Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy popped up on the team's injury report on Thursday, raising concerns about his availability for a pivotal AFC West showdown with the division-leading Denver Broncos (8-2) on Sunday.
Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Worthy, the No. 28 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, was listed as limited in practice with an ankle injury. He played roughly 83.3 percent of Kansas City's offensive snaps in its last game, a 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, finishing with three receptions for 23 yards. Worthy missed two games earlier this season with a dislocated shoulder injury after colliding with tight end Travis Kelce early in the first quarter of a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3). Overall, Worthy has 24 receptions, 256 receiving yards and a touchdown in seven starts.
Ankle Injury Another Potential Setback For Kansas City Speedster
Worthy hasn't quite had the impact the Chiefs were hoping for when moving up to select him two NFL Drafts ago. He famously ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 scouting combine, but that speed hasn't necessarily translated to the field. According to ESPN Analytics wide receiver metrics, he ranks tied for No. 65 in ability to get open (among 104 qualifying receivers). Worthy grades out even worse in yards after catch (tied-No. 75).
While he hasn't been the elite game-breaker as anticipated, his potential absence would be another hit to the Chiefs' receiver corps just as it got back to full strength. Rashee Rice returned in Week 7 after a six-game suspension stemming from a 2024 arrest and is averaging 71.7 receiving yards per game.
With Worthy primarily working as a deep threat, it's some of the other high depth-of-target receivers in the offense who should be expected to pick up the slack if Worthy can't go. Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster likey wouldn't see much of a change in their roles, but Tyquan Thornton and Hollywood Brown could be leaned on more heavily. Consider how the Chiefs' non-running backs stack up in average depth of target (aDOT).
Receiver | Average Target Depth |
|---|---|
Tyquan Thornton | 25.5 yards |
Nikko Remigio | 18.0 yards |
Xavier Worthy | 11.9 yards |
Hollywood Brown | 10.4 yards |
Jason Brownlee | 9.0 yards |
Noah Gray | 6.4 yards |
Travis Kelce | 6.0 yards |
JuJu Smith-Schuster | 5.6 yards |
Rashee Rice | 5.0 yards |
Denver is No. 6 in pass defense, allowing 179.5 yards per game. It's likely to be without star corner Patrick Surtain II (pectoral), the 2024 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, for the third consecutive game. But the unit hasn't skipped a beat in the first two games he's missed, allowing 152.5 pass yards per game and 22 points combined.
The Chiefs (5-4) may need their full arsenal to snap Denver's seven-game win streak and inch closer to the AFC West lead, but with Worthy appearing on Thursday's injury report, they might be down a weapon. He's had a mostly subdued start to his pro career, and an ankle injury isn't likely to get him back on track.