NFL PLAYER NEWS

Justin Watson (illness) listed as questionable on Kansas City's AFC Championship injury report
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (illness) is questionable to play in Sunday's Conference Championship contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Watson's availability is suddenly in limbo after Kansas City's wideout was unable to participate in Friday's practice. In a matchup versus a Cincinnati defense giving up 26.8 FanDuel points per game to receivers during the regular season, Kadarius Toney could see an increase in playing time if Watson is ruled out.
Watson's AFC Championship FanDuel salary stands at $4,600.

Kansas City's Mecole Hardman (pelvis) questionable for Sunday's Conference Championship
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (pelvis) is questionable to play in Sunday's AFC Championship contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After limited practices with his pelvis injury, Hardman is officially questionable on Sunday. Expect Kadarius Toney to see more snaps if Hardman is inactive versus a Bengals' unit allowing wideouts to haul in 10.9 receptions for 151.5 yards per game during the regular season.
Hardman's AFC Championship FanDuel salary stands at $5,500.

Travis Kelce (back) questionable for Kansas City's AFC Championship matchup
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Conference Championship contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kelce's status appears on the right side of questionable after the star tight end was a full participant in Friday's practice with his back injury. In a rematch versus a Cincinnati defense allowing 5.1 receptions for 52 yards on 7.4 targets per game to tight ends this regular season, our models project Kelce to score 15.7 FanDuel points.
Kelce's current projection includes 7.0 receptions for 79.5 yards on 10.7 targets.

San Francisco's Elijah Mitchell (ankle) questionable for Sunday's NFC Championship contest
San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell (ankle) is questionable to play in Sunday's Conference Championship contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mitchell's status is currently in the air after San Francisco's running back logged a DNP on Thursday and a limited session on Friday. In a matchup versus an Eagles' defense allowing 20.1 FanDuel points per game to running backs, expect Jordan Mason to see more touches if Mitchell is ruled out.
Mitchell's current projection includes 7.7 rushing attempts for 35.4 yards and 0.7 receptions for 3.5 yards.

Reid: Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (ankle) will start in Sunday's Conference Championship
According to head coach Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (ankle) will start in Sunday's AFC Conference Championship contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mahomes will be a "full go" on Sunday after he was able to participate completely in all of Kansas City's practices with his ankle injury. In a matchup versus a Bengals' team allowing 14.7 FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks this regular season, our models project Mahomes to score 20.2 FanDuel points.
Mahomes' current projection includes 23.8 completions for 1.9 touchdowns and 281.0 yards and 2.7 rushing attempts for 13.0 yards.

Chiefs' Mecole Hardman (abdominal) 'in good place' after week off
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (abdominal) returned to practice this week.
The Chiefs held Hardman out of practice last week, but he's on track to play in Sunday's AFC title game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. It would be his first game since Week 9. “He feels better than he did the last couple of weeks, so that move (to rest him looks) like it worked to this point,” Reid said of Hardman. “We’ll just see how he does every day. He seems to be in a good place.” Hardman will be competing with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, and Justin Watson for targets behind Travis Kelce. Jerick McKinnon could see fewer opportunities if Hardman is active.
The Bengals ranked No. 12 during the regular season in FanDuel points allowed per game to opposing wide receivers. Their pass defense is No. 11 in numberFire's adjusted team rankings.