The veteran wide receiver, Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders, is coming off a disappointing season opener, while Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy had about as good of an NFL debut as could be imagined.
Which player is the better choice for fantasy football managers to start in Week 2 lineups?
Should You Start Terry McLaurin or Xavier Worthy This Week?
Pro Football Network’s Start/Sit Optimizer and PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that McLaurin is the player to start.
His projected 12.0 points include a projection of four receptions and 60 receiving yards. That narrowly outperforms Worthy’s consensus projection (11.4 points, four receptions, and 56 receiving yards).
My ranking for these two wide receivers aligns with the consensus.
It’s rare to see McLaurin have two subpar games in a row, so expecting a good bounce-back game against a poor team (New York Giants) is probably better than depending on a rookie to have back-to-back impressive performances.
McLaurin’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
McLaurin, who is WR27 in Pro Football Network’s Fantasy Rankings, had about as disappointing of a performance as he’s had in years in Week 1. He was targeted just four times, including only one target in the first half.
McLaurin finished with only two receptions for 17 yards in the Commanders’ lopsided loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Considering the Commanders are still getting used to life with a rookie quarterback (Jayden Daniels), it could be natural not to expect too much from the team in the passing game. That, naturally, would usually eliminate using McLaurin in fantasy lineups.
But there are a couple of reasons why McLaurin should be considered in fantasy lineups in Week 2.
Terry McLaurin with speed to burn down the left sideline, overthrown by rookie Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/oXc571Epui
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 9, 2024
First, the last time McLaurin had fewer than 20 receiving yards in a game was Week 13 last season vs. the Miami Dolphins.
The following week against the Los Angeles Rams, McLaurin had 141 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The other reason is Washington’s Week 2 opponent, the Giants. McLaurin has caught at least five passes in eight of his nine career games vs. New York, with the lone exception coming in Week 18 of the 2021 season, when he still had 93 receiving yards.
Worthy’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
In his first NFL game, Worthy finished with only three touches. But he scored a touchdown on two of them — a 21-yard scoring run and a 35-yard touchdown reception.
Worthy finished Week 1 with two receptions on three targets for 47 yards, along with his one rushing attempt for 21 yards. His final fantasy point total was 20.8, tops among all Chiefs players in Week 1, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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While it’s understandable for fantasy managers to want to take advantage of the rookie’s impressive performance, there are reasons why, despite the contrasts in production last week, McLaurin still ranks higher in the PFN rankings (Worthy is WR28).
The biggest dilemma for Worthy is the fact that he plays in an offense loaded with weapons. From Mahomes, to tight end Travis Kelce, to fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice, to running back Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs have a number of quality players that require attention when they’re on the field.
Worthy may get more attention in Week 2 after his brilliant performance in his debut. But how much more, and will it be enough to make an impact similar to last week?
Kyle Soppe’s Fantasy Outlook for McLaurin and Worthy
Terry McLaurin: I’m not sounding the alarm just yet, but I certainly didn’t expect a four-target, 17-yard day from McLaurin against a gettable Buccaneers secondary in Week 1.
I understand that there will be peaks and valleys with a rookie quarterback taking over, but the lack of opportunities is what scares me. In Chicago, Caleb Williams struggled, but at least he struggled while targeting his top options. My hope is that we see a better effort from Daniels the passer in his second start, this one coming in an even friendlier matchup (Sam Darnold opened last week with 12 straight completions and a score against these G-men).
McLaurin remains inside my top 30 receivers for this week, ranking alongside Williams’ top two targets in Chicago.
Xavier Worthy: I’d argue that his fantasy production (68 yards and two touchdowns on three touches) outpaced the performance (11.1% target share despite a 76.7% route participation). But the speed certainly translates.
The 35-yard touchdown catch was a broken coverage, and while that type of thing is difficult to count on, Worthy’s profile is going to cause issues like that due to the leverage his speed creates.
The difficult part of Worthy’s situation is that sometimes he will benefit from the space he creates and other times it’ll be his teammates. Think of Steph Curry’s impact, where sometimes he breaks free, and other times his teammates are left wide open with all of the attention flocking to him.
I was encouraged by the rookie matching Rice’s route count with 23. All other Chief receivers totaled 30. Will that sustain as Brown works his way back into action?
That is a concern for another day. You can Flex Worthy, though you need to be aware that the floor is low until he proves capable of earning targets on a consistent basis.