Xavier Worthy

Trade: Jonathon Brooks, Xavier Worthy, Dak Prescott, Aaron Jones

Xavier Worthy: When it's time to play, we'll be ready

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid hasn’t set anything in stone regarding quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s availability for their Monday night game against the Broncos in Week 1, but all indications are that he’ll be in the lineup. Assuming that’s the case, the biggest question will be whether his lack of work in the preseason and the long layoff since he tore his ACL last year will have any negative impact on the offense. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy said at a Wednesday press conference that Mahomes’s “will and want to” will help ensure that the team doesn’t hit any rough patches. “Me and Pat, we’ve kind of been working this offseason and obviously the timing and stuff you need to work on. . . . I feel like when it’s time to play, we’ll all be ready,” Worthy said. Reid also had a press conference on Wednesday and said only that Mahomes will keep practicing in the days leading up to the opener. The Chiefs will practice once more this week and then reconvene on Monday to begin their final preparations for Denver

Ranking every NFL team's WR room: Cowboys and Bengals battle for top spot; Chiefs not helping Patrick Mahomes

Even in an NFL where the run game has been resurgent in recent seasons, the passing game is still king. After all, the reason we've seen teams lean more into the run of late is because defenses have prioritized taking away explosive passes. They are more content to let offenses try to beat them with the body blows of a series of runs, betting they can't do it without making mistakes before they reach the end zone. Because the NFL is still a passing league, wide receivers have never been more important. We've seen evidence of that in recent offseasons, as the financial market for wideouts has exploded and now tops $40 million per year. Of course, you can't just get away with having one good wide receiver. You need to build a receiver room that can threaten defenses in a variety of ways -- at least, if you want to have a really good offense. And with that in mind, we set out to rank the league's receiver rooms from worst to best: This one is fairly obvious. After moving on from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle , the Dolphins have the most barren wide receiver room in the league. There are hopes for rookies Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell , the latter of whom is coming off a major injury, but there's nothing we can count on here. The Raiders are lucky the Dolphins exist. The top options in this room are Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor , along with potentially Jack Bech and rookie Malik Benson . It's not an inspiring group. This might be too low for the Browns, but with such an unproven room, it was hard to push them any higher. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston could make this ranking look silly if they get off to fast starts to their respective careers. With Rashee Rice still looking hobbled after rehabbing his knee injury in jail and Xavier Worthy again banged up in camp, the Chiefs might be counting on training-camp star Cyrus Allen to be a real factor, rather than a mere curiosity. That's a dangerous game to play. Tennessee had arguably the worst receiver room in the NFL last season and upgraded with Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson , but the depth is still questionable. Thirty-two-year-old Calvin Ridley is looking like the No. 3, while Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike are up next. There doesn't appear to be a true game-changing talent among the group. If Alec Pierce were definitively healthy rather than merely working his way back from offseason ankle surgery -- and therefore in question for Week 1 and perhaps beyond -- the Colts would probably rank higher. He's a good player, as is Josh Downs . But the depth beyond them, even with Keenan Allen in the fold, is still questionable. The Bills brought in DJ Moore to be their No. 1 wideout this year. He took a step back last season in Chicago and is now trying to recapture the form he had a few years ago. Khalil Shakir is a slot slot/gadget option. But the room beyond those players ( Josh Palmer , Keon Coleman , Skyler Bell ) is uninspiring. If Jordyn Tyson were healthy, the Saints would definitely rank higher, especially given how good Tyson looked during training camp. As is, though, you have to knock New Orleans because outside of Chris Olave , there is nobody on the depth chart that really scares you -- even if DeVaughn Vele had a solid stretch to end last season. Malik Nabers is working his way back from a serious knee injury. He seems on his way to full health, but we obviously can't know for sure until we see him on the field. Beyond him, the depth chart looks like it's clearing out for rookie Malachi Fields , because Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney are role players and Calvin Austin III just tore up his knee. Garrett Wilson is awesome. Adonai Mitchell is somewhat tantalizing. Omar Cooper Jr . is apparently working his way up the depth chart after seeming like he may have been behind return specialist Isaiah Williams early in the preseason. If Mitchell taps into his talent and Cooper hits the ground running, the Jets could be better than expected. Terry McLaurin is a b [... truncated ...]

