Chiefs WR Worthy Dislocates Shoulder in Week 1 Loss

Second-year Kansas City wide receiver Xavier Worthy experienced a game-ending shoulder injury during the first drive of the Chiefs' game against the Chargers. Following a violent collision with teammate Travis Kelce while running a crossing route, Worthy left the field with a dislocated right shoulder.

According to Yahoo and ESPN, Worthy is rostered in 97% and 99% of leagues respectively so nearly every league has someone deciding between dropping him or using a bench spot in the hopes he comes back. If that person is you, here’s what you need to know about shoulder dislocations:

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, and the most common type of shoulder dislocation is where the ball pops forward out of the socket. Usually this happens when the end of the arm is reached out to the side and forced back which pushes the ball forwards out of the socket. As the ball leaves the socket, it can damage the bone, cartilage and/or soft tissues that help hold it in place. In the NFL, these types of shoulder dislocations are most common in wide receivers and defensive backs who are in a vulnerable position while reaching for the ball. For a comprehensive breakdown of shoulder dislocations versus shoulder separations, check out the article below.

https://thepredictors.com/posts/nfl/2025/shoulder-dislocation-vs-separation-not-even-the-same-joint/

Recovery from a shoulder dislocation takes one of two paths: surgical or non-surgical. If the decision is non-surgical, the athlete can return as soon as they have range of motion and strength back, usually playing with a brace. With no complications and solid rehabilitation, players going this route can sometimes return to play in as little as 2-4 weeks. To contrast, if Worthy gets the shoulder fixed surgically, he’s likely looking at between 5-8 months before he sees the field again.

The gist of it is that as a fantasy owner, your decision hinges on if he has surgery or not. The good news is that our data shows that receivers returning to the field after shoulder dislocations only see an average 5% drop in snap percentage compared to what they saw prior to surgery. Considering Worthy’s 2024 snap percentage grew throughout the season to be in the 80% range, a possible drop of 5% in snaps still puts him solidly in a starting WR snap percentage.