Tyquan

Thornton

Thornton caught his first three targets in the first half for gains of 24 yards, 32 yards, and 34 yards but failed to catch another ball in the final 42 minutes of play. He saw his snap rate cut drastically with the return of Xavier Worthy in Week 4, something that carried over into the team’s Week 5 loss to the Jaguars. It appears his early-season involvement in the offense ahs gone by the wayside, something unlikely to change course with Rashee Rice’s return looming.

This one comes from way out of left field. Worthy, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since Week 1, was listed as a full participant in practice all week, but has apparently picked up an ankle injury since the team released its last report. We don’t have much information on his latest injury at this time, but a player picking up a new injury a day before his team is set to play is seldom a good sign. Fantasy managers like RotoPat, who are counting on Worthy to save their week, will have limited options available to them at this point in time. Tyquan Thornton could be worth adding off waivers, where possible, as an easy pivot off Worthy if he is ultimately ruled out 90 minutes before kickoff.

Does that sound like a role that elevates beyond decoy? Not to us. Even if Worthy is active for Week 4 after missing the last two weeks following a Week 1 dislocated shoulder, this indicates he could be eased back into the offense slowly. This line comes from a piece about Tyquan Thornton, who deservedly is getting major waiver wire love this week. We might rather start Thornton than Worthy this week even if both of them are active.

Thornton connected with Patrick Mahomes from five yards out in the third quarter, scoring as the third read in the green zone. He would narrowly miss tacking on a second score to his ledger twice in the final frame, the first of which was ruled incomplete as he failed to survive the ground and the second of which he came down with the football at the one. Thornton has proven his growth in the offense and gives the Chiefs a downfield element in the absences of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, making him a viable fantasy starter when the Chiefs take on the Ravens in Week 4.

Worthy missed Week 2 after dislocating his shoulder in a collision with Travis Kelce in the season opener. The 22-year-old wide receiver had three limited practices this week, but he’s been ruled out against the Giants. Kelce, Tyquan Thornton and Hollywood Brown led the Chiefs receiving group with Worthy sidelined a week ago and figure to do the same in Week 3.

Thornton had another shot play earlier on the drive with his touchdown catch where he was wide-open deep after an Eagles defender fell, but Mahomes simply missed him. What can we say? The whole Chiefs deep offense relies on Tyquan Thornton, and Matt Nagy has proven to be a Tyquan Thornton merchant through two weeks. He’s a low-end FLEX dart throw against the Giants in Week 3. Good on the Chiefs for making a successful reclamation project out of Thornton, but it sure doesn’t feel good that the state of the offense in Week 2 is “Tyquan Thornton better win some sideline one-on-ones.”

A strong training camp showing earned Thornton a roster spot in Kansas City and he may be needed even more than expected over the next few weeks. Rashee Rice is suspended for five more games and Xavier Worthy left this game with a shoulder injury. He took a hard hit from Travis Kelce on a crossing route and was quickly ruled out after a trip to the locker room. Patrick Mahomes overthrew Thornton on a deep shot early in the game but got on the same page as his deep threat late in the second quarter. That was his final catch of the game. Thornton has taken over the Justin Watson/Marquez Valdes Scantling role in the offense, but that’s not one worth chasing for fantasy purposes.

This isn’t the first we’re hearing of a role for the former second-round pick either. ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote about a potential rotational gig for Thornton last week. Newell calls him a perfect fit for the field-stretching role held by Justin Watson in previous seasons. Thornton was cut by the Patriots in the middle of the 2024 season and the Chiefs quickly scooped him up on their practice squad. A strong start to training camp has him as a heavy favorite to make the team’s 53-man roster. Though he is still a long-shot to be fantasy-relevant this year, Thornton seems to have found his niche in the pros.

Thornton has been running with the first-team offense at times in training camp and Rashee Rice’s expected suspension could push Thornton into a bigger role early in the season. This is how new Justin Watsons are made, folks. The 24-year-old Thornton was the 50th overall pick in the draft four years ago and signed with the Chiefs after the Patriots released him in November.

The former second-round pick was waived by the Patriots midseason and landed on Kansas City’s practice squad. He never made an appearance for the team but will get a shot at a roster spot this summer. The Chiefs also signed WR Justyn Ross, WR Jason Brownlee, S Deon Bush, TE Baylor Cupp, DT Siaki Ika, OT Chukwuebuka Godrick, DT Fabien Lovett, QB Chris Oladokun, CB Darius Rush, and CB Eric Scott to R/F deals.