Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy had two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in the 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. The first-round rookie wasted no time making his mark in this game as he had a 21-yard touchdown rush on the Chiefs first drive. Worthy scored his second touchdown on a 35-yard strike from Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter. The rookie with record-breaking speed had 68 total yards and two touchdowns on just three touches in this contest. It was an exciting start to Worthy's career, and fantasy managers should be hopeful for his future in the Kansas City offense. Worthy and the Chiefs will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. The Bengals allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers in 2023, so Worthy could be in for another big game. Worthy will likely have to compete with another receiver, Marquise Brown, in Week 2, but the rookie should see his whole in the offense expand as the season goes on. Worthy should be considered a high-upside flex play moving forward.
Sep 6, 2024 4:36 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 this season. The rookie out of the University of Texas will face one of the league's best defenses for the first game of his career, but there are reasons for optimism in this contest. First of all, Worthy made history by running a 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which narrowly beat out John Ross' record of 4.22 seconds. Second of all, Worthy finds himself on arguably the best team in the league with one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Patrick Mahomes is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL, despite not truly utilizing that part of his game last season. Mahomes had the lowest yards per attempt of his career in 2023, in large part due to a change in play-calling for their personnel group. This offseason, the Chiefs made it a priority to bring in playmakers with the ability to stretch the field. The Chiefs brought in veteran Marquise Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy. In the preseason, nearly half of Worthy's routes were "go" routes and he had a 29% target share on Mahomes' dropbacks. Andy Reid and the Chiefs will likely try to scheme up a deep ball for their rookie speedster in their opening contest. With Marquise Brown out for Week 1, Worthy could operate as the team's WR2 and is a risky start for fantasy given the unknowns, but he has massive big-play potential.
Sep 4, 2024 7:12 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy may not be relied on earlier in the season, according to some reports, but he seems to be well on his way to getting more opportunities already. Andy Reid reportedly doesn't like to rely on rookies too heavily to begin a season, but Worthy has drawn praise from the head coach himself as well as his All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The superstar signal-caller said he loved Worthy's route running and how he plays with physicality. Those two attributes while catching passes from one of the best to ever throw the ball could equate to some big performances. Worthy has a path to playing time with an inconsistent receiver corps and his cost is low enough in fantasy drafts to be worth a stash for later.
Sep 2, 2024 9:15 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy may not be given a full workload early in his rookie season. According to Adam Teicher of ESPN, head coach Andy Reid expressed some concern about relying on the rookie early in the season. However, Reid did add that, "We'll just see how it goes when things are flying here fast and furious." Worthy has been making some noise in the preseason as he saw five targets from Patrick Mahomes in their preseason match against the Detroit Lions. In addition, he also found the end zone later in that game and finished with 63 total yards. Worthy was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft earlier this spring and is known for his elite speed as he set a new record in the 40-yard dash. Fantasy managers should feel confident stashing Worthy on their bench as he could emerge as a viable starter down the stretch, given his record-breaking speed.
Aug 30, 2024 2:18 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy made a big impact in Saturday evening's preseason loss to the visiting Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium, catching three of his six targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in the defeat. Worthy added an 11-yard carry on Saturday against the Lions, with his score coming on a 22-yard reception from backup quarterback Carson Wentz in the first quarter. This was the kind of showing the Chiefs and fantasy managers were hoping to see out of the 21-year-old rookie first-rounder out of Texas, who stepped up in the absence of veteran wideout Marquise Brown (shoulder) and is looking at a more pronounced role in KC's passing game to begin the season. Set to be QB Patrick Mahomes' primary deep threat in the early going, Worthy is a high-ceiling WR3/flex pick in the middle rounds of drafts.
