Patrick Mahomes cleared to start Week 1 vs. Broncos after torn ACL
Nine months after a mid-December ACL tear, Mahomes headlines Monday night against a Denver defense that piled up 68 sacks in 2025.
Cleared, mobile and motivated — a top-10 QB even into a brutal matchup.
- Mahomes starts Week 1 after Dec. ACL tear
- 2025: 3,587 pass yds, 22 TD, 0 INT in 14 games
- 422 rush yds, 5 rush TD in 2025 — 304 PPR pts
- Broncos led NFL with 68 sacks in 2025
- Our rank: QB9, No. 19 overall
Roughly nine months after tearing his ACL in mid-December, Patrick Mahomes is starting Monday night's season opener against the Broncos. He confirmed as much in his Thursday press conference, calling a Week 1 return the goal he'd been chasing all offseason. For fantasy managers who spent draft season sweating his knee, that's the green light you wanted.
The numbers behind the hype are still elite. Mahomes put up 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions across 14 games in 2025, adding 422 rushing yards and five scores on the ground — good for 304 PPR points before the injury cut his year short. He lands at QB9 and No. 19 overall in our rankings, and nothing about Thursday suggests we should be nudging him down.
The Legs Are Back — And That Matters
Mahomes kept circling back to one phrase: he plans to be himself. Translation for fantasy purposes — he's going to run when he wants to. He pointed to two practice moments that flipped a switch: a fourth-down scramble and getting hit from behind without his knee buckling. He said the coaches panicked over the contact, but he was relieved he didn't crumble. That's a quarterback who trusts the joint again.
He also stressed he'll play smart — avoiding unnecessary big hits, laying blocks only when needed — but framed the whole thing as a competitor doing what he signed up to do. For managers, the key detail is that rushing upside. Those 422 yards and five rush TDs from 2025 are a huge chunk of his ceiling, and he's signaling they aren't going anywhere.
The Catch: Denver's Pass Rush
The opener is no soft landing. Denver led the league with 68 sacks in 2025 — just four shy of the 1984 Bears' record. A quarterback coming off major knee surgery facing the NFL's most punishing pass rush is a genuine plot point, both for his health and for his floor if he's forced to bail early and often.
Bottom line: start him with confidence. Mahomes is a locked-in QB1, and even a slightly cautious debut against a top-tier rush should clear his usual production. His last-five-game form dipped 6.3 fantasy points below his 2025 season average before the injury, so temper expectations on the raw output for one week — but the ceiling, and the legs, are intact.
