game here, but both at once might be asking a bit much. To this point Brashard Smith ($400 DK, $2400 FD) has just one carry and one target on 13 snaps.
WIDE RECEIVER + TIGHT END
Malik Nabers ($11000 DK, $13600 FD) is an exceedingly difficult single-game fade given his outrageous target volume. He hit 12 targets in both Weeks 1 and 2, so even a down game from Nabers should come with at least eight targets, which tends to be a tough usage volume to fade in a single-game slate. Wan'Dale Robinson ($7400 DK, $8600 FD) is a surprisingly tough fade himself. Even if he's a bit chalky after catching 14 receptions in the first two weeks. The Chiefs tend to cover poorly from the slot, so on paper it's a plenty good matchup for Robinson. Darius Slayton ($3400 DK, $4200 FD) is something of a wildcard – a capable player but one whose role is largely to clear space for Nabers and Robinson. When Slayton does get viable targets he hits the defense hard, but his routes also tend to be the most difficult to target, which depresses his target volume.
The Giants tight ends are probably best thought of as punt plays, though Theo Johnson ($3200 DK, $4000 FD) is definitely the preferred one since he's the clear starter. Daniel Bellinger ($1600 DK, $2000 FD) and Chris Manhertz ($200 DK, $1000 FD) are otherwise splitting roughly 30 snaps per game as blocking specialists.
No Xavier Worthy is probably bad for the Chiefs offense as a whole, but it otherwise assures the snap counts and usage of Hollywood Brown ($8400 DK, $10400 FD), JuJu Smith-Schuster ($3800 DK, $4400 FD) and Tyquan Thornton ($4400 DK, $5000 FD). All three should see a starter-like snap and route count, though Thornton tends to be the Slayton analog in the Chiefs offense, meaning he'll get most of the downfield routes but will also likely see his target rate depressed for that very reason. Calling Brown versus Smith-Schuster is a tossup – their application in the game plan tends to fluctuate from week to week – but either or both could be productive here. The rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Royals ($2800 DK, $1800 FD) could be a wildcard if he plays through the knee injury that kept him out to this point, and there's plenty of reason to believe in Royals as a talent, but it would be a mild surprise if he played a whole lot in his first game.
Travis Kelce ($8000 DK, $9600 FD) is otherwise a candidate to lead the Chiefs in targets, as he was their leading receiver against the Eagles with four catches for 61 yards on six targets. Noah Gray ($2000 DK, $3000 FD) has been almost completely silent in 2025 but probably won't be for much longer – Gray caught 40 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns in 2024 and it would be bizarre if he turned into a total zero in 2025.
KICKER
Both kickers in this game are worth consideration, especially if the game trends toward lower scoring. Harrison Butker ($5400 DK, $6200 FD) is the preferred option of the two, both because he's better in general and because his team is projected to control the game for the most part. Butker's field goal percentage of 80.0 this year might not look great, but it's a small sample and three of those five kicks were from beyond 50 yards. Butker has the range to reliably strike from five-point range.
Although Graham Gano ($5000 DK, $6000 FD) probably isn't quite on Butker's level Gano has kicked at a very high level in the past and otherwise appears to be in the midst of a bounce-back season after injuries made the 2024 season a struggle. He's 38 now, but Gano is 4-for-4 on field goals to this point, including a 55-yard strike. If the Giants make the game closer than expected Gano could play a central role in that outcome.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Giants ($3400 DK, $5800 FD) have intriguing pass-rushing personnel and Patrick Mahomes has certainly struggled badly in 2025, but to be fair to Mahomes, the Chargers and Eagles defenses are likely much better than the Giants. If the Giants defense has a good fantasy output here it could spell doom for the Chiefs 2025 Super Bowl ambitions.
The Chiefs ($5200 DK, $6400 FD) defense could be in a good spot here. The Giants have a few dangerous players from scrimmage and if Russell Wilson plays like he did in Week 2 then the Chiefs defense will need to be at full attention, but the Chiefs defense is likely good overall and Wilson has so far only produced against a Dallas defense that might be as bad as any in the league.
