Who Should I Start? Tyler Lockett or Xavier Worthy

Sunday, December 28, 7:59 PM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyler Lockett tallied two receptions and nine yards off his three targets during Sunday's 34-10 loss to the New York Giants in Week 17. The veteran wide receiver's fantasy day was saved by his reception in the back of the end zone on a quarterback Geno Smith (ankle) scramble late in the third quarter. Lockett was competing for targets with the fourth-round rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr., but the Raiders' offense struggled to sustain drives or keep a clean pocket against the Giants' defense. If rookie wide receiver Jack Bech (back), who was a late addition to the Week 17 injury report and was ruled out before kickoff on Sunday, Lockett should resume his part-time WR3 role in Week 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs' defense is a bottom-10 matchup for opposing wide receivers, keeping Lockett in deep-league WR4/Flex territory heading into the final game of the 2025 season.

Wednesday, December 24, 4:24 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will now be the unquestioned WR1 for the team moving forward. The Chiefs placed Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton on IR on Wednesday morning, opening the door for Worthy to step into a more prominent role. Worthy led the wide receivers in receiving yards last week, catching two passes for 41 yards on three targets. Despite being the lead receiver, Worthy will have to deal with downgraded quarterback play and a difficult matchup in Week 17. Chris Oladokun is now the Chiefs starting quarterback, and they face the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day. Oladokun has 16 passing attempts in his career, and the Broncos defense has allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Worthy's role in the offense could potentially be valuable, but he has a lot working against him this week. Worthy is ranked WR56 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR ranking, making him a desperation flex option this week.