Xavier Worthy quiet on team-leading six targets

Rice appeared to have a good chance at suiting up for Week 6 when Andy Reid spoke about it after Week 4’s win over the Raiders. Reid only said he “tweaked” his hammy. Even with a bye week to rest, it looks like Rice is now on the wrong side of questionable for Week 6. With Tyquan Thornton on IR, Xavier Worthy may be tasked with WR1 duties this week. He totaled four catches for 70 yards in his last outing and would be a solid FLEX play versus the Chargers if Rice can’t go.

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.

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.

This news comes after Worthy was carted from the field during Saturday’s practice. The third-year receiver is hoping to put last year’s disappointing season behind him when he caught just 42 passes for 432 yards and one touchdown while missing some time with a dislocated shoulder. Despite the early scare over the weekend, this recent injury doesn’t appear to be all too concerning.

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.