Xavier Worthy finds paint for first score of 2026

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.

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.

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.