Fantasy Football AMA Recap: Jameson Williams, Xavier Worthy, Saints offense among topics

See some of the highlights from Scott Pianowski's AMA discord from August 26

Cyrus Allen Gaining the Trust of His Quarterback

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen is reportedly earning the trust of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Despite being a fifth-round pick, Allen has generated buzz in camp and showed promise in the preseason. While he is currently behind established receivers, his connection with Mahomes could make him a player to watch in deeper fantasy leagues

Cyrus Allen Draws Team-High Targets on Saturday, Continues to See Fantasy Stock Soar

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Cyrus Allen caught two of his five targets for 20 yards during Saturday's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn't the greatest statistical performance, but Allen's five targets led the entire Chiefs team, suggesting that he'll be able to carve out a significant role this season. Allen drew the start alongside Jalen Royals and Tyquan Thornton on Saturday, so it seems like those three receivers are competing for the No. 3 role behind Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. The rookie appears to have an early leg up on the competition, and while there are still two more preseason games to be played, Allen is a quick riser in dynasty fantasy football leagues. The fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati currently ranks as the WR86 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings

NFL preseason rookie watch list: Cowboys LB, Denzel Boston headline top 10 to monitor

The Hall of Fame game was a delicious hors d'oeuvres for the remainder of the NFL preseason . The league's other teams join in the excitement, beginning today and continuing through the end of the month. For many, preseason games are the first impressions fans have of rookies. Who are some of those rookies who deserve significant attention? Having already analyzed several rookies in different formats (noteworthy Pro Football Hall of Fame game participants and rookies competing for starting roles ), the intention was to bring new names to the table. The first-round picks were also excluded because that is low-hanging fruit; specifically, the top half of the round. For example, it goes without saying that everyone wants to see Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza , who will be sidelined for part of the regular season. Here are 10 rookies to monitor through the preseason: Allen has been the talk of Chiefs camp, drowning out concerns of the team declining to add more help for Patrick Mahomes . Although he is playing for his fourth team in as many seasons, the fifth-round pick has the top-end speed and suddenness to be a big-play threat in Kansas City. They need more consistency from a unit that has failed to provide it for a variety of reasons. Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice are the only returning receivers with at least 20 receptions last season. Barham is a good fit in Christian Parker's defensive scheme because he has the versatility to play more of an off-ball role and fit run gaps or overload the line of scrimmage as an extra rusher. Philadelphia has had players like Jihaad Campbell , Zack Baun and Nolan Smith to execute the Vic Fangio scheme. Barham's background has a similar flavor. Bernard's participation is like a science experiment. He has never played football, but has off-the-charts athletic potential within his 6-foot-4-inch frame. The Eagles bought a lottery ticket in the seventh round and hope it turns into another Jordan Mailata . Mailata is the exception, however, and not the rule. Philadelphia also has edge rusher Joshua Weru , who is coming through the International Player Pathway Program. Will the on-field production match the training camp hype? Few rookies have generated as much buzz as Boston to this point. The problem is that the public may not be able to make an accurate assessment of the player's ability to catch passes from that quarterback collective in northeast Ohio. Boston has already been named the starting X receiver. The team likes that the second-round pick is also an asset in the run game. First-round pick KC Concepcion will likely be moved around and put in motion the way Zay Flowers had been in Baltimore with Todd Monken. There has been a palpable buzz regarding Demmings, a fifth-round pick out of Stephen F. Austin. His former teammate, cornerback Jalen Mayo, will have an opportunity to be drafted next year after transferring to Houston. Cornerback has been an evergreen position of need for the Vikings . They signed Isaiah Rodgers and James Pierre each of the past two offseasons, but Demmings could be a viable long-term option for the franchise if he pans out. Golday may be listed as a linebacker, but his strength last season was rushing the passer. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores' scheme is ultra-aggressive, so Golday's versatility, especially at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, makes him an asset. He has generated a lot of positive feedback in training camp and is still just two years removed from Central Arkansas. How big of a role will he earn Week 1? Lane is another rookie receiver drawing rave reviews from camp. The coaching staff is different, but Baltimore has been searching for a taller receiver for years. They had done the DeAndre Hopkins experiment, but double-dipped in this year's draft with Elijah Sarratt and Lane. The hope is that Lane can allow them to play above the rim, but also spring Derrick Henry in the run game. After Thursday night of the 2026 NFL Draft , I spoke [... truncated ...]

