Start or sit? Chiefs weapon has far more upside Week 1 than he will moving forward

The Kansas City Chiefs are generally a smart offense to bet on in fantasy football. Last season was a mild aberration, though. Even Travis Kelce went through his lulls. Patrick Mahomes will always rank near the top of QB boards, but it's fair to wonder how the individual pieces around him will produce through the cold, hard lense of fantasy.

Isiah Pecheco and Travis Kelce are the strongest, safest bets — a workhorse power back and the NFL's most dominant tight end. Even after mixed results in 2023, Kelce figures to produce as well as anybody at his position. How the Chiefs' WR room fares, however, will be the focus for a lot of folks. There are golden opportunities aplenty to buy low on Kansas City wideouts. If the right connection clicks with Mahomes, there could be major rewards for those who take the plunge.

There are probably three Chiefs wideouts who are truly worthy of investment in fantasy football — Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, and (no pun intended) Xavier Worthy. Rice is the de facto WR1 after a strong rookie season, but he's due for a suspension in the distant future. It's unclear when the league will actually bring the hammer down, but Rice was responsible for multiple injuries in a reckless driving accident, so he figures to miss a fair amount of time.

As for which Chiefs wideout deserves second billing, that is a more complex issue. Both Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy occupy similar niches on paper. Small, skinny, and utterly explosive pass-catchers who can take the lid off a defense and wreak havoc after the catch. The Chiefs have plenty of room for multiple wide receivers in that mold, but odds are one really pops as Mahomes' favorite deep-ball target.

Xavier Worthy has major Week 1 upside for Chiefs, but it could get complicated afterward

For those toggling their lineup bubble on Thursday night, Worthy is among the best upside bets for Week 1. It's never totally safe to rely on rookies in fantasy — especially not in Week 1 — but Worthy should receive a healthy target share with Hollywood on the sideline. Brown has been officially ruled out for Thursday Night Football after suffering a shoulder injury in the Chiefs' preseason opener. He could miss another week or two, depending on unknowable factors.

That sets up Worthy on a pedestal out of the gate. It also means Worthy has been able to get more reps with Mahomes, both in practice and in preseason action, since Brown's injury. That could prove to be an early-season advantage, even after Brown returns.

In the long run, however, Brown has more experience to lean on and he's a generally "safe" projection compared to the untested Worthy. Neither is very strong, but Brown is listed at 180 pounds. Worthy sits at 165 pounds. Physicality was an issue for Worthy during camp and he's going to face a steep adjustment period at the NFL level. It won't matter so much if Mahomes is focused on Worthy, but once Brown returns, he could very quickly take a chunk out of Worthy's week-to-week target share.

Both Worthy and Brown can score a 60-yard touchdown at a moment's notice, so there will be upside all around every week. In terms of who emerges as a more stable WR2 from the Chiefs offense, though, the safest season-long bet in probably Brown. That obviously won't apply to Week 1, though. Plus Worthy into those lineups and see if he can use his trademark speed to break off a chunk gain against the Baltimore Ravens' stingy defense. With Mahomes throwing the football, pretty much anything is possible.