Xavier Worthy's shoulder injury was significant enough to require surgery, but he's now fully recovered and trending up for 2026. Here's the timeline:
- Week 1, 2025 — He collided with Travis Kelce on a mesh concept, which Matt Harmon says "probably ruined his season with the shoulder situation" [].
- Late May 2026 — He was spotted in a non-contact yellow jersey at OTAs, which raised concerns given his history of labrum issues and prior shoulder surgery (from the Xavier Worthy page).
- Early June — Worthy said the forced downtime in 2025 helped him develop mentally and physically, and that his 42-catch season didn't reflect his true ability.
- Mid-to-late June — He had visibly recovered from shoulder surgery, bulked up, and Andy Reid gave him special praise: "Xavier Worthy looks good, and he needs to be for Chiefs." Reid also has him in "more highlighted positions" as he rounds into form.
Bottom line: The injury was serious — labrum surgery — but he's past it, bigger, and getting glowing reviews from Reid. On Fantasy Football Today, he was called a "great mid-round target" noting the Chiefs purposely limited his routes after return []. Sal Vetri also called him a "buy low, buy the dip" candidate, since he's going four rounds later than his 2025 ADP []. If he stays healthy, the breakout opportunity is real — especially with Rashee Rice's off-field situation opening up targets.