Jalen Royals Fantasy Stats

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals missed the first two games of the 2025 season with a knee injury. He's been active in each of the team's last three games, but Royals has not yet been targeted by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 22-year-old appears buried on Kansas City's wide receiver depth chart behind Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals could fall down the depth chart even further in Week 7 when top Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is eligible to return from suspension. Royals maintains some appeal in dynasty leagues, but he should remain off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the time being.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) is officially active for Sunday's Week 3 contest against the New York Giants. The rookie had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction after logging a full practice on Friday. He'll make his pro debut on Sunday night after missing the first two games of the season. Royals could provide a boost to a wide receiver room that is currently without Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder). However, the fourth-round pick will likely still find himself behind established receivers like Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) is officially listed as questionable for his team's Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants. Royals has missed Kansas City's first two games of 2025 as he battles knee tendinitis, but he was able to log full practices on both Thursday and Friday heading into Week 3. A fourth-round pick out of Utah State, Royals was reportedly opening some eyes in camp before his knee started acting up. His role in the Chiefs' offense is unknown and may depend on the status of Xavier Worthy (shoulder), who is also questionable to play in Week 3 due to a torn labrum. Even if he's able to play, Royals would likely be behind Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton in the short term. However, the rookie could work into a bigger role as the season progresses. Royals is a name to monitor as a potential stash candidate in deep leagues.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) was able to upgrade to a full practice for the first time this year on Thursday after he was listed as limited in the first Week 3 practice on Wednesday, according to Matt McMullen of Chiefs.com. Royals missed the first two games of his rookie season with a knee injury, but his full practice on Thursday suggests he'll be active in Week 3 against the New York Giants as the Chiefs look for their first win of the year. How big a role the 22-year-old fourth-rounder has in KC's offense will depend on the status of Xavier Worthy, who is attempting to play through a torn labrum in his shoulder that he suffered in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. However, even if Royals is active and Worthy misses a second straight game, the rookie wideout will probably be no better than the WR4 behind Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Xavier Worthy (shoulder) and Jalen Royals (knee) will both practice on Wednesday, according to head coach Andy Reid. Worthy suffered a full tear of his right labrum in the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers when he collided with teammate Travis Kelce on the opening series of the game. He missed the Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl rematch, but the fact that he's back at practice gives him a chance to play this Sunday against the New York Giants on Sunday night as KC looks for its first 2025 win. It's good news that the 22-year-old is practicing, but his status could still be in doubt for Week 3, and with the game being on Sunday night this week, Worthy is shaping up as an extremely risky fantasy play. Royals missed the first two games of the season and can remain on the waiver wire in most redraft leagues while being buried on the WR depth chart.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) will miss his second consecutive game in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. With top Chiefs wide receivers Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder) both currently sidelined, Royals' injury is causing him to miss a golden opportunity to establish a role in the Kansas City offense. Without Royals in the mix, Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton appear set to anchor the team's wide receiver corps in Week 2.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) missed another practice on Thursday, putting his availability for Sunday's Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles in serious doubt. The fourth-round pick impressed throughout the preseason and was expected to carve out an early role in the Chiefs' passing attack, but lingering knee tendinitis has delayed his NFL debut. Royals' absence leaves Kansas City relying heavily on Marquise Brown, who operated as the clear No. 1 option in Week 1. Fantasy managers should view Brown as a viable low-end WR2 or strong flex play, while veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce remain key targets for Patrick Mahomes. Until Royals is healthy enough to return, Kansas City's offense will continue to funnel through its established playmakers.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) missed Wednesday's practice, putting his status for the Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles in doubt. Andy Reid said Royals is "doing better" and "making progress," but the fourth-round pick could miss another week while he ramps up. In his absence, expect the Chiefs to keep funneling targets to Marquise Brown, who turned a team-high 16 targets into 10 catches for 99 yards in Week 1, with Travis Kelce working the middle. Against an Eagles secondary built to limit explosives, Kansas City may lean more on the run game to stay on schedule and protect possessions.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. The fourth-round pick has been sidelined for multiple weeks with knee tendinitis and did not travel with the team to Brazil on Wednesday. Royals was expected to provide depth behind third-year starter Rashee Rice, who is suspended for the first six games. With both Royals and Rice unavailable, veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster is positioned to take on a larger role. Smith-Schuster, who rejoined the Chiefs in 2024 after Rice suffered a season-ending LCL injury, has an opportunity to stabilize the passing game early in the year. Royals' next opportunity to make his NFL debut is against the Philadelphia Eagles. - Nathan Harvey

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) was the only Chiefs player not to practice on Tuesday, according to head coach Andy Reid. This shouldn't be much of a surprise, as Reid said just last week that Royals wasn't expected to be available to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener in Brazil on Friday against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers as he continues to work his way through knee tendinitis. The 22-year-old is a worthy dynasty/keeper league stash in KC's offense, but fantasy managers in most single-year formats can leave Royals to the waiver wire to open the year. It remains to be seen if he'll be ready to make his NFL debut in Week 2 in a rematch of the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles. With Rashee Rice opening the year serving a suspension, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster should be the team's top three wideouts.