The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. 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 9?
Worthy is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to 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 9?
Your optimism about Xavier Worthy should be directly tied to what you think DeAndre Hopkins has to offer — and that terrifies me. The rookie has begun to see his role take shape of late, and if not for the acquisition of the veteran playmaker, would have me moving heaven and earth to acquire him.
Worthy has five red-zone touches over his previous three games and has been targeted on over 25% of his routes in consecutive weeks, not bad for a player who hadn’t crossed 18.2% beforehand. Mahomes continues to operate a pretty conservative offensive attack, but he’s beginning to let his metaphorical hair down recently when looking the way of the fastest sprinter in the NFL.
- Weeks 1-4: 26.7% of Worthy’s targets were deep downfield
- Weeks 5-8: 36.4% of Worthy’s targets were deep downfield
So, what’s it going to be? Was Hopkins brought in for his route-running savvy and as a pseudo-Rashee Rice replacement, or was he brought in to further stretch the field and give space for this running game/Travis Kelce to help matriculate the ball down the field?
I lean toward the latter, which has me out on Worthy. However, I will admit that I’m not operating with the utmost confidence in that evaluation because trying to get inside the head of Andy Reid is impossible.
I’m not starting Worthy until I have a better feel for this situation. I will tell you (as long as you pinky promise to not tell my league mates) that I’m going to be watching Hopkins’ usage like a hawk. Not his production, his usage. If he’s lining up in the slot and running six-yard crossing routes on 3rd-and-5, I’m sending an offer to the Worthy owner as fast as possible.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Xavier Worthy’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Worthy is projected to score 13.1 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.2 receptions for 66.9 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Another defense that is at risk of ruining a good thing is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have now been inside the bottom 10 on four occasions this year and inside the bottom five on three of those. That was fine when the offense was at full strength, but asking the offense to score 30+ points without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin is a tough ask.
When you look at many of their metrics, things do not look that bad, but they consistently allow teams to move the ball on them in the passing game. They allow an average of 2.04 points per drive and 6.0 yards per play. Tampa Bay has conceded 26 or more points five times in the last six weeks and lost four of those games. Those numbers could easily be six and five with the Chiefs up next in Week 9.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Xavier Worthy’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (at BAL)
2) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. ARI)
3) Nico Collins | HOU (at JAX)
4) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. PIT)
5) Puka Nacua | LAR (at NO)
6) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. CHI)
7) George Pickens | PIT (at CIN)
8) Mike Evans | TB (at CAR)
9) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at GB)
10) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (vs. NYG)
11) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. TEN)
12) Cooper Kupp | LAR (at NO)
13) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. PIT)
14) Drake London | ATL (vs. LAC)
15) Malik Nabers | NYG (at DAL)
16) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. CLE)
17) DK Metcalf | SEA (at NYJ)
18) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. SF)
19) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at WAS)
20) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. PHI)
21) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at NYJ)
22) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at ATL)
23) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. MIA)
24) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. CHI)
25) Jauan Jennings | SF (at BUF)
26) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. SEA)
27) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (at BUF)
28) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at GB)
29) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. SEA)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (at BAL)
31) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. LAC)
32) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. SF)
33) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NE)
34) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at MIN)
35) Tank Dell | HOU (at JAX)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. LV)
37) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at KC)
38) DJ Moore | CHI (at DET)
39) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. LV)
40) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
41) Keenan Allen | CHI (at DET)
42) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. ARI)
43) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at ATL)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (at DET)
45) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at DEN)
46) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at DAL)
47) Elijah Moore | CLE (at DEN)
