Worthy (shoulder) should return this week

Worthy saw a season-high seven targets in this one after Rashee Rice (hamstring) exited just a few plays into the game. Worthy came up with a handful of key plays for the Chiefs, with his biggest coming on a 41-yard reception that put the Chiefs in position for a short touchdown pass to Tyquan Thornton a few plays later. The Chiefs now head into their Week 5 bye, but they could be down multiple receivers, with Rice and Thornton (ankle) both suffering injuries in this one. While we don’t yet know the extent of Rice’s injury, Thornton’s ankle injury looked like a potential season-ender. Worthy could well be worth a stash in leagues where he is still available, as he could soon be the top receiver for the Chiefs when they return in Week 6 to face the Chargers. Second-year receiver Jalen Royals, who ran 21 routes in this game, could also see an expanded role in the coming weeks.

Worthy was also shaken up by a big hit but was never announced with an injury. Patrick Mahomes attempted only 24 passes this afternoon, but that’s still a disappointing target total for the third-year pro. 23-year-old Worthy is now sitting on just 10 catches for 63 yards through the Chiefs’ first three games. Even with this offense showing major year-over-year improvement, it’s getting harder to keep the WR4 faith with Worthy. The Raiders are a plus Week 4 matchup in Vegas.

Worthy’s score came from one yard out on a fourth-down play at the end of the second quarter. The play followed three consecutive failed rush attempts from Kenneth Walker from one yard out, with the veteran receiver leaking to the flat on a Mahomes bootleg for his first score of the young season. Worthy remains a shaky WR5 ahead of a cake matchup with the Dolphins in Week 3.

The entire Kansas City pass offense appeared stuck in the mud, with little ability to attack deep against one of the league’s best defenses. Worthy struggled to gain separation on targets beyond five yards of the line of scrimmage, something the Chiefs have struggled with the previous two seasons. Further hampering their downfield pass game was an inconsistent and adjusting Patrick Mahomes in his first game since tearing his ACL. The return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy saw the Chiefs lean on new running back Kenneth Walker, who out-gained the entire Denver offense on his own, leaving little in the way of additional motivation to air the ball out. Worthy enters a Week 2 matchup with the Colts as a low-upside WR5, likely best left on fantasy benches, for the time being.

Worthy’s range of potential outcomes remains quite wide. The team attributed his lackluster 2025 season to the significant shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1. He missed time in training camp with a shoulder issue as well. He can be treated as a volatile FLEX playing in a top-tier offense against the Broncos.

On Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Worthy should resume practicing at some point this week. The Chiefs have another practice tomorrow, so Worthy technically still has 24 hours to prove Reid right, but his continued absence is slightly concerning regardless. Last Saturday, Worthy sprained the same shoulder that was surgically repaired this offseason. He dislocated his right shoulder in Week 1, causing a full labral tear and badly impacting his season. It would be great to see him resume practicing fully tomorrow or early next week.

Worthy was taken via cart from the practice field Saturday, although beat reporters said he was sitting in the front seat and “didn’t seem distressed as he exited.” Even so, fantasy managers don’t like seeing “Worthy” and “shoulder” together in the same sentence after the speedy third-year receiver dislocated his shoulder in Week 1 of the 2025 season and never fully looked himself. That leaves his status as a situation to monitor moving forward. Per ESPN’s Nate Taylor, Worthy made “an impressive deep catch against two defenders in which he fell to the turf near the end zone.”

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.”