Fantasy Football Implications of Xavier Worthy's Injury: Is Marquise Brown the Answer?

Kansas City receiver Xavier Worthy left Friday night's game with a shoulder injury on the first drive and didn't return. For a team already missing Rashee Rice for the first six weeks while he's suspended, losing the guy who might have been their de facto WR1 is a massive hit.

The Chiefs' offense went through long stretches of ineffectiveness, not scoring a touchdown until the second half and eventually losing 27-21. Much of the major damage was done by Patrick Mahomes running the ball rather than regularly connecting with his receivers.

If Worthy misses an extended period, Kansas City will be stretched thin at wide receiver. They don't have much for top-line talent or quality depth, falling off quickly after the top few. Pushing those guys into more snaps lowers the Chiefs' offensive talent level, bringing down both their ceiling and their floor.

There are also fantasy football implications. Even if the guys now getting heavy snaps aren't great players, they are still playing with the greatest current quarterback. Catching passes from Mahomes does good things for receivers, and someone has to pick up the volume. Let's go through the players affected by the possibility of Worthy missing more time.

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Patrick Mahomes, QB

Mahomes didn't have a great day throwing the ball, finishing 24-39 for 258 yards (6.6 per attempt) with one touchdown and no interceptions. He made up the difference (and saved his fantasy day) by running the football, leading the team with six carries, 57 yards, and another touchdown.

If Mahomes is running more with his receiving group not getting open, that raises his fantasy floor. Guys like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are so good in the fantasy world because even when they don't have a good day throwing, they still have a baseline of points because they run often. Mahomes added nearly 12 points to his fantasy score with his legs, a great sign for his fantasy owners who might fear a lesser receiving corps.

Marquise Brown, WR

Brown might be the one who steps in as the top receiver among active and healthy players. He missed most of 2024, so we haven't really gotten a chance to see him in action with Mahomes. He combined for 14 receptions on 28 targets for 141 yards in five games (three in the playoffs), never getting a real rhythm after missing the first 16 weeks.

On Friday, Brown clearly filled that top role, catching 10 of 16 targets for 99 yards. Brown was owned in around 50% of leagues before Week 1's action, and he will likely be one of the biggest waiver-wire adds this week.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

Smith-Schuster was a non-factor last year, catching 18 passes in 14 games. He is probably the fourth receiver when everyone is on the field, and Smith-Schuster catches shorter passes most often, so he won't often strike big with a major gain.

Smith-Schuster caught all five of his targets for 55 yards this week. His longest gain was only 16 yards, showing more possession than explosion. Smith-Schuster might be an option in deep leagues, but he's not a guy to count on consistently. More 5.5-point fantasy weeks might be in store.

Jalen Royals and Tyquan Thornton, WR

These are the guys who will fight for WR3 snaps. Royals missed Week 1 with a knee injury, and his status for next week remains unknown. He might also be the most intriguing of the players listed here. Royals was drafted in the fourth round and got positive reviews in the offseason; if both Rice and Worthy are out at the same time, then Royals might get an immediate chance to show what he can do. We know Brown and Smith-Schuster are decent veterans, but Royals could be anything, including a total bust, bringing intrigue and risk.

Thornton was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 but only caught 39 passes in 28 games, mixing injury and ineffectiveness until he was cut during last season. He's only 25 years old, and more snaps with Mahomes and Andy Reid will help, but Thornton hasn't done anything of note in his career. He caught two passes for 41 yards in Week 1.

Travis Kelce, TE

In the past, the easy answer would have been Kelce picking up a major chunk of the targets, operating as the WR1. Now a month shy of 36, Kelce isn't the same kind of player he was in his prime. His impact has dropped in two straight seasons, and while he is able to make plays, they happen much less frequently, robbing KC of a major offensive piece they relied on for years.

Kelce had just one catch for 10 yards through three quarters before catching a 37-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. That play didn't feature Kelce beating coverage; the Chiefs faked a receiver screen, and the man guarding Kelce broke to stop the short man, allowing the tight end to leak into open space and walk in for the touchdown. That's not to say that Kelce didn't do his job, but his acting might have been better than his route running on that one.

Kelce's outlook probably doesn't change much with Worthy's injury. He is still going to be part of the offense, but he doesn't have the ability to be a constant force anymore. Maybe he'll get a few more throws his way in the red zone and on third downs if the receiving group is compromised, but Kelce is just an OK fantasy player now.

Conclusion

Until we find out more, it's easy to assume that Worthy will miss more than just this one game. Brown is a player to add unless you have a really strong set of wide receivers. Smith-Schuster is more of a low-ceiling, deep-league option, and Royals is a high-upside, low-floor player who still isn't healthy.

Mahomes and Kelce likely don't see their values change much, and owners who drafted them probably aren't looking to bench the Kansas City pair. We'll know more when Worthy gets fully examined, but for the time being, there is receiving unrest in Kansas City, and new fantasy performers are emerging.