Positive Injury Update Sparks Optimism For Kansas City Chiefs Wideout Xavier Worthy

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy returned to practice on Thursday, creating cautious optimism for his Week 2 fantasy football availability.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) runs with the ball during the second half against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

We got a bit of somewhat surprising news today when we heard that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy would be returning to practice in a limited capacity. He had foregone the option for surgery for his dislocated shoulder in order to be able to not miss most, if not all, of the remainder of the season. 

That didn't mean we expected him to have a chance to play in Week 2. However, his practice status for Thursday gives us some hope, and if he can practice in full on Friday, he could even enter the weekend on the right side of questionable. It’s also worth mentioning that rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals is also injured, but is still not practicing as of Thursday, which makes it unlikely that he’ll be able to play in Week 2 leaving the Chiefs’ even thinner at wide receiver. 

Jalen Royals (knee) won’t practice for the Chiefs today.

Everybody else, including Xavier Worthy, is scheduled to work in some capacity.

— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) September 11, 2025

Regardless of his practice status, unless he is ruled out early or removed from the injury report completely, we will have to keep a close eye on inactives about an hour and a half before the game to confirm whether or not he'll be playing. This is a very fluid situation that we'll be following closely. 

Fantasy Football Impact of Xavier Worthy Injury

WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs

We start with the man himself. If Worthy does play, he will be a very high re-injury risk and could be limited both physically on the field and by his coaches when it comes to getting snaps. This is something you need to understand if you are planning on putting him in your lineup this week. He has the upside of leading the Chiefs in targets and serving as Patrick Mahomes' WR1; however, he could also be limited and has a tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

WR Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown (5) against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brown was by far the most targeted pass-catcher in Kansas City last week. He saw 16 targets, with Juju Smith-Schuster coming in next with five. The final stat line for Hollywood was 10 receptions for 99 yards. If Worthy is playing and healthy, we know that number is coming down significantly. 

With that said, if Worthy doesn't play, that volume isn't guaranteed to be there again. With a week to prepare for life without Worthy, they could scheme up more work for Travis Kelce. Also, we've seen the Chiefs use one wide receiver one week and another guy the next many times before. We'd guess if they did go to another wideout, it would be Smith-Schuster.

TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce saved his fantasy week with a 37-yard touchdown in the opener. Even with that, he still finished with just two catches for 47 yards on four targets. There is a good chance not much changes for Kelce if Worthy plays, based on the fact that Brown still had 16 targets in Week 1, and those would likely just be divided up with Worthy back. Still, at this point, Kelce could use all the targets he can get. He feels like a sell-high candidate if at all possible.