Following a Monday Night Football loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Kansas City Chiefs are back to work on a short week. Another prime-time matchup is on the docket for Week 6, as the Detroit Lions come to town.

Unfortunately for Andy Reid’s crew, one player won’t be getting any work in on Thursday.

Worthy, Kansas City’s 2024 first-round pick, was a full participant throughout last week’s practice. With that said, his ankle swelled up on him during the team’s flight down to Jacksonville. That led to him being ruled “questionable” to play on Monday, yet he played through any discomfort. He finished with 6 catches for 42 yards and a nine-yard run.

Of course, Worthy is also playing through a torn labrum after he dislocated his shoulder in Week 1. That caused him to miss Weeks 2 and 3, only for him to post 5 catches for 83 yards and 2 carries for 38 yards in his triumphant Week 4 return.

Prior to Week 5’s loss, quarterback Patrick Mahomes spoke about whether Worthy exceeded expectations in that game.

“Obviously, just you never know with coming off an injury. but that’s what I expected from the beginning of the season,” Mahomes said. “I think the best way to put it is he’s a guy that can win one-on-one against really everybody in the league. When you have that much explosiveness and you can run routes like he does, it brings a lot of attention to him.

“You saw that they had to make decisions if they were going to play man coverage or rather play zone coverage, and then it helped get other guys open as well. As well as just bringing energy. He has a lot of energy on the football field — he’s got celebrations it seems like every single week. I think that’s contagious, and it brought energy to the entire sideline and the entire team. It was a great thing to get him out there.”

Considering Worthy was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, this is a situation to monitor. It could either be merely an injury management day or signal a potential setback. Friday’s participation will reveal a potential status for the weekend.

Until fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice returns from suspension — and potentially even after that — Worthy is the Chiefs’ most dynamic pass catcher. The speedster broke the NFL Combine record for 40-yard dash time last year and while he doesn’t quite have Tyreek Hill-level acceleration in games, he’s capable of factoring into just about every aspect of the offense. Worthy is the straw that currently stirs the drink, as evidenced in his Week 4 return.

The reigning AFC champions do have some other options at their disposal, though. Leading the team in targets and receptions is Marquise “Hollywood” Brown with 40 and 26, respectively. He’s no longer the athlete he once was, but Mahomes trusts him in short-range progressions like slants and run-pass options. Veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster remains as steady as ever and is a complementary piece.

Two other intriguing players to watch are Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Royals. Thornton is experiencing a career renaissance in Kansas City, already at a personal-high mark with a team-leading 272 receiving yards. He paces the NFL in average yards per reception at 20.9, highlighting his big-play ability. Royals, a rookie who opened the year battling knee tendonitis, has yet to break out. He played four snaps on Monday.

Then there’s tight end Travis Kelce, who is averaging a career-low 48.6 yards per game with a career-high 70% success rate. Mahomes has weapons to throw to but in an ideal world, he won’t have to experience life without both Worthy and Rice again.