Jalen Royals

NFL player. Position: WR. Team: KC (Kansas City Chiefs).

Quick Facts

Position: WR
Team: KC (Kansas City Chiefs)
Bye week (2026): 5
FantasyPros PPR rank (pulled 2026-05-28): TBD

2026 Outlook

Fourth-round pick from Utah State in 2025 who missed his rookie season's middle chunk with knee tendinitis. Caught 2 passes on 3 targets for 4 yards in limited rookie action. With Rashee Rice out of OTAs due to a 30-day jail sentence for probation violation, Royals is getting significant first-team reps during the offseason (per Andy Reid using Rashee Rice's absence to see what Jalen Royals can do with Chiefs). Coach Andy Reid emphasized the value of these opportunities: "It's great for him and for the quarterbacks to see what he's all about on repeated reps." Reid's confidence in Royals' upside—combined with the extended playing time—positions him to compete for a larger role in 2026 (per Chiefs 2026 OTAs: 10 Biggest Takeaways as Patrick Mahomes Continues Remarkable Recovery).

At OTAs (5/28-5/29), Royals made strong contested catches over the middle and appeared to show marked improvement from his quiet rookie season. He drew praise from both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, with Mahomes noting Royals "looked strong out there and running well." The early OTA impressions suggest Royals may be putting a "forgettable rookie season behind him" and positioning himself as a legitimate depth receiver heading into 2026 (per Andy Reid using Rashee Rice's absence to see what Jalen Royals can do with Chiefs and Six observations from Day 3 of Chiefs OTAs: Mahomes, Worthy & top standouts). If he continues to stay healthy and impress, he could carve out a larger role alongside core receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton.

Role / Depth Chart

(filled in by ingest — starter, backup, committee, snap share trend)

Injury Status

Knee tendinitis kept him sidelined during portions of 2025 season. Appears healthy heading into 2026 offseason based on OTA participation (per Andy Reid using Rashee Rice's absence to see what Jalen Royals can do with Chiefs).

Recent News

2026-05-29 — Chiefs OTA notebook: 6 players that got a word from Andy Reid (Chiefs OTA notebook: 6 players that got a word from Andy Reid)
2026-03-12 — 2026 NFL Free Agency Moves & Fantasy Football Impact (2026 NFL Free Agency Moves & Fantasy Football Impact)
2026-05-29 — 🏈 Chiefs WR Rashee Rice continues serving jail sentence as team begins voluntary... (🏈 Chiefs WR Rashee Rice continues serving jail sentence as team begins voluntary...)
2026-05-29 — Several Players Impress as Chiefs Kick Off OTAs at the Team Facility (Several Players Impress as Chiefs Kick Off OTAs at the Team Facility)
2026-05-29 — Andy Reid using Rashee Rice’s absence to see what Jalen Royals can do with Chiefs (Andy Reid using Rashee Rice’s absence to see what Jalen Royals can do with Chiefs)
2026-05-20 — Rashee Rice violated his probation. Will the NFL suspend him? (Rashee Rice violated his probation. Will the NFL suspend him?)
2026-05-19 — Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Ordered To Serve 30 Days In Jail For Violating Probation - NFL... (Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Ordered To Serve 30 Days In Jail For Violating Probation - NFL...)
2026-05-28 — Chiefs' Andy Reid expects Rashee Rice to be ready for training camp after jail... (Chiefs' Andy Reid expects Rashee Rice to be ready for training camp after jail...)
2026-05-29 — Chiefs 2026 OTAs: 10 Biggest Takeaways as Patrick Mahomes Continues Remarkable Recovery (Chiefs 2026 OTAs: 10 Biggest Takeaways as Patrick Mahomes Continues Remarkable Recovery)
2026-05-27 — Patrick Mahomes’ recovery update: What he looks like 5 months after knee surgery (Patrick Mahomes’ recovery update: What he looks like 5 months after knee surgery)

Open Questions

(scoped to this player — pulled from Fantasy Football Open Questions)

Sources

(receipts — every claim above should link to a source here)