Chiefs Stock Report: Three Players Rising and Falling After Week 3

With the dust settled on Week 3 of the 2026 NFL campaign, it's clear that the Kansas City Chiefs may have fared better than some originally anticipated against the Miami Dolphins.

A 24-10 victory was nice, although it left many feeling like it wasn't a convincing road triumph. Some late scoring made the ultimate margin wider, though, which was reflected in an absurd success rate differential. Kansas City largely performed at a higher level than the majority of the game would indicate. Did that truth apply to at the player level as well?

Let's dive into the good and bad from Week 3's Chiefs triumph down in Miami Gardens and single out three players whose stock is trending up, as well as three who could use a better showing in Week 4.

Chiefs Stock Up After Week 3

The following players found a way to improve over their prior-week performances and are on the up and up heading into a new week of play.

Rashee Rice

After coming into training camp rehabbing a knee injury (and fresh off a jail stint), it was obvious that wide receiver Rashee Rice wasn't quite himself. Week 1 showcased more of the same, as he hauled in just two passes for 19 yards. After four receptions in Week 2, Rice once again raised the bar on Sunday and set season-high marks with nine targets, seven receptions and 88 yards — all of which led the team.

Following two outings, it felt like Xavier Worthy was morphing into the forced wideout No. 1 in Kansas City. With Rice back to a position-group-topping 18.68% target share (per SumerSports), it's worth pumping the brakes on that.

Noah Gray

It feels like forever ago that tight end Noah Gray experienced a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him record 40 receptions for 437 yards and five touchdowns. Last year was a disastrous one; he mustered all of 178 yards and no scores despite playing in 16 of 17 possible regular-season games. Gray went on to combine for a lone five-yard snag in Weeks 1 and 2, making this his best game in a while.

Kansas City's TE2 converted on each of his targets in Week 3's victory, and two of them served as chunk gains for the offense. It's hard to find any bones to pick with receptions of 13 and 24 yards mixed in. Gray's getting 50% or more of snaps once again in 2026, so a performance like this was much needed.

George Karlaftis

It's been a quiet season for the Chiefs on the sack front for the most part, and defensive end George Karlaftis didn't add to that to total versus Miami. With that said, he did find multiple ways to impact the game. Two pressures, a pass broken up and the very first interception of his career made for a heck of a weekend against an inferior opponent. Now, the pressure is on the leader of the edge rusher collective to keep stacking quality contests.

Chiefs Stock Down After Week 3

These players are far from doomed, although they'd certainly benefit from better days at the office in the next game or two.

Kahlil Benson

The Chiefs knew that eventually, being without standout left tackle Josh Simmons would come back to bite them. That was the case on multiple occasions in Week 3, with undrafted rookie free agent Kahlil Benson having his worst game to date. The former Indiana man surrendered a team-high three pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and earned a 30.4 pass blocking grade that was worse than anyone with more than one protection opportunity.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes wasn't thrilled with the team's overall output on Sunday, especially with him getting clobbered a couple of times. Benson played a major role in that, even if the two-time MVP won't single anyone out.

Jaden Hicks

There haven't been many more inconsistent Chiefs than safety Jaden Hicks over the last couple of years. The former fourth-round pick had a downright excellent 2026 preseason debut in August and largely made the most of his starter-level workload with Chamarri Conner out in Weeks 1 and 2, although he failed to replicate that magic in Week 3.

Hicks looked out of place on a couple of plays and didn't flash quality ball skills on vertical passes. One particular example in the second half, a 42-yard heave to tight end Greg Dulcich, comes to mind. With Conner returning to practice last week, perhaps Hicks' tasks being dialed back could help, but it's impossible to be too high on him with Week 4 and a bye arriving.

Xavier Worthy

You know it's tough sledding for a player when he finds his way into this section of the story in back-to-back weeks. While it may be true that Worthy went two-for-two on targets and catches, a more Rice-heavy philosophy on offense can't be good news for him. The third-year receiver and former first-round pick had a prime opportunity to feast against a bad defense but failed to stand out for positive reasons.

With each passing week, it becomes less and less likely that Worthy turns into the long-term featured piece or even the game-breaking vertical threat Kansas City once expected.

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