Patrick Mahomes will make his return from last year's devastating knee injury Monday night in a season-opening clash with the Denver Broncos, who presented big problems for the Kansas City Chiefs offense last season.
Denver won both matchups against the Chiefs, holding them to under 20 points in each game (Mahomes was already injured by the second game). When looking to predict which players might reach the end zone Monday, don't anticipate more offense as Mahomes works his rust off against the same defense.
On the other end, Denver's offense could struggle too. The Broncos barely found more success than KC. In a game where points could be few and far between, below are the players I think provide the best bang for your buck.
Travis Kelce (+195)
The Broncos don't
have many defensive weaknesses, but they were bottom-10 last season in yards allowed to tight ends, as quarterbacks leaned on their big safety blankets against this tough secondary. That includes Patrick Mahomes, who connected with Kelce nine times for 91 yards and a score in his one game against Denver.
Bo Nix (+550)
The Broncos only scored three touchdowns over their two games against the Chiefs last year. Two of those scores came on the ground, and one of those two was run in by Nix, who had more rush attempts over his last four games of the regular season than he did during any other four-game stretch of the season. That's before he carried the ball a season-high 12 times in his playoff win over the Bills. Nix won't hesitate to take off if necessary.
J.K. Dobbins (+170)
The other two touchdowns Denver scored against KC came via running backs RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin. I expect Dobbins to have the same chances in his return to the lineup, whether that's as a runner or a pass catcher.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Broncos-Chiefs anytime TD scorer predictions for Monday Night Football
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