10 Biggest Chiefs Questions: Can Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy bounce back in 2026?

Kansas City football questions for the 2026 season

Cyrus Allen Standing Out Again in Training Camp Practice

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen has been one of the early standouts at training camp this summer for the Chiefs. The 23-year-old fifth-rounder from the University of Cincinnati missed some time with a shin injury last week, but he's back on the field again and had the first two completions from quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Tuesday during the early team blitz period, per The Kansas City Star's Pete Sweeney. Allen has built clear chemistry with Mahomes in practice. However, if all of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton are healthy during the regular season, Allen is going to be fighting an uphill battle for consistent snaps on offense. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder never had more than 778 receiving yards in his four collegiate seasons at Cincinnati, Texas A&M, and Louisiana Tech, but he did manage to score 13 touchdowns on 51 receptions with the Bearcats in 2025. It's hard to envision major fantasy upside for Allen in 2026, but he's an interesting stash candidate in dynasty/keeper leagues

WR Cyrus Allen back at practice for Chiefs

Chiefs rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen’s hot start to training camp was interrupted by a shin injury last weekend, but Allen’s time away from the field came to an end on Friday. Allen suited up for practice on Friday for the first time since he was carted off the field during practice last Saturday. Video from Friday’s session shows the fifth-round pick catching passes from Patrick Mahomes during drills. Allen had been doing well enough in that role to earn time with the first team before his injury and the Chiefs will be hoping he can pick up right where he left off. Xavier Worthy injured his shoulder on the same day that Allen went down, but the third-year wideout remains on the sideline for the time being

Xavier Worthy has a sprained shoulder, is expected back at practice this week

The Chiefs dodged a pair of bullets when it came to wide receiver injuries on Sunday. Rookie Cyrus Allen and veteran Xavier Worthy both left practice after getting hurt, but neither one is expected to be out long. Word on Sunday was that Allen suffered a shin bruise and head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Monday that Worthy has a shoulder sprain. Worthy’s sprain is minor enough that Reid said the wideout is expected to practice later this week. Reid also confirmed that Allen is looking at a similar timeline for his own return to action. While the Chiefs would prefer to have no injury issues with any of their wideouts as Patrick Mahomes returns from a torn ACL, they’ll take this double dose of good news as the next best thing

Chiefs training camp: All eyes are on Xavier Worthy’s durability

Kansas City’s speedy wideout needs to stay healthy this season

Reports: Chiefs WR Cyrus Allen day-to-day with shin bruise

Chiefs rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen appears to have avoided a serious injury on Saturday. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Allen has been diagnosed with a shin bruise. Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reports that the team considers him day-to-day . Allen had to be carted off the field after getting hurt, so the minor nature of the injury is good news for the rookie. Allen has made a strong early impression in training camp while seeing time with the first team and it sounds like he’ll be able to get back to that role in the near future. The Chiefs also saw wide receiver Xavier Worthy leave Saturday’s practice with a shoulder injury. There’s been no further update on his condition

Xavier Worthy left Chiefs practice with a shoulder injury

The Chiefs lost a pair of wide receivers to injuries at Saturday’s training camp practice. Rookie Cyrus Allen was carted off with a lower left leg injury that the team said is still being evaluated and third-year wideout Xavier Worthy had to leave the session with a shoulder injury. The extent of that injury is also under evaluation. Worthy missed time early last season after dislocating his shoulder and finished the year with 42 catches for 532 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver was already seen as a spot where the Chiefs might look to bolster the ranks ahead of the regular season. If either of Saturday’s injuries lead to long-term absences, it will increase the urgency to make a move in Kansas City