48) Christian Watson | GB (vs. MIA)
49) Noah Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
50) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. SF)
51) Xavier Legette | CAR (vs. TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. IND)
53) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at WAS)
54) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. SF)
55) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. TB)
56) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
57) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at BUF)
58) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. IND)
59) Alec Pierce | IND (at NE)
60) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. CLE)
61) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. LAC)
62) Darius Slayton | NYG (at DAL)
63) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. PHI)
64) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. NYG)
65) Mike Williams | PIT (at CIN)
66) Jalen McMillan | TB (at CAR)
67) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at ATL)
68) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at NYJ)
69) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. LV)
70) Michael Wilson | ARI (at MIN)
71) Tre Tucker | LV (at KC)
72) Van Jefferson | PIT (at CIN)
73) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (at NO)
74) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. HOU)
75) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. IND)
76) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. SF)
77) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NE)
78) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at WAS)
79) Calvin Austin III | PIT (at CIN)
80) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. MIA)
81) Justin Watson | KC (vs. LV)
82) Diontae Johnson | BAL (vs. PHI)
83) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. NYG)
84) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. CLE)
85) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. CLE)
86) John Metchie III | HOU (at JAX)
87) Ja'Lynn Polk | NE (vs. IND)
88) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. ARI)
89) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. CLE)
90) Odell Beckham Jr. | MIA (at GB)
91) Kalif Raymond | DET (vs. CHI)
92) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. CHI)
93) Jahan Dotson | PHI (at BAL)
94) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. TEN)
95) Malik Washington | MIA (at GB)
96) Nelson Agholor | BAL (vs. PHI)
97) Bo Melton | GB (vs. MIA)
98) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. PHI)
99) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (vs. TEN)
100) Mecole Hardman Jr. | KC (vs. LV)
101) Tutu Atwell | LAR (at NO)
102) Jalen Brooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
103) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
104) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at JAX)
105) DJ Turner | LV (at KC)
106) Tyler Johnson | LAR (at NO)
107) Robert Woods | HOU (at JAX)
108) Jalen Reagor | LAC (at ATL)
109) Jake Bobo | SEA (at NYJ)
110) Jordan Whittington | LAR (at NO)
111) Greg Dortch | ARI (at MIN)
112) Jonathan Mingo | DAL (vs. NYG)
113) Sterling Shepard | TB (at CAR)
114) Parris Campbell | PHI (at BAL)
115) Trey Palmer | TB (at CAR)
116) DeAndre Carter | CHI (at DET)
117) Laviska Shenault Jr. | SEA (at NYJ)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs Insights
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: This is the first of a seven-game stretch that sees Tampa Bay play five road games.
QB: Baker Mayfield has thrown for 325 yards and three touchdowns in three straight games – the last player with a four-game streak was Aaron Rodgers bridging the 2012-13 seasons.
Offense: The Bucs are averaging 2.57 points per drive, pacing for their second most this millennium (other: 2020, Super Bowl champions).
Defense: Over the past two weeks (BAL and ATL), Tampa Bay has allowed 3.6 points per drive (Weeks 1-6: 2.0).
Fantasy: We spent a lot of time last week trying to pin the tail on the Buccaneer WR most likely to step up when it proved to be the existing pieces—against the Falcons, Cade Otton, Bucky Irving, and Rachaad White accounted for 48.2% of Tampa Bay’s receiving yards and 56.8% of their receptions.
Betting: Tampa Bay is 4-16 ATS (20%) over their past 20 primetime games (0-2 this season in a pair of shootouts – 36-30 loss to the Falcons in Week 5 and a 41-31 loss to the Ravens in Week 7).
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: This isn’t the high-flying offense we want it to be, but there is an offensive floor that comes with Patrick Mahomes, and that’s enough—this team hasn’t lost a game in which they’ve scored over 20 points since December 4, 2022 (at Bengals).
QB: Mahomes doesn’t have a completion that traveled 20 yards in the air in October.
Offense: The Chiefs averaged 31.1 points per game in their 2022 wins. That number dropped to 25.0 last season and is even lower in their undefeated start this season (24.7).
Defense: They proved willing to ramp up the aggression last week in Vegas if they identify it as a weakness of their opponent – 47.1% blitz rate after checking in under 28% in each of their three games prior.
Fantasy: Mahomes hasn’t finished better than QB16 in six straight games and has a lower pass touchdown rate than Will Levis this season.
Betting: Mahomes has covered all three of his primetime games this season (Ravens, Falcons, and Saints) after covering just three of his most recent 11 regular season primetime games entering 2024.