Which Chiefs players could use the Week 17 break the most?

On the Wednesday mailbag edition of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory, we were asked to name which Kansas City Chiefs player could use a break the most in Week 17 of the NFL season — a game that doesn’t matter to the Chiefs’ positioning in the AFC playoffs since they have clinched the No. 1 seed.

Here are some players that could use some extra rest the most — even though there are many players that deserve some time to sit out:

Tyreek Hill

Hill — one of the best receivers in the league — has been on the injury report for several weeks with hamstring issues. We’ve seen him pull up a few times over the last few weeks at various times. A player with the kind of speed Hill possesses needs everything firing on all cylinders. Hill has toughed it out through the finish line, and it’s time to give him some additional rest so that he’s playing his best football in January and hopefully February.

Eric Fisher

The Chiefs are likely going to have only two of their five offensive linemen from Super Bowl LIV in their first playoff game — Austin Reiter and Eric Fisher. Fisher has been dealing with some back issues — popping up on the injury report recently and missing some practice time. As thin as the Chiefs’ offensive line is, losing Fisher would be significant. They’re already out All-Pro tackle Mitchell Schwartz — who is dealing with a back injury as well. A struggling offensive line can’t afford their best remaining player to miss. He needs to heal up as much as he can before the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes

The best player in the world has been put behind an offensive line that has had to come up with a variety of solutions week to week — dealing with all kinds of offensive line shuffling. The Week 15 game against the Saints saw the reigning Super Bowl MVP take some brutal hits — and maybe some carryover effects into the Falcons game with his response. Giving Mahomes a chance to rest up and prepare for the most importantant three games of the year could prove to be greatly beneficial. Mahomes is a warrior — his toughness is unquestioned. But any rest they can give him could prove to be significant as the Chiefs hope to end their season with confetti in Tampa.

How to listen to Arrowhead Pride podcasts

Arrowhead Pride podcasts are available on Amazon Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Please rate and review, as this helps us grow AP Radio to reach more Chiefs fans all over the world!