Rice was well on his way to being the one of, if not the number-one wide receiver in fantasy football this season. But then tragedy struck in Week 4. The 24-year-old went down awkwardly with a knee injury during the Chiefs win over the Chargers and Kansas City is fearful that Rice suffered a torn ACL, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Chiefs will be more than likely without Rice for the rest of the season. Let’s not forget that Hollywood Brown (shoulder) is also not expected to return this year. Rice was the third most targeted player in the NFL before going down in Week 4 and his absence creates a massive void for the Chiefs. Not only should Travis Kelce start to regain his form with more usage – the tight end caught seven of his nine targets for 79 yards after Rice got hurt in Week 4, all of which set season highs for Kelce – Worthy’s fantasy value is about to skyrocket as the Chiefs’ new No.1 receiver.
After Rice exited in Week 4, Rice caught three of his four targets for 73 yards and a touchdown against a stout Chargers’ defense on the road.
This resulted in 16.3 FPTS for the rookie and Worthy notably ran a route on 89% on Patrick Mahomes’ dropbacks, which is the highest route rate Worthy has seen this season. The speedster is averaging 3.31 FPTS per touch and 17.1 yards per reception this season, and Worthy should continue to be a full-time player in Rice’s absence, giving him incredible upside in this Mahomes’ led offense.
For Worthy’s first full start sans Rice, the rookie will face the Saints on Monday Night Football in Week 5. While New Orleans is a less than ideal matchup – they are the sixth-highest graded defense on PFF – Worthy is a now a matchup proof player as one of Mahomes’ main weapons. On top of being a locked in starter for all season-long formats, Worthy will have appeal as a DFS option for Showdown contests Monday. He simply has slate-breaking upside.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Chiefs are five-point favorites over the Saints, who have now dropped two in a row after their hot start.
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