The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Denver Broncos in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Xavier Worthy.
Is Xavier Worthy Playing in Week 18?
Worthy is not listed on the injury report this week. However, head coach Andy Reid said he would rest his starters as much as he could, so it’s possible that he will not play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chiefs’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Xavier Worthy in Week 18?
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — I like where things are headed for the Chiefs as we conclude the regular season and get ready for the playoffs.
Last week, Xavier Worthy joined Saquon Barkley as the only rookie in NFL history with nine targets and multiple rush attempts in three straight games. Not bad company and a clear sign that Andy Reid is getting a handle on the chess pieces at his disposal.
This makes me all sorts of bullish on Worthy’s stock in postseason formats and for 2025. His role will take some adjusting when Rashee Rice returns to action, but not for this week. Reid has spent all season slow playing Worthy’s usage, why would he put the rookie in harm’s way for a meaningless game?
The kicker is that even if Reid were to put Worthy on the field, are we sold he produces? This offense will look different with nothing on the line, and Worthy was held to just a single catch on 37 routes when these two teams met in Week 10.
The Broncos are playing for everything, while the Chiefs are more interested to see how the seeding around them shakes out. Sell any short-term Worthy shares, but buy moving forward past Week 18 in whatever capacity you can.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Xavier Worthy’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Worthy is projected to score 10.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 1.9 receptions for 55.6 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Broncos' Defense
The Denver Broncos continue to lead the way in the season-long rankings but have seen their lead narrowed after back-to-back clunkers against the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals.
Denver's grade in Week 17 was 69.6 (D+), its third-worst in a game all season. That's virtually identical to its grade the previous week vs. the Chargers (69.6), which technically ranks as their second-worst game due to rounding. The Broncos posted one D-level grade in their first 14 games but have now done so in back-to-back weeks, even with starting cornerback Riley Moss returning for Week 17.
The Broncos' extremely stingy pass defense has let them down the last two weeks, with a 38.9% pass defense success rate ranking last in the NFL over that span. Even with this horrendous fortnight, Denver still ranks fifth in pass defense success rate for the season.
A home matchup against the Carson Wentz-led Kansas City Chiefs should be a nice tonic for this unit ahead of another huge challenge against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. Of course, if the defense performs at the same level as it has the last two weeks, that Bills playoff matchup may not happen at all.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Xavier Worthy’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (at PIT)
2) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Justin Jefferson | MIN (at DET)
4) Mike Evans | TB (vs. NO)
5) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (at IND)
6) Drake London | ATL (vs. CAR)
7) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at LV)
8) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at LAR)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at DAL)
10) Malik Nabers | NYG (at PHI)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (at PIT)
12) George Pickens | PIT (vs. CIN)
13) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. MIA)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. KC)
15) Jauan Jennings | SF (at ARI)
16) Jordan Addison | MIN (at DET)
17) DJ Moore | CHI (at GB)
18) Nico Collins | HOU (at TEN)
19) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. CLE)
20) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at NYJ)
21) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. MIN)
22) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. NO)
23) Calvin Ridley | TEN (vs. HOU)
24) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. MIA)
25) DK Metcalf | SEA (at LAR)
26) Adam Thielen | CAR (at ATL)
27) Keenan Allen | CHI (at GB)
28) Jakobi Meyers | LV (vs. LAC)
29) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. CHI)
30) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (vs. SF)
31) Josh Downs | IND (vs. JAX)
32) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at LV)
33) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at NYJ)
34) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (vs. JAX)
35) Romeo Doubs | GB (vs. CHI)
36) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. CAR)
37) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at BAL)
38) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at NE)
39) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. CLE)
40) Rome Odunze | CHI (at GB)
41) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. BUF)
42) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at PHI)
43) Jalen Coker | CAR (at ATL)
44) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. CHI)
45) Xavier Worthy | KC (at DEN)
46) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at DAL)
47) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at DEN)
48) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. HOU)
49) Hollywood Brown | KC (at DEN)
50) Amari Cooper | BUF (at NE)
51) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. WAS)
52) Parker Washington | JAX (at IND)
53) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. KC)
54) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. MIN)
55) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. BUF)
56) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. CAR)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (at NE)
58) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. KC)
59) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (at PIT)
60) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. CIN)
61) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. WAS)
62) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at ARI)
63) Michael Wilson | ARI (vs. SF)
64) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at LV)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (at NE)
66) Tre Tucker | LV (vs. LAC)
67) Jalen Nailor | MIN (at DET)
68) Elijah Moore | CLE (at BAL)
69) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at DAL)
70) Xavier Legette | CAR (at ATL)
71) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. BUF)
72) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. WAS)
73) David Moore | CAR (at ATL)
74) Adonai Mitchell | IND (vs. JAX)
75) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. SEA)
76) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. CIN)
77) Malik Washington | MIA (at NYJ)
78) Alec Pierce | IND (vs. JAX)
79) Allen Lazard | NYJ (vs. MIA)
80) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at LAR)
81) John Metchie III | HOU (at TEN)
82) Robert Woods | HOU (at TEN)
83) Darius Slayton | NYG (at PHI)
84) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. CIN)
85) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. KC)
86) Mack Hollins | BUF (at NE)
87) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. SEA)
88) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (at TB)
89) Dante Pettis | CHI (at GB)
90) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at DAL)
91) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at TEN)
92) Ryan Miller | TB (vs. NO)
93) Greg Dortch | ARI (vs. SF)
94) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. KC)
95) DJ Chark | LAC (at LV)
96) Michael Woods II | CLE (at BAL)
97) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (at TB)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at DEN)
99) Devin Duvernay | JAX (at IND)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at DEN)
101) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. CLE)
102) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. NYG)
103) Josh Reynolds | DEN (vs. KC)
104) Ryan Flournoy | DAL (vs. WAS)
105) Trey Palmer | TB (vs. NO)
Chiefs at Broncos Trends and Insights
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: The Chiefs now have multiple six-game win streaks this season, and five of the past seven teams to pull that off have won their conference at the very least (two Super Bowl champions).
QB: Patrick Mahomes has some lofty standards – he’s completing a career-high 65.7% of his red zone passes this season.
Offense: Kansas City has gone six straight games without a turnover (they had one turnover-free game through the first 11 weeks).
Defense: The Chiefs have allowed a touchdown on just two of seven red zone trips over their past three games.
Fantasy: Xavier Worthy averaged 2.5 catches per game through his first six this season and 3.0 over his next six. In his past four games: 5-6-7-8 catches.
Betting: Kansas City had a stretch last season where they went 0-3-1 ATS before finishing the regular season with a pair of covers and winning the Super Bowl. Earlier this season, they failed to cover seven straight, but now have covered three in a row as they get ready to chase a three-peat.
Denver Broncos
Team: Over the past decade, Denver is 0-8 against Kansas City in winter games (games played on or after December 1). They’ve been outscored 216-138 across those games (-9.8 PPG).
QB: Bo Nix has completed 15 of his 19 passes in the final two minutes of regulation this season (78.9%).
Offense: This offense was put in a tough spot against the Bengals on Saturday. Their 24.6-yard line average starting field position was their second-lowest mark of the season.
Defense: Saturday was just the third time this season in which a team picked up at least half of their third downs against Denver – the Broncos are 0-3 in those games.
Fantasy: After reaching 70 yards receiving in six straight games, Courtland Sutton hasn’t cleared 55 in three straight, but he’s bailed you out with a score in two of those games.
Betting: Denver is 11-3 ATS (78.6%) in their last 14 games played on extended rest.