For many fantasy football managers, the summer months are spent gearing up for the next season. However, for dynasty fantasy managers, it’s the best time to make trades to try and build rosters into contenders.
Throughout the summer, we’ll examine some of the names that are frequently popping up on PFSN’s Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and break down whether fantasy managers are doing the right thing. In this article, specifically, we’ll look at Kansas City Chiefs’ second-year receiver Xavier Worthy.
The Quality of Xavier Worthy’s Season Is a Matter of Perspective
Fantasy managers were ecstatic when the Texas speedster was drafted in the first round by Kansas City. We remember how well Tyreek Hill performed during his tenure with the Chiefs and were excited to see Kansas City’s offense generate explosive plays after a subpar 2024.
On the surface, Worthy’s performance as a rookie (11.0 PPR points per game, WR45) was unremarkable. However, his season was a tale of two halves.
Worthy began his career as a gadget player, working as a deep-shot artist who was also getting schemed-up touches in the run game. In his first game, he famously had a 20.8 PPR performance, but the stat line (two receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown with one carry for 21 yards and a rushing score) was not sustainable.
From Weeks 2 to 10, Worthy struggled to make an impact. He had just one game with more than three receptions or more than 40 receiving yards. Worthy had three double-digit fantasy performances, but all of them came in a game where he scored a receiving touchdown.
To that point, Worthy had been a fantasy flop, but something flipped starting in Week 11. Worthy became more integrated into the offense, catching passes closer to the line of scrimmage and generating plays after the catch.
From Weeks 11 to 17 (didn’t play Week 18), Worthy emerged as the Chiefs’ WR1. He averaged 7.9 targets per game, turning that into 39 receptions for 392 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 11 carries for 67 yards and an additional score.
Worthy was able to maintain that pace in the postseason. In Kansas City’s three playoff games, he caught 19 of 21 targets for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Furthermore, Worthy’s performance in the Super Bowl (eight receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns) elevated his dynasty stock through the roof.
Rookie Xavier Worthy has his 2nd touchdown of the game 👏
📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/8BuZ6UnCrh
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Nevertheless, it’s fair to wonder what version of Worthy we will get going forward. The 2024 season was the perfect runout for him as a rookie.
Veteran receiver Hollywood Brown suffered an injury on his first reception of the preseason and missed a majority of the year. Then, in Week 4, Rashee Rice was on pace to break fantasy football (24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns in three games) but suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Travis Kelce, meanwhile, looked like a tight end who lost a step throughout the season, posting the lowest receiving yards of his career (823) despite seeing no drop-off in his targets (133). Even the run game took a major blow when Isiah Pacheco was limited to just seven games with a leg injury.
Kansas City desperately needed a playmaker, and Worthy was the most qualified one. The question heading into 2025 is simple. Will he be able to maintain his end-of-season production with all of Kansas City’s major weapons healthy and returning in 2025?
Should Fantasy Managers Trade For Worthy?
Since May 1, Worthy has been the second-most often acquired receiver by PFSN users in the trade analyzer, with 60.8% adding him to their roster.
For many reasons, that makes sense. Worthy demonstrated as a rookie that he could excel in a role as an underneath weapon, gaining yards after the catch — a role many didn’t expect him to fill given his 4.21 speed.
However, when he was used as initially intended at the start of the season — as a deep-shot specialist partnered with Patrick Mahomes — the results were much less consistent. Worthy and Mahomes connected on 17.3% of his 20+ yard targets in 2024.
Conversely, Worthy will be competing with a loaded depth chart once again in 2025. Rice looks to be healthy and is seemingly avoiding a 2025 suspension. Kelce has lost a step, but he’s still a favorite target underneath for Mahomes, while Brown re-signed with the Chiefs and has had an offseason to get healthy.
Even the run game was improved, with additions like Elijah Mitchell and Brashard Smith adding a speed dimension to the backfield.
MORE: PFSN Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator!
Worthy will likely cost at least a first-round pick to acquire (if not more), given how his rookie season ended. That’s a high price to pay for a player who doesn’t have a rock-solid role heading into his second season.
Worthy earned more opportunities outside of deep targets based on his play in 2024, but it’s hard to imagine a situation where he’s getting those chances with a fully healthy Chiefs passing attack.