Patrick Mahomes Taking Part in 11-on-11 Drills

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) is doing 11-on-11 drills at the start of training camp this week, according to Matt McMullen of Chiefs.com. Mahomes is a full-go for the start of camp despite tearing his ACL and LCL late last season. The 30-year-old has made excellent strides in his rehab during the offseason, and there's no reason to believe at this point that he won't be ready for the Week 1 showdown on Monday night against the division-rival Denver Broncos, barring a setback this summer. It will be interesting to see whether the Chiefs give Mahomes the clearance to play in any preseason games, but for now, this is a pretty significant development and a positive sign for Mahomes early in camp. The two-time MVP and six-time Pro Bowler will be looking to lead his team back to the postseason in 2026 after the offense has grown a bit stagnant in recent years. With receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy both healthy, though, Mahomes could be ready for a bounce-back after throwing for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 picks in 14 starts in 2025. Mahomes is quickly becoming a more attractive low-end QB1 target in redraft leagues

FA: Xavier Worthy dropped

Drops: Xavier Worthy

53 Days, only 53 touches for Xavier Worthy last season

We are 53 days away from the Kansas City Chiefs ‘ season-opening game against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1. The No. 53 jersey will be worn by linebacker Kam Arnold this preseason. He was an undrafted free agent signed by the Washington Commanders following the 2025 draft, but the Chiefs scooped him up towards the end of the season for the practice squad when he was cut last year. In team history, the uniform seems to always be donned by a linebacker: It’s an interesting group of Chiefs linebackers who have made an impact with the No. 53 jersey in Kansas City. Hitchens was the middle linebacker at the beginning of the era of quarterback Patrick Mahomes , when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV, but Chiefs Kingdom was ready for Nick Bolton to take over in the middle of the defense. Patton filled up the box score during his four seasons as a starter in Kansas City. In 1999, after nine years playing elsewhere, he racked up 105 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four passes defended and three fumble recoveries. He was named team MVP that season. That level of production held steady through the 2002 season, his last in the NFL at the age of 35. Over the 14 games wide receiver Xavier Worthy played in 2025, he was given the ball 53 times, less than four touches per game. After the shoulder injury he suffered during Week 1, it was clear that Worthy’s usage was limited in the offense, and that has been reiterated by head coach Andy Reid this offseason. He was protected with his route tree, but that can’t continue to be the case in full health. He is too explosive in the open field, especially on quick-hitting plays like receiver screens and shallow crossing routes, to not have a higher volume of usage moving forward. Worthy has a lot to prove as an NFL player, but one of the biggest things will be his durability. He has shown toughness and flashes of play strength given his physique, but the team needs his full-go playmaking all season in 2026

Tyquan Thornton Considered a Starter in Three-Wide Sets

Tyquan Thornton is expected to be a starter in three-wide sets for the Kansas City Chiefs this season, playing alongside Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. After a 2025 season cut short by injury, Thornton is poised for increased snaps due to departures of other receivers. However, his weekly fantasy value may still be limited by the Chiefs' offense and the presence of Rice and Worthy. He is currently ranked as the No. 114 fantasy WR