Aug 17, 2024 8:44 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver coach Connor Embree says that rookie Xavier Worthy has impressed him most with his ability to pick up the playbook quickly. Embree says he'll do more than Rashee Rice did as a rookie, but they're not going to overload him. With Marquise Brown (shoulder) sidelined for up to six weeks, however, Worthy may now have to take on a more pronounced role for the Chiefs in Year 1 than expected to begin the season. It's worth noting that Rice was consistently held under 60% of KC's offensive snaps per game during the first half of last year as a rookie before the team finally unleashed him during the second half. Worthy profiles as a young DeSean Jackson in many ways, and the 21-year-old first-rounder's stock is certainly on the rise in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts as quarterback Patrick Mahomes' likely top deep threat to start 2024.
Aug 14, 2024 2:22 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (illness) returned to practice at Friday's training camp. After missing a few days with an illness, Worthy is back on the field for valuable reps. The Chiefs spent the 28th overall pick in this spring's NFL draft on Worthy to bolster their mishmash receiving corps from 2023, and the rookie wideout should have a pretty clear runway to a starting role on the perimeter alongside new acquisition Marquise Brown. Worthy's ADP finds itself in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts as a WR3 value, but his stock is also contingent upon whether or not Rashee Rice is suspended at some point this summer. After logging a blazing 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine, the 21-year-old Texas product's game-breaking speed could mesh well with the huge arm of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes if the two are able to establish a rapport this fall.
Jul 26, 2024 2:43 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs rookie first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy (illness) is out of training camp practice for the third straight day on Wednesday. Worthy is under the weather and should be back with the Chiefs sooner than later, but any additional time the 21-year-old misses could hurt his chances of starting his first NFL season off strong, especially since he missed a lot of the offseason program due to a hamstring injury. The 28th overall pick in April's NFL draft has a real opportunity to become fantasy relevant in 2024, especially if fellow wideout Rashee Rice opens the year serving a suspension. Speed is Worthy's biggest asset, and if he can stay healthy, he'll be worth at least a late-round flier for wideout depth in fantasy drafts this fall in KC's offense.
Jul 24, 2024 1:14 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs rookie first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy (illness) missed training camp practice on Monday due to an illness. Worthy should be considered day-to-day this week and shouldn't be out long before rejoining the team at camp. The 21-year-old speedy pass-catcher also missed valuable time during OTAs and minicamp due to a hamstring injury, but he was present on the field for the start of camp this weekend. Durability may be a question mark for the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder, but his speed alone as a deep threat for quarterback Patrick Mahomes will make him worthy of a late-round flier in redraft fantasy drafts this fall, especially with Rashee Rice expected to open the 2024 campaign serving a suspension. RotoBaller has Worthy ranked as the No. 48 fantasy wideout heading into his first NFL season.
Jul 22, 2024 1:37 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs rookie first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy (hamstring), who suffered a hamstring injury and missed most of the offseason practices, will not start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Worthy is good to go but will be eased back in at practices this summer. He's not going to get a ton of reps early on, but he's healthy, which is big as he tries to establish chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes going into his rookie campaign. It's good news for the 21-year-old speedster, who isn't expected to be eased into the offense in Year 1. And with Rashee Rice likely facing a suspension, Worthy should be starting in three-wide sets right away, which makes him an intriguing late-round flier in fantasy drafts as a WR4/5 in a KC offense that is looking to bounce back after a down year in 2023.
Jul 17, 2024 2:23 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hinted that rookie first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who recorded the fastest 40-yard dash in NFL history at this year's combine, won't be eased into the offense in his first year in the league. "There's no easing [him in]," Mahomes said. "He's going to have to be ready to go. We got a lot of competition on this offense." The 21-year-old speedster missed most of offseason practices due to a sore hamstring, so he's going to have to get up to speed quickly in training camp and the preseason as he competes for a starting role in 2024. With Rashee Rice likely to be suspended to open the year, Worthy has a good shot to be a starter in Week 1 alongside Marquise Brown. A receiver this quick and fast in an Andy Reid offense is extremely intriguing, making him worth a look as a WR4/5 this fall in redraft fantasy leagues.
Jul 17, 2024 2:12 PM EST