The Kansas City Chiefs might not be the weekly offensive juggernaut we’ve come to expect.

Nothing proves the adage of “things change fast in the NFL” than Kansas City’s performance in Week 7. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Patrick Mahomes was awful and certainly let many of us down in our fantasy matchups.

So, are the Chiefs broken? That’s where we begin our Week 7 fantasy football recap.

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Surprises

What’s wrong with Kansas City?

I’m classifying this as both a surprise and a disappointment. And honestly, I’m downright shocked. In what was supposed to be a juicy matchup against a Tennessee Titans secondary that was carved up by Josh Allen the week prior, the Chiefs laid a gigantic egg. Here are some stat lines from Sunday’s game:

Mahomes: 20-of-35, 206 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble

Tyreek Hill: six receptions, 49 yards

Travis Kelce: seven catches, 65 yards

Darrel Williams: five rushes, 20 yards, three receptions

New York Jets backup QB Mike White had a better fantasy performance than Mahomes, depending on your format. If you’re banking on your Chiefs to lead the way, you were likely sorely disappointed.

What do we do from here? I mean, you can’t bench these guys. Right? I also understand that’s not exactly a glowing endorsement. Teams are starting to play more two-high safety looks against the Chiefs, which essentially takes away the threat of Tyreek Hill beating them over the top. And Kansas City’s offensive line is struggling, too, allowing teams to sit further back in coverage. Even quarterbacks like Mahomes are vulnerable, and I suspect the burden of lifting the league’s worst defense is forcing Mahomes into some uncharacteristic mistakes. The Chiefs may need to slow the game down and rely more on running than in years past, especially if teams invite them to run. For now, trust your Chiefs next week in primetime, where they’ll look to make a statement.

Burrow-to-Chase, the next great NFL connection? 

Many people (including myself) questioned whether the Cincinnati Bengals made the right decision to build their roster when they took LSU wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase over Oregon tackle Penei Sewell. But it’s safe to say these two will be one of the league’s great QB-WR connections for years to come. Burrow threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. Chase had 200 of those yards, including some ridiculous highlights along the way.

What do we do from here? Burrow is a starter in all formats going forward, and Chase has earned consideration as a weekly WR1.

The Top 10 RBs 

Look at the top 10 running backs in PPR formats from Week 7: D’Andre Swift, Damien Harris, D’Ernest Johnson, Brandon Bolden, Khalil Herbert, Myles Gaskin, Javonte Williams, Leonard Fournette, Kenyan Drake, and some guy named Derrick Henry.

Weird. And it summarizes the crapshoot that is the running back position overall.

What do we do from here? 

Pray? I don’t know anymore. Swift rushed for 48 yards but caught eight passes for 96 yards from check-down master Jared Goff. Harris is probably an RB2 in good matchups, but nothing more than a FLEX in adverse matchups. Johnson was excellent in his starting debut, but his utility disappears if Nick Chubb is healthy. Brandon Bolden is not worth rostering. Gaskin is too inconsistent to trust as anything more than a FLEX, and Drake might be worth starting should Josh Jacobs miss time with a chest injury. And while I like Javonte Williams a lot, his usage is hard to trust until he’s not splitting duties with Melvin Gordon.

The guy I want to talk about at more length is Herbert, who might be a legitimate player. Herbert ran for 100 yards on 18 carries against the best rush defense in the league. With significant work, he’s shown a mix of power, speed, and contact balance in his first two games. The return of David Montgomery looms and could dampen Herbert’s outlook the rest of the season. But Herbert is someone I’m using in redrafts and stashing long-term in dynasty formats.

Disappointments

Aaron Jones

On what was a bad day for big-name tailbacks, Jones had the most disappointing day of all. He rushed for 19 yards on six carries and caught five passes for 20 yards. Not what you need from your RB1.

What do we do from here?

You can’t give up on Jones. And I sense he’ll be due for a big game against Arizona next week.

Sam Darnold 

It appears Darnold has reverted into a pumpkin, as he was miserable against the Giants this week. Perhaps it was the MetLife Stadium horrors. Darnold hit the bench after throwing for 111 yards and an interception in the loss. The dream appears to be over.

What do we do from here?

I’m benching Darnold in all situations, as I can trust him anymore. His hot start to the season was more the result of playing three lousy teams to start the year. And the absence of Christian McCaffrey has crushed this offense.

Week 7 By the Numbers 

91: C.J. Uzomah‘s receiving yards this week, the second-most among tight ends behind…

163: Kyle Pitts‘ receiving yards this week. It seems the prodigy tight end has finally arrived.

115: Kalif Raymond‘s receiving yards this week.

236: Jalen Hurts‘ passing yards against the Raiders, most of which came in garbage time.

334: Matthew Stafford‘s total passing yards against his old team, the Detroit Lions.