NFL Position Battles: Marquise Brown vs. Xavier Worthy (Fantasy Football)

In recent years, fantasy football has seen a drastic shift in positional value. Wide Receivers have emerged as the most coveted assets to roster, especially in half-PPR or full-PPR formats. At the same time, the running back position further depreciates with every passing season.

There are certain players, including the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, who hold unquestioned roles in their respective offenses. Regardless of matchup or game script, these WRs will unequivocally be the team’s primary pass-catcher on any given Sunday. That being said, this value is reflected in draft price. You’ll need to invest a first-round pick to acquire one of the sure-fire bets at the WR position.

Receivers who find themselves in more ambiguous target trees can be acquired for much cheaper. A key part of any fantasy manager’s offseason research should be to identify these murky situations and determine which WR is most likely to emerge as the alpha. Those who are correct in their assessment will be able to acquire great value with their later-round draft selections.

Puka Nacua‘s historic 2023 season is a great example of this. He accumulated 105 receptions and six touchdowns en route to setting the NFL record for receiving yards as a rookie. With Cooper Kupp‘s offseason injury struggles, analysts across the industry struggled with the target distribution in L.A. It was anyone’s guess as to who would inherit Kupp’s massive volume in the offense. Nacua ended up winning the positional battle against the likes of Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell, leading to league-winning fantasy production.

Below are some of the more intriguing wide receivers in NFL position battles to monitor over the remainder of the offseason.

NFL Position Battles to Monitor: Wide Receivers

Marquise Brown vs. Xavier Worthy (KC)

The reigning Super Bowl champs were quite mediocre on the offensive side of the ball in 2024. Despite boasting an impressive group of offensive pieces, they struggled to put up points at the same rate as years prior. What truly held this team back was its inability to push the ball downfield. The likes of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson simply weren’t able to stretch the field consistently. As a result, the overall offense became predictable as teams started to key in on the short passing game with Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. To this end, the Chiefs invested in Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy in the offseason.

Across his injury-riddled career, Brown has struggled to maintain any form of consistency. He’s yet to surpass a PFF receiving grade of 71.0. This is despite being the main target of offenses led by Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray. 2023 was a particularly underwhelming season for Brown. Among WRs with at least 50 targets, he ranked 57th in receiving grade and 61st in yards per route run (PFF). Heading into his sixth season in the NFL, time is running out for Brown to finally put it all together.

The Chiefs’ selection of Xavier Worthy addressed the need for deep threats in this offense. He excelled in this role during his final collegiate season. According to PFF, he earned a receiving grade of 87.5 when being targeted 20+ yards downfield. His career tallies of 7.0 yards after catch per reception and 14.0 yards per reception illustrate how explosive Worthy can be in this Mahomes-led offense.

This is likely a scenario where Worthy will have to wait a few months before being employed as a full-time starter. Rookie WRs typically take about half a season to acclimate to the NFL. Based on Worthy’s statistical profile, he’ll be able to usurp Brown as the Chiefs’ primary deep threat across the course of the season.

NFL CeeDee Lamb Ja’Marr Chase Justin Jefferson Puka Nacua Cooper Kupp Van Jefferson Tutu Atwell Marquise Brown Xavier Worthy Marquez Valdes-Scantling Justin Watson Travis Kelce Rashee Rice Lamar Jackson Kyler Murray