Week 11 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Xavier Worthy vs. Tetairoa McMillan

Analyzing which wide receiver is a better start in Week 11 fantasy football matchups: Xavier Worthy of the Kansas City Chiefs or Tetairoa McMillan of the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Last week, the fantasy market saw TreVeyon Henderson explode with two long scoring runs, which showcases why riding impact players with high ceilings is a critical part of fantasy roster development. 

Xavier Worthy should bring a similar skill set to the Chiefs’ offense at wide receiver, but Kansas City continues to feature him close to the line of scrimmage (9.1 yards per catch over his last five games). He’s averaging only 10.48 fantasy points per game in PPR formats, with dull results in five consecutive starts (6/51, 2/26/1, 3/48, 5/53, and 3/30). Based on his fantasy scoring, Worthy grades as a backend WR3 in PPR formats so far in 2025.

Some sharp fantasy drafters in the high-stakes market placed early bets on Tetairoa McMillan hitting the ground running in his rookie season. Ten games into his NFL career, he’s averaging 11.90 fantasy points per game in PPR formats (4.6 catches for 62 yards with a 20% scoring). Poor quarterback play has been a significant factor in his scoring, and the Panthers have developed into one of the better run teams in the NFL. McMillan scored between 10.00 and 18.00 fantasy points in six of his nine matchups while having a floor of eight targets in seven starts.

Who to start: Xavier Worthy or Tetairoa McMillan

The first step in evaluating this wide receiver decision is the strength of quarterback play, in which the Chiefs hold a massive edge. Touchdown opportunity is an essential factor in coin toss fantasy starts. 

The Panthers have 12 passing touchdowns (none over their last three contest), with their quarterbacks averaging only 181 passing yards per game. 

Kansas City only has 17 passing scores over nine games, but they played many games without their top two wide receivers. Patrick Mahomes has three passing touchdowns or more in four of his last six matchups while averaging 261 passing yards per game. The Chiefs’ wide receivers have accounted for 12 receiving touchdowns.

Denver Broncos’ Wide Receiver Defense

CB Patrick Surtain should miss his third consecutive game this week due to a pectoral injury. In his career with the Broncos, he’s allowed 205 catches for 2,188 yards and 12 touchdowns on 360 targets (74 games). Receivers have only scored twice against him over his last 28 starts. The Broncos’ pass coverage should be exposed more in this week’s matchup against Kansas City.

Shawn Childs

The Broncos come into Week 11 ranked 10th in wide receiver defense (258.70 fantasy points). Wideouts gain 10.6 yards per catch (second lowest behind the Chiefs), with them scoring only three touchdowns.

• Keenan Allen (7/65/1)
• Quentin Johnston (6/89)
• DeVonta Smith (8/114)
• Wan’Dale Robinson (6/95)
• CeeDee Lamb (7/74)
• George Pickens (7/78)
• Nico Collins (7/75)

Atlanta Falcons’ Fantasy Defense

The Falcons come into this week’s matchup with motivation to rebound against the Carolina, after they drilled them 30-0 in Week 3. In that matchup, the Panthers gained only 231 combined yards, which shouldn’t have resulted in such a dominating win.

Shawn Childs

Atlanta ranks fourth in wide receiver defense (246.30 fantasy points), helped by facing only 138 pass attempts (third lowest in the league). They’ve allowed only 84 catches (60.9% catch rate), with wideout scoring nine times.

• Emeka Egbuka (4/67/2)
• Deebo Samuel (6/72/1)
• Jaylen Waddle (5/99/1)
• DeMario Douglas (4/100/1)
• Alec Pierce (4/84/1)

Only one team has attempted more than 29 passes against the Falcons (Baker Mayfield – 32 in Week 1 ~ 173/3). They held their first seven opponents to 205 passing yards or fewer. Bryce Young passed for 121 yards with no touchdowns, leading to a dull game for McMillan (3/48 in eight targets).

The Verdict: Xavier Worthy vs. Tetairoa McMillan

This start/sit decision is full of pitfalls for both players. I hate the way the Chiefs use Worthy, especially when adding how he finished in 2024 (6/76/1, 7/65/1, 8/79/1, 8/101/1, and 8/157/2 over six games). These results alone should be enough to ride him out in his below-par matchup. 

I can’t trust Bryce Young. He passed for fewer than 200 yards in eight consecutive games while having under 20 completions in each matchup. As a result, the quarterback play in Carolina compromises McMillan’s ceiling, and his matchup doesn’t invite high upside. Worthy is my pony in this start/sit decision.