Fantasy Football Sleepers, Busts & Predictions: 2026 Kansas City Chiefs

Only one team has gone longer since its last 1,000-yard receiver than the Kansas City Chiefs , who last had someone crack 1,000 yards when Travis Kelce got there in 2022. (The Packers haven’t gotten there since Davante Adams in 2021.) No team has gone longer since its last 1,000-yard rusher than the Chiefs, who last had someone pass the threshold when Kareem Hunt did it in 2017. (The Chargers and Saints also had their last 1,000-yard rusher in 2017.) The easy thing to say is that everything disintegrated for Kansas City last year, with the team going from three straight Super Bowl appearances to a 6-11 finish. And of course in a lot of ways that’s true. But also, the team hasn’t actually been an offensive dynamo for a few years now, and it’s been Patrick Mahomes and a very good defense that have carried the team. Now heading into 2026, the team has a flashy new running back, a wide receiver who is healty and eligible, and potential. But does that mean a rebound 2026? Kansas City’s top pass catchers are (in some order) a tight end who turns 37 in October, a wide receiver who it seems is one off-field misstep away from being out of football, and a former first-rounder who only scored one touchdown and 532 yards last year despite playing as the team’s borderline WR1 much of the year. After those three (Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy , in order), the next options are guys like Tyquan Thornton , fifth-round rookie Cyrus Allen, backup tight end Noah Gray and Jalen Royals. In short, this team is not flush with pass-catching options, and if Patrick Mahomes can return healthy, someone’s going to have to step up, especially if Kelce really is over the age cliff and/or Rice can’t get his head on right. Royals did essentially nothing as a fourth-round rookie last year, not even seeing a target until he had 2 receptions for 4 yards on 3 targets in Week 18. But he had 1,080 yards and a MWC-leading 15 touchdowns at Utah State in 2023, and he followed that up with 834 yards and 6 scores in seven games in 2024. He’s got the makeup to be a power slot, and if he can develop a la guys like Parker Washington or Jauan Jennings in recent years, it’ll happen this year. This is obviously just a deep-league play, but if you’re diving deep, a late-rounder on Jalen Royals isn’t a bad idea. Truth be told, I like Rice on the football field , and yes I needed that emphasis. I think there’s a very realistic world where he performs similarly to the back half of his rookie year, when he was the WR9 in PPR points per game from Week 12 to the end of the season. But that’s the kicker. The best stretch you can find for Rice is him averaging 86.3 yards per game down the stretch of 2023, putting up WR9 numbers … and yet he’s the WR11 in drafts this year? That’s just a wild overdraft for a guy whose realistic ceiling isn’t much above that. And all of that is even before we discuss the fact that his star quarterback tore his ACL late last year, and while reports on Patrick Mahomes’ recovery are good, you never know until you see him on the field. His backup is Justin Fields , and if you’re counting on Justin Fields to make your wide receiver productive, you might be in for a bad time. And all of that is even before we discuss anything about Rice’s off-the-field situations. As of right now, it definitely doesn’t look like Rice is in line for any further suspension based on his probation violation earlier this summer. But he’s run into enough issues so far in his career that pretty much anything that were to happen between now and the season could have him on the sidelines for who knows how long. Should you avoid drafting Rice altogether because of off-the-field concerns? No, probably not. But it’s just another point of concern on a guy with a lot of them who is still somehow being drafted as if he’s a top-12 fantasy wide receiver, and I just don’t see it. Betting against Patrick Mahomes feels like a fool’s errand, but the situation in Kansas City has th [... truncated ...]

Tyquan Thornton an Attractive Later-Round Pick in Best-Ball Drafts

After three disappointing years in New England, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton enjoyed the most productive season of his young career in 2025, serving as the primary vertical threat in a Chiefs offense that has stagnated in recent years. Since the departure of Tyreek Hill in 2022, two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes II had seen his air yards per attempt on a steady decline, and while that number sat at only 7.0 in 2025, it still represented a slight uptick over his previous two seasons. While he caught only 19 passes in his first season with the Chiefs, Thornton was easily the most explosive piece of an offense whose most reliable playmakers tended to operate underneath, averaging more than 23 yards per reception and adding three touchdowns to his 438 yards. The team's most impactful receiver, Rashee Rice, is expected to be cleared of the legal situation for which he already served a six-game suspension, while 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy should be healthier after a frustrating, injury-marred sophomore campaign, but neither possesses Thornton's ability to consistently stretch the field. While his production may come in more unpredictable spurts, Thornton should benefit from further developed chemistry with Mahomes, and he is a worthwhile selection in the later rounds of 2026 best ball drafts