The Chiefs’ receiver room was supposed to take a step forward heading into the 2025 season. The trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown had fantasy managers dreaming of a Patrick Mahomes fantasy resurgence.
But after Week 1, things look very different. Rice is suspended for the next five games and Worthy left Friday’s game against the Chargers after just three snaps with a brutal shoulder injury after colliding with Travis Kelce on a crosser. That leaves Hollywood Brown as Patrick Mahomes’ WR1 for the time being, and he’s still out there in 24% of Yahoo leagues.
In fantasy football, a potential Mahomes’ target hog is a situation you should probably pay attention to.
THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON HOLLYWOOD
Kansas City’s retooled WR room has been more theory than reality so far. The trio of Rice, Brown, and Worthy played only one preseason snap together in 2024, and now it’ll be at least midseason before they’re all on the field at the same time. Rookie Jalen Royals, drafted as a Rice clone of sorts, also missed Week 1 with a knee injury.
That left the Chiefs rolling out a mix of Hollywood, alongside Patriots castoffs JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton, with Jason Brownlee sprinkled in. Brown ran as the primary slot man, while JuJu handled X duties and Thornton rotated at Z.
The results? Hollywood dominated the passing game. He played 57 snaps and racked up 14 targets, which translated into 10 catches for 99 yards. He also recorded 101 air yards and hauled in a chaotic 49-yard deep ball from Mahomes.
VOLUME KING, EFFICIENCY PEASANT?
Brown’s fantasy box score looks nice, but it didn’t look beautiful on the field. Despite double-digit catches and massive target volume, he finished just shy of 100 yards. In fact, over the past five seasons, there have been 66 instances of a wide receiver seeing at least 16 targets. Hollywood is just the seventh player in that span to fail to hit 100 yards on such heavy volume, per Rotoworld.
The good news is volume rules in fantasy football. With Rice sidelined and Worthy’s timetable uncertain, Brown has a stranglehold on WR1 usage in Kansas City.
FANTASY-RELEVANT CHIEFS PASS-CATCHERS
While Hollywood is the obvious waiver add, he wasn’t the only fantasy-relevant takeaway from Week 1. Dusty JuJu Smith-Schuster ran as the second option in the offense and posted five targets. He’s more of a deep-league bench stash than a priority add, but if Worthy misses multiple weeks, JuJu could have sneaky flex appeal in PPR leagues.
Kareem Hunt also found himself back in the mix, playing as the Chiefs’ third-down back and handling short-yardage situations. He caught two passes on three targets and took high-leverage snaps near the goal line, which always keeps him on the fantasy radar. His 18% rostered rate should rise as more managers look for usable depth at running back.
Rookie Brashard Smith only saw eight snaps, but he has enormous upside in this offense. He has the type of receiving skill set that could eventually earn him a Jerick McKinnon-style role in this offense. At just 2% rostered, he’s only a stash in deeper leagues for now, but in PPR formats, it’s worth tracking his usage in the coming weeks.
And of course, Isiah Pacheco remains the hammer on early downs. The more encouraging sign for his fantasy outlook was that he also handled the two-minute drill, something Kansas City has previously reserved for their pass-catching backs. That makes Pacheco a reliable every-week starter as long as his role continues to expand.
HOLLYWOOD BROWN FANTASY OUTLOOK
So what should fantasy managers expect? In the short term, Hollywood Brown is a locked-in WR2/Flex with strong PPR appeal. He’s going to see double-digit targets as long as Rice and Worthy are out. Even though it was quite ugly, that type of usage is fantasy gold.
In the medium term, Jalen Royals’ (2% rostered) eventual return could eat into Brown’s role, especially if the rookie gets rolling. Royals has a similar skill set to Rice, and once he’s healthy, the Chiefs could redistribute targets to get him involved.
Long term, once Rice is back from suspension and Worthy is healthy, Brown may slide into more of a WR3/4 role in fantasy, making him more matchup-dependent. But even then, he has shown enough usage early on to stay in the weekly conversation.
SUMMARY
Hollywood Brown may not be the most efficient receiver in football, but when Patrick Mahomes is feeding you 14 targets a game, fantasy managers can’t afford to ignore that. He’s still available in nearly three-quarters of Yahoo leagues, and that’s far too many.
If you’re in need of a wideout, Hollywood is your immediate add in KC. Grab him while he’s the WR1 in Kansas City and enjoy the ride before Rice and Worthy return to the mix.
Because in fantasy football, sometimes it’s not about how efficient you are, it’s about being in the right place at the right time. And right now, that’s Hollywood Brown being the last man standing in the Chiefs’ WR room.
Keep tabs on The Wolf’s Weekly Rankings to see how the Chiefs’ receiver core pans out.
