15 Patrick Mahomes QB

Coach Andy Reid relayed Tuesday that Mahomes will play the first half of Friday's exhibition game against the Falcons, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Mahomes, who will be working with the team's first-team offense in the game, should thus be in line for an uptick in attempts and yardage after completing 5-of-7 passes for 33 yards in limited action in the Chiefs' preseason opener. The 2017 first-rounder is locked in as his team's franchise QB, following the offseason departure of Alex Smith. Though Kansas City's 2018 offense should feature a healthy dose of running back Kareem Hunt, Mahomes has the arm strength and weapons (notably Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce) to make a notable fantasy impact in his first year as a pro starter.

Mahomes completed five of seven passes for 33 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Chiefs' 17-10 preseason loss to the Texans on Saturday.

The promising second-year quarterback saw limited action as expected in the preseason opener, taking a seat after two drives. However, Mahomes got plenty of important work done on those possessions, hooking up with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt, three players whose play figures to be key to Mahomes' success in his first year under center. Having gotten a modest taste of live action Thursday, Mahomes figures to see notably more work when the Chiefs take on the Falcons a week from Friday in their second preseason game.

Mahomes has tossed seven interceptions in the Chiefs' first six training camp practices, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Mahomes still has plenty of time to work out the kinks before the regular season rolls around, but it certainly hasn't been an ideal start to his reign as the Chiefs' starting quarterback. The second-year signal-caller notably made a poor decision during Wednesday's session, throwing one of his two picks on the day in the end zone rather than running the ball in for what would have been an easy score. While Mahomes is off to a rocky start, the Chiefs have surrounded him with plenty of talent to help with the transition to No. 1 duties. Not only will Pro Bowlers Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt return in 2018, but Kansas City also signed star wideout Sammy Watkins to a three-year contract in March. It's worth noting that Mahomes has looked his best in game action rather than practices, as he was highly impressive in the 2017 preseason and completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and an interception in a Week 17 win over the Broncos last season. It may be best to see how he fares during the exhibition slate before drawing any conclusions about what lies ahead for him in his second NFL campaign.

Mahomes worked with some of the Chiefs' skill-position players during the offseason, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

The workouts probably didn't include Sammy Watkins, who signed a three-year, $48 million contract in March when the free agency period first opened. Aside from swapping out Albert Wilson (Dolphins) for Watkins and Alex Smith for Mahomes, the Chiefs will retain the core of their productive 2017 offense, including Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and four of five starters on the line. It has the look of a formidable unit, with the potential to reach elite status if Mahomes displays enough pocket presence and accuracy to get the most out of his immense physical gifts. He looked the part of an NFL starter in Week 17 last season, completing 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and an interception to lead the Chiefs' backups to a 27-24 win in Denver.