This August, one of the top offensive weapons for the Kansas City Chiefs has been dealing with a scary injury. Kadarius Toney, a third-year wide receiver, has been dealing with a partial meniscus tear in his knee, an injury that had him miss camp, practices, and all of the Chiefs preseason games.
With limited resources in the wide receiver room, Toney is a big part of the Chiefs’ plans in 2023. Patrick Mahomes is the top quarterback in the NFL, but he still needs weapons in his offense (outside of star tight end Travis Kelce).
How has Toney’s injury been healing, and what is his status for Week 1? Let’s dive in and find out!
Latest News Surrounding Toney
If you are a Toney manager, you likely were worried most of August about his availability. This is, after all, not the first time he has been injured. Toney missed 15 games his first two years in the league, or nearly half the games he could have played in.
Another look at Kadarius Toney moving well on Monday pic.twitter.com/gRhhMhuJXz
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) September 4, 2023
But news came Monday from head coach Andy Reid that Toney will be on the field for the Chiefs this Thursday for the NFL Kickoff Game against the Detroit Lions. He was announced as good to go on the Monday of a Thursday night game week, the equivalent of a coach clearing a player on a Thursday for a Sunday game.
This is the news Chiefs fans and fantasy managers have been looking for since late July when Reid announced to the media that Toney would be having surgery for the partially torn meniscus. Reid said, at the time of surgery, that he thought Toney could be ready for Week 1. Looks like his wish for Toney’s availability came true.
Will Toney Play This Week?
The word out of Kansas City from Reid is that Toney is good to go for Thursday night. The Chiefs should have a full wide receiver room for their home opener.
Along with Toney, the Chiefs have a wide receiver group of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Richie James Jr., Justyn Ross, and rookie Rashee Rice. Toney’s availability will be important in a room that doesn’t have a single player who has ever eclipsed 700 receiving yards in a single season.
Toney’s 31.1 yards per game in his career is second on the team to only Valdes-Scantling (37.4 yards per game). With Mahomes at quarterback, expect at least one of these receivers to boost that average this season.
What Does This Mean For Toney’s Fantasy Ranking?
In redraft, Toney’s ranking will rise up boards with this latest news. When word came out that Toney had a partially torn meniscus, his stock dropped. People were (rightfully) unwilling to invest in a player that may not be ready to start the year. With the third-year receiver already suiting up for Week 1, in an offense with limited wide receiver talent, fantasy managers will be willing to take a shot on him again.
From a dynasty perspective, Toney has to be worrying to some extent. He has missed 15 of 34 potential regular season games in his career already. Though he is healthy and ready to go for Week 1, will it be long before we see another injury for the wide receiver? Betting on an asset who has been very injury-prone is difficult for any dynasty manager.
For the time being, Toney is ranked at 45 according to PFN’s Consensus Dynasty Rankings. This is essentially the value of a future mid-second-round pick. For that value, I would likely hold onto Toney for the time being. If he starts the year with some good games in that Chiefs offense, his stock will rise significantly.
MORE: 2023 WR Fantasy Football Rankings
If you are still worried about injuries, you could wait and sell once that rise happens. There is still a chance he suffers another setback before you can find a buyer, but that risk is worth the reward if he breaks out with Mahomes at the start of this season.