George Karlaftis

George Karlaftis

24-Year-Old Defensive EndDE
Kansas City Chiefs
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Kansas City's decision to exercise the fifth-year option in Karlaftis' rookie deal keeps him under contract through 2026. The 2022 first-round pick took a step backwards in 2024, with 35 total tackles including 8.0 sacks across 16 regular-season games, after tallying 47 tackles including 10.5 sacks in the same amount of contests in 2023. He'll look to rebound in Year 4, as he remains locked into a starting role in the Chiefs' pass-rush unit. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#374.38
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
IDP
$Signed a four-year, $93 million contract with the Chiefs in July of 2025.
Posts career-high stops in 2025
DEKansas City Chiefs
January 7, 2026
Karlaftis accumulated 48 tackles (25 solo), including 6.0 sacks, two pass defenses and one fumble recovery across 16 games in 2025 with the Chiefs.
ANALYSIS
The fourth-year pro looked like he was on his way to a career year after opening the season with 4.5 sacks and 20 combined tackles through the first five games of the regular season. Karlaftis wasn't able to carry that momentum for the rest of 2025, but his combined tackles were one more than his previous career high set in 2023 (across 16 regular-season games). The 2022 first-rounder signed a four-year, $93 million contract extension in July and will be a cornerstone of the Chiefs' defense for years to come.
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2025
2024
2023
2022
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2024 NFL Game Log
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2023 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Kansas City ChiefsChiefs 2024 DE Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

90173%
4933%
55145%
4430%
32927%
7148%
28823%
9665%
18415%
5336%
60%
00%
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2024 George Karlaftis Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring George Karlaftis See More
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
Karlaftis took the next step toward stardom in 2023, reaching the double-digit sacks threshold (10.5) in his second professional campaign despite playing only minimally more snaps (719 to 703 as a rookie in 2022). Karlaftis added an impressive four-sack output to lead the team in the playoffs, potentially foreshadowing a big defensive season ahead for him and a unit that retains most of its personnel from a season ago.
Karlaftis, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, handled a regular role on defense for the Chiefs from the get-go, logging 49 snaps in Week 1. However, things didn't really click for the 6-4, 263-pounder early on, as he racked up just a half-sack and 18 tackles over his first 10 games. Things picked up for the Purdue product in Week 12, starting a stretch over the final seven regular-season games in which he recorded 5.5 sacks. While Karlaftis isn't going to be a tackle machine working on the end, he could prove a valuable commodity in the sacks department if he can carry his late-season momentum into the coming campaign.
Kansas City struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks last season, finishing the regular season with the fourth-fewest sacks (31) in the league. Enter Karlaftis, who posted 7.5 sacks as a freshman in 2019 and finished last year with 4.5 sacks and 39 tackles last year. He should settle into pass-rushing duties opposite Frank Clark on the edge, an area that was lacking last season. Karlafts will likely be given the green light as a starter out of the gate, assuming he proves worthy in camp.
More Fantasy News
Unavailable for Week 18
DEKansas City Chiefs
Rest
January 4, 2026
Karlaftis (rest) is inactive for Sunday's contest against the Raiders, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Questionable yet healthy
DEKansas City Chiefs
January 2, 2026
Karlaftis (rest) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Raiders.
ANALYSIS
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Active for Week 17
DEKansas City Chiefs
December 25, 2025
Karlaftis (illness) is active for Thursday night's game against the Broncos.
ANALYSIS
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Under the weather, iffy for Week 17
DEKansas City Chiefs
Illness
December 24, 2025
Karlaftis (illness) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against Denver.
ANALYSIS
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Past thumb injury
DEKansas City Chiefs
November 14, 2025
Karlaftis (thumb) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Broncos.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely extension candidate
DEKansas City Chiefs
April 21, 2025
Karlaftis could get a contract extension from Kansas City after the draft, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.
ANALYSIS
"Once this [draft] process ends, we'll be in discussions with [right guard] Trey [Smith] trying to get him done and then I'm sure at some point here [with] George and [cornerback] Trent [McDuffie]," general manager Brett Veach said Thursday. "We're going to have dialogue with them." Karlaftis has recorded 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons in 32 regular-season games, and he came up big during Kansas City's 2024 playoff run, racking up 4.0 sacks in three postseason contests, including 3.0 in a divisional-round win over the Texans.
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