It looks like Patrick Mahomes' Week 17 performance in 2017 was no fluke. Playing with 2nd- and 3rd-stringers in their near-meaningless Week 17 matchup last year against a solid Broncos defense, Mahomes threw for 284 yards, and added 10 rushing yards on 7 carries. Not bad for a rookie's first game.

Mahomes put his debut performance to shame in Week 1. He and Tyreek Hill stomped on the Chargers' defense on their way to QB4 and WR1 finishes. Mahomes lit up the Chargers for 256 yards and 4 passing touchdowns, plus another 21 yards on the ground, good for 28.3 fantasy points on the night. This was against our fifth-rated pass defense, no less -- though they were missing star defensive lineman Joey Bosa.

What does this mean going forward? It's tough to say, but Mahomes has certainly informed us that he's one talented guy. The Chiefs' upcoming schedule is on the average-difficult side, but Mahomes showed us on Sunday that he can hang even with tough defenses. Also, it doesn't hurt having explosive weapons like Hill, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt, and Sammy Watkins.

Mahomes is well on his way to establishing himself as an every-week starter independent of his matchup.