Dynasty fantasy football managers can be vulnerable to overreacting to an ideal landing spot for an incoming rookie prospect. For example, Skyy Moore saw his dynasty value skyrocket when the Kansas City Chiefs invested a second-round pick to select him in the 2022 NFL Draft. Two years later, the Chiefs traded up to select speedy Texas WR Xavier Worthy in the first round of this draft to give Patrick Mahomes one of the fastest receivers to ever enter the NFL as a weapon for the foreseeable future. After falling into a great landing spot, what can dynasty fantasy managers expect from Worthy in 2024? Should You Draft Xavier Worthy in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
The Chiefs led the NFL with 44 drops last season. Outside of Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, the collection of Kansas City pass-catchers was quite underwhelming. Names like Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (now a free agent), Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, and the aforementioned Moore all failed to seize the opportunity for a larger role in this offense moving forward. Despite adding Marquise Brown via free agency this offseason, the team still made it a priority to trade up to acquire Worthy in this draft. To the naked eye, some may consider Worthy a clone version of Brown with his smaller frame and elite vertical speed. Honestly, the physical comparison isn’t too far off with both players weighing less than 175 pounds, but there are some differences in their game. Worthy was heavily utilized in the screen game during his days at Texas and was a surprisingly effective run-after-catch (RAC) threat in college despite his thin frame. In addition, I see a bit more route-running nuance on all three levels of the field than Brown entering the league. Worthy feels more like a moveable weapon for head coach Andy Reid, which could lead to an exciting fantasy outlook. Ultimately, playing with Mahomes to start your career isn’t a terrible thing. Dynasty managers should temper their expectations in 2024 while Worthy learns the immense amount of detail in Kansas City’s offensive scheme, with different receivers playing different roles and the presence of Kelce, Rice, and Brown potentially lowering his fantasy ceiling a bit in his rookie year. He may be vastly undersized at 5’11”, 165 pounds, but the long-term upside as a vertical playmaker and RAC weapon in the short game is there in spades and could prove to be the most explosive weapon the team has seen since Tyreek Hill was a fantasy star in this offense.
Who Is Worthy?
Background
Worthy was a highly touted four-star receiver prospect throughout his prep football days at Central East High School in Fresno, Calif. He was originally selected to play in the 2021 All-American Bowl, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Worthy first committed to playing football at the University of Michigan — which recently won the national championship — before changing his mind and playing football for the Texas Longhorns.
College Production
Worthy’s collegiate career started with a bang after producing 62 receptions for 981 yards and 12 TDs as a true freshman, which earned him the 2021 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award. Despite his numbers decreasing a bit in his sophomore year, he was still named to the 2022 All-Big 12 second-team at the WR position with 60 receptions for 760 yards and nine scores. In 2023, he put it all together with 75 receptions for 1,014 yards and five TDs to help the Longhorns advance to the College Football Playoff.
Injury History
Worthy dealt with an ankle injury heading into the Longhorns’ matchup against the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl, but he never missed a game during his time as a member of the Longhorns.
Worthy’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Game-breaking, elite top speed that can blow the top off of any defensive coverage.
- Good feel for attacking defenders’ leverage on deeper routes; asking a single-high safety to guard him with a two-way go out of the slot is asking for trouble.
- A dangerous big-play threat when he gets the ball in his hands after the catch; great acceleration and top speed can destroy the angles of undisciplined defenders.
- Surprising amount of broken tackles, despite his lack of size; plays with quality contact balance and fights through tackles for extra yardage after the catch.
- Versatile release package against man coverage; a good knack for stacking defenders quickly after winning at the line of scrimmage (LOS).
Weaknesses
- Lacks the size and play strength to consistently win at the catch point against physical corners; contested catch rate dropped in three consecutive seasons.
- Needs to gear down more and settle into soft spots when facing zone coverage to make life easier for his quarterback and not run himself into being covered more consistently.
- Twelve drops over his last two years at Texas.
- Offers very little resistance to defenders as a run-blocker.
- Can be knocked off of his route by bigger, more physical corners.
As we look ahead to the 2024 fantasy football season, why not start preparing for your rookie drafts with our dynasty rookie rankings? Additionally, as you look to improve your team heading into 2024, our dynasty trade calculator can help you find the perfect deal to boost your championship chances.
