Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reacts to a fourth down stop by the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Fantasy Drafters Warned Against Overvaluing Chiefs Star in 2025

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to find their offensive identity again in the 2025 NFL season. They've been able to win behind the strength of their defense and the timely clutch play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes the last two years, but things have changed for the upcoming campaign.

Between their blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX and the losses they've endured on that side of the ball, the Chiefs' D could take a significant step back in 2025. The departures of Justin Reid, Tershawn Wharton, and Derrick Nnadi are sure to be felt, on top of last year's departures of cornerback L'Jarius Sneed and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. Kansas City cou ld still field a solid unit around Chris Jones, but they can't count on the defense to carry them the way it did in 2023 and 2024.

With that in mind, it's imperative that Mahomes and the offense return to form. Thankfully, they have the talent to orchestrate a renaissance season. Travis Kelce may be regressing harshly, but the wide receiver corps is deeper than it's been in a long time, even with Rashee Rice facing a potential midseason suspension.

Is Xavier Worthy going too high in 2025 fantasy football drafts?

Rashee Rice will be available for the first four games of the 2025 NFL season for the Kansas City Chiefs, but they may need their other wide receivers to step up after, as he could be suspended for multiple games by the league. Xavier Worthy is the top candidate to emerge as Patrick Mahomes' new favorite target wit h Travis Kelce stepping back and Rice potentially out for a chunk of the season.

However, The Athletic's KC Joyner believes that fantasy drafters are putting too much stock into the second-year wideout:

"Head coach Andy Reid has spoken at length this offseason about improving the Chiefs’ vertical and stretch vertical (passes of 20+ air yards) production, which could, in theory, help Worthy. But let’s consider the impediments.

Firstly, Reid said the same thing about long pass improvement before last year, and it didn’t pan out for Worthy. He ranked 60th in WR stretch vertical PPR PPG and 86th in vertical PPR PPG. Reid will certainly aim to change that, but he also has to consider that Worthy is the Chiefs’ best short pass receiver, a top red zone threat and can generate 20 or so carries per season. And Worthy is only 165 pounds and has never po sted more than 79 touches in a college or pro campaign.

There is a limit to how much Reid can lean on Worthy in the long pass area. Those aerials may instead end up going to Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice. Worthy is still a very good Round 7 pick who can even be justified in Round 6 in some cases, but taking him in Rounds 4-5 is probably a reach."

Xavier Worthy currently has an average draft position of 53 per FantasyPros, 23rd among wide receivers for the 2025 season. He's got his work cut out for him to justify that ranking.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: