Fantasy Football Player Notes

Xavier Worthy came on strong late in his rookie season. If you include playoff games, and if you exclude Week 18, when the Chiefs sat their starters. Worthy had 50 catches over his last eight games, with at least five catches in each of those games. That's better than a 100-catch pace over a full season. But Worthy was largely playing the role that was vacated by the injured Rashee Rice, and now Rice is healthy. But Rice will be suspended for the first six games of the season for causing a multi-car crash in Dallas in March 2024. It's reasonable to assume that Worthy won't continue to produce at a 100-catch pace when Rice is back in the lineup, but Worthy isn't going to fade into the woodwork and just be a Marquez Valdes-Scantling type decoy either. Worthy is still compelling, as long as you can get him at a reasonable price.

Rashee Rice was electric early last season, averaging 21.6 PPR fantasy points per game over the first three weeks. But he tore his LCL in Week 4 and missed the rest of the year. Now, Rice must serve a six-game suspension for his involvement in a multi-car crash in Dallas in March 2024. It's possible that upon his return, Rice goes right back to being Patrick Mahomes' favorite short-area target and picks up where he left off. But young WR Xavier Worthy asserted himself for the Chiefs down the stretch last season, so Rice's target volume might not be quite what it was before his injury.

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown had a lost 2024 season due to a shoulder injury but returned in Week 16 and immediately saw strong usage in the Chiefs' offense. From Week 16 on, he posted a 29% target rate - top-10 among WRs - and a 28% air yards share, signaling Kansas City still views him as a key piece. The production didn't follow (14 catches, 141 yards, 0 TDs), but the opportunity was promising. With Rashee Rice recovering from injury/facing a six-game suspension to start the year, and Travis Kelce approaching age 36, Brown could take on a larger role than expected in 2025.

With Rashee Rice sidelined for the 1st 6 weeks, Jalen Royals will have an opportunity to seize a larger role in the Chiefs passing offense.