That was rough. The Kansas City Chiefs began their Super Bowl title defense battered but still clear favorites against the visiting Detroit Lions Thursday night. They lost the game while also enraging many fantasy football managers in the process.

The league winner posted pedestrian numbers, promising second-year talents failed to make an impact and a key sleeper embodied that label a bit too well. This was an understandable upset loss for the Chiefs but a fantasy disaster. All of the “Patrick Mahomes will find a way” proclamations were ultimately invalidated. Though, he was not what you'd really call a problem.

A wild-card supporting cast flopped for the most part, as Travis Kelce's absence was severely felt. Drops and miscues gave managers migraines throughout the night. This was one you just have to sleep off. When you do regain your clarity and unclench those fists, we will be here for some support and deeper assessment.

With so many more questions popping up following the 21-20 loss versus the Lions, here are 3 Chiefs fantasy football takeaways after Week 1.

Hold onto WR Kadarius Toney a little longer

In some leagues, I realize this man is already gone. For others who have run out of patience with the injury-prone and outspoken wide receiver, there is little I can say to reverse Kadarius Toney's fantasy fate. This performance was downright nauseating, and severely costly from a game standpoint. But there is still some value in keeping the 24-year-old out of Florida.

Despite having three drops, including one that directly led to a pick-six, Toney tied for the team lead in targets with five. His nearly non-existent, one catch for one-yard imprint on the stat sheet was still better than that of Skyy Moore (zero receptions on three targets). It was also in line with hopeful breakout candidate Justyn Ross. Simply put, no Chiefs receiver was really eating in this one. In fact, most starved.

While arguably the biggest disappointment of the bunch, Toney was coming off surgery for a partially torn meniscus that kept him out nearly the entirety of training camp. It might take a little time to shake off the rust and return to form. Admittedly, though, the passes he flubbed were fairly rudimentary.

So what do we do with Kadarius Toney? There is still potential and should be opportunities going forward. No one else separated themselves. The return of Travis Kelce will open up the field more for these vastly underachieving wideouts. The Super Bowl 57 standout can still be the next biggest contributor on this offense.

Roster spots cannot be taken for granted even after Week 1, so I understand if tough decisions need to be made. But it might be worth it to hold onto Toney for one more week.

Chiefs had little interest in running the ball

One of the biggest traps in all of fantasy football is that Kansas City's No. 1 running back is a surefire goldmine just due to the sheer dominance of the Patrick Mahomes-led offense. That can be true in spurts, but the production rarely holds up for a whole season. Isiah Pacheco did enough in a complimentary role last year and in the Super Bowl to suggest that he is headed for a nice second-year jump.

There was no jump versus Detroit, though. With eight carries for 23 yards, he hardly got off the ground. The seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft slightly made up for his rushing woes with four receptions for 31 yards. But this was unequivocally a punch to the gut for all Pacheco owners.

He had just two more carries than Clyde Edwards-Helaire and only out-gained him by one yard on the ground. Mahomes used his legs far more effectively than his running backs did (six attempts for 45 yards). Obviously, the 24-year-old should be given more red-zone chances when Kelce returns, but the hope that Pacheco could be a fantasy force independent from touchdowns is dwindling.

Patrick Mahomes might need Travis Kelce to be elite fantasy QB

One of the most underrated departures from this past NFL offseason was JuJu Smith-Schuster heading to the New England Patriots. Fans knew the Chiefs were not going to be able to spend much on offensive talent in free agency, but he was the second most reliable option on a championship team. Without him, Mahomes is even more dependent on his future Hall of Fame tight end.

Although Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore could still prove to be viable targets for the two-time MVP, there are seemingly more holes than there has ever been in the Patrick Mahomes era. His greatness should overcome those deficiencies as the season goes on, but monster fantasy weeks will hinge on the availability of Travis Kelce.

Fortunately, No. 87 is an iron man who is only dealing with a minor injury. Assuming he stays healthy in his age-34 season, then fantasy football's reigning No. 1 quarterback should remain amongst the elites. Though, his ceiling was clearly capped in Thursday's loss. If some of those drops become catches, everything could change, but managers' confidence is justifiably low in the Chiefs wide receiving corps right now.

Mahomes is an every-week starter, regardless, so there is little you can do to combat any of the offense's depth issues. Besides, all it takes for us to forget KC's struggles is a scoring bonanza against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week. Then all order will be restored in the NFL and fantasy football world.