Xavier Worthy leaves practice on cart

Newell said Worthy would have been “the likely winner” of a hypothetical “Team MVP” award for the practices if such a thing existed. This should all be taken with a grain of salt, as Worthy was sporting a no-contact jersey during the sessions while continuing to recover from a torn labrum, but even head coach Andy Reid said Worthy “really had a nice camp” at the conclusion of minicamp on Thursday. Worthy has struggled to live up to the hype that made him the No. 28 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, with injuries, missed throws, and ill-timed drops combining to make for a challenging start. Despite this, the Chiefs and fantasy managers remain hopeful that Worthy can take another step in 2026. Reid said Worthy did well in camp when the team put him “in a lot of primary positions,” which will hopefully lead to an expanded role this season, especially if Rashee Rice is suspended to start the year. Worthy is currently going around the ninth round in fantasy drafts and has averaged 5.5 targets/gm for his career. An increased workload could put him in the discussion as a potential top-36 receiver in PPR leagues.

This is presumably related to the shoulder injury that head coach Andy Reid says limited Worthy throughout the 2025 season. Questions remain as to how large a workload Worthy, 23, can handle. But with TE Travis Kelce entering his age-36 season and No. 1 WR Rashee Rice dealing with more health and off-field issues, Worthy has the opportunity to carve out a sizable role right now.

This of course has to do with Rashee Rice failing a drug test and undergoing another knee procedure and missing up to two months. Rice this week violated his probation by testing positive for THC and will serve 30 days in jail. He’s slated to be out of jail by the middle of June. This is just the latest in a long time of off-the-field issues that have kept Rice away from the team. There’s also the matter of Rice’s health, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tuesday that the KC wideout will be sidelined for upwards of two months after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his right knee. The Chiefs, Breer said, believed Rice can be a top-10 NFL receiver when healthy, but are skeptical as to whether they can trust Rice to stay out of legal trouble and stay healthy. Rice’s legal woes and injury history could force Kansas City to reconsider an offer for Brown, who is widely expected to be dealt by the Eagles after June 1. The Patriots and Jaguars have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown. “I don’t believe that happens,” Breer said of Brown landing in Kansas City. “But I think if you’re the Chiefs you have to take a look at all of these things going forward.”

Worthy suffered a fully torn labrum after colliding with TE Travis Kelce in Week 1 last year. The injury sidelined him until Week 4, and he never once cleared 85 yards in a single game. Worthy entered the season with high expectations after posting an 8/157/2 receiving line in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles in his 2024 rookie season. Per The Athletic’s Jesse Newell, the Chiefs “limited Worthy’s routes a year ago to protect him” last year, but Reid believes that Worthy, now healthy, can resume running a full route tree this season. This should raise our expectations for Worthy’s fantasy football outlook as well. Worthy finished as the PPR WR33 in 2024 before plummeting to the PPR WR59 in 2025. Perhaps a WR3 finish or better is possible this season. Hopefully, the positive reports continue this summer.

Worthy’s disappointing 2025 season ends with 42 receptions for 532 yards and one touchdown, along with 87 rushing yards. Deployed as a gadget player — especially when Rashee Rice returned to the KC lineup — Worthy was unable to carve out a consistent spot in the Chiefs passing offense. Worthy’s receiving success rate dropped from 57 percent in 2024 to 49 percent in 2025 as Patrick Mahomes was unable to develop any chemistry with the slightly-built speedster. Worthy will enter 2026 — his third NFL season — well behind Rashee Rice for No. 1 duties in Kansas City.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid initially said Worthy would be listed as questionable to play. Instead, the team lists him as doubtful. We do not expect him to play. The Chiefs will likely attempt to run out the clock in a lost season against the lowly Raiders.

He was actually listed as doubtful. Nobody in this passing game needs to be played given the Chris Olodokun of it all. Yes, even against the Raiders. Worthy is probably more of a WR4 or WR5 if active for Week 18.

Worthy has performed underwhelmingly for quite some time. Illnesses rarely keep players sidelined on game day, so we expect him out there against the Raiders this week, though he will likely be stuck running cardio for much of it. Worthy is a touchdown-dependent FLEX option in Week 18.

Worthy’s box score speaks for itself. Even with Rashee Rice out, the speedy wideout was nowhere to be found. Of course, he did pull off his signature move once again by catching a pass with one foot out of bounds, resulting in an incompletion. A complete lack of spatial awareness has been one of Worthy’s many issues entering the NFL, and he hasn’t made any progress in his second year. We don’t need to tell you this, but Worthy is not on the fantasy radar for Week 18.

Worthy “added” a zero-yard rush. Worthy actually tied for the team lead in receiving yards, which tells you all you need to know about how the Chiefs fared without Patrick Mahomes. That’s because they were also faring without Gardner Minshew following a first half knee injury. Minshew is now expected to miss Thursday evening’s game against the Broncos, leaving “Chris Oladokun” to sling the ball to Worthy and company. With or without Rashee Rice (concussion) back in the lineup, that basically makes Worthy a no-go as a WR4 vs. Denver’s elite pass defense.