Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes or Tanner McKee

Thursday, September 10, 1:40 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs listed quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) as a full participant in their first official practice of the week on Thursday, paving the way for him to start on Monday night in the Week 1 season opener at home against the division-rival Denver Broncos. Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL on Dec. 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he recovered quickly in the offseason and was essentially a full-go for the start of training camp at the end of July, although KC held him out of all three preseason games. The 30-year-old two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP is not expected to be limited at all from a playbook perspective as the Chiefs look to bounce back after missing the playoffs entirely in 2025. However, head coach Andy Reid could be mindful of any designed running plays for the QB, and for fantasy purposes, he will be a low-end QB2 option in the season opener against the Broncos defense, which led the league in sacks in 2025. Mahomes will also have his blind side protected by an undrafted rookie offensive tackle who will be making his NFL debut.