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Although they struggled at times in 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs have been dominant on the offensive side of the ball for most of the past decade. The Chiefs have averaged nearly 30 points per contest with Patrick Mahomes under center, so it should come as no surprise that the team's top targets are always hot commodities in fantasy football.
Travis Kelce might be 34 years old, but he is still the heavy favorite to lead Kansas City in receiving opportunities in 2024. Since the departure of Tyreek Hill, however, the impact of the Chiefs' wide receiver corps has been difficult to project. Rashee Rice, a rookie last season, was inconsistent early on but performed incredibly well down the stretch. Amid an offseason full of controversy for Rice, the Chiefs traded up to select wideout Xavier Worthy in the first round of April's NFL Draft.
With the dust settled and the season just around the corner, who is Kansas City's WR1 this season? Let's find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
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- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
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Who is the Kansas City Chiefs' WR1?
Back in March, Rashee Rice was involved in a hit-and-run crash that left four people injured. Since then, it has been the expectation that Rice would miss time due to a suspension this season. This led to the Chiefs drafting Xavier Worthy with the 28th overall pick a month after signing Marquise Brown to a one-year deal.
It is certainly possible that Kansas City would have drafted Worthy regardless of Rice's situation. The University of Texas product posted 1,049 yards from scrimmage as a junior and lit up the combine with his record-breaking 4.21-second 40-yard dash time. The idea of this kind of speed in a Chiefs uniform gave many NFL fans immediate flashbacks.
Bill Belichick on the #Chiefs selection of Xavier Worthy (via Pat McAfee show) pic.twitter.com/xCWx9lbWk3
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) April 26, 2024
Worthy appeared explosive throughout training camp and looked the part in preseason action, hauling in three of six targets for 62 yards and a touchdown while adding 11 rushing yards against the Detroit Lions on August 17th.
But let's not forget what Rice accomplished late last season. After the Chiefs' Week 10 bye, Rice became a focal point of the offense and scored as a top-10 fantasy wideout from Weeks 11 through 17. He then went on to put up a massive eight-for-130-and-one showing in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
This preseason, Rice continued to be a favorite target of Mahomes. He turned five looks into four receptions for 35 yards against the Lions, the same outing in which Worthy shined. Worthy's statistical output was more impressive, but it is important to note that all of Rice's opportunities came with Mahomes at the helm, while the rookie remained on the field and scored with Carson Wentz at quarterback.
Given everything we saw in 2023 and the chemistry that Rice displayed with Mahomes this summer, it is fair to consider him Kansas City's WR1.
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
To answer the question of who is the better fantasy draft pick, we must first address the elephant in the room. It appears that Rice will avoid a suspension for this upcoming season as the NFL awaits the outcome of his trial in June 2025.
The NFL is not expected to put Rashee Rice on paid leave via placement on the commissioner’s exempt list. The league is expected to make a decision about a possible suspension of Rice once the legal process plays out, source says, leaving him eligible to play in the meantime.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) August 28, 2024
If Worthy's average draft position was much lower than Rice's, he could very well be the better fantasy selection. However, the two are currently going off the board within one round of each other. Rice's ADP will continue to climb over the next week, but it is unlikely to catch up to where it would have been if he had a quiet offseason.
We have already seen that Rice has the potential to be a fantasy WR1 in Andy Reid's potent offense, and he's currently being drafted at his floor in the seventh round. Don't hesitate to draft Rice in the middle rounds of drafts, especially right now with his value still a bit depressed.
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