When the Kansas City Chiefs have hit on draft picks at wide receiver in the past, there’s a 2nd half breakout for that player in their rookie year that isn’t earth-shattering, but that player has an “I understand it now” moment post-bye.  That player the develops a level of target consistency and performance over the back half of the season that is often forgotten going into the next year.

Examples:

Tyreek Hill in 2016:  from week 8 on, paced for 112 targets, 80 receptions, 796 yds, and 5 td on a 17 game season.  Pacing for 32 carries, 464 yards, and 5 more touchdowns. Tyreek finished as the WR4 in 2017. 

Rashee Rice in 2023:  Rice paced for 148 targets, 114 receptions, 1468 yds, and 9 tds. In his 3 games played to start 2024, he paced for 164 targets, 1632 yards, and 11 TD. 

Xavier Worthy finished his rookie season with 98 targets and finished 2024 with 59 catches for 638 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns, adding another 3 rushing touchdowns.  The 5’11 180 lb speedster’s number seem pretty modest, especially considering the performances of peers like Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr, and Ladd McConkey.

Worthy emerged as a reliable option for Patrick Mahomes from weeks 11-17 (didn’t play in week 18) – he paced for 133 targets, 94 receptions, 952 yards, and 7 tds. He added 11 rushes for 67 yards, and 1 score in this period. He was the WR19 during this time period.

Worthy remains almost a forgotten man amongst a deep wide receiver class, despite several key factors pointing to him being an absolute smash in 2025.  He has the draft capital, unbridled speed, and the fantasy ecosystem to easily out-perform his current pick 39 draft position on Underdog, and he could be the one guy from the 2024 class to enter into the upper tier of elite wide receivers if the Chiefs pattern of production with their wide receiver talent continues.

Author: Justin Currie (@Chev90)