Kadarius Toney was limited during Tuesday's practice and his status for the season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions is questionable. With recent news about Travis Kelce's injury, an opportunity could arise for Toney if he's healthy enough to play Thursday.
Let's analyze his injury status for Week 1 and whether it's a good idea to start him in fantasy football.
Kadarius Toney's injury update
If you expect the Chiefs wide receiver to be at full force on Thursday and want to start him, don't get your hopes up too high. All signs point to Toney dressing up to start the season, but there's no point in risking aggravating the injury just for him to play in Week 1.
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He amassed just 14 receptions for the Chiefs during the 2022 season after he was traded from the New York Giants, the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft but failed to give him enough opportunities to develop.
Although he wasn't much of a feature for the offense in last year's Super Bowl run, Toney registered a five-yard reception during the game that turned into a touchdown. His role on the offense will grow in 2022 following the departures of Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Toney isn't the only weapon for the Chiefs who might miss the game. Tight end Travis Kelce suffered a hyperextended knee during Tuesday's practice and is now in the injury report, but reports say his participation in the game is doubtful. There's inflammation on his knee and his activation will depend on how much his knee swells.
What happened to Kadarius Toney?
Just when you thought that this could be the breakout year for Toney, his fortunes were affected by a knee injury that affected much of his training camp. He had a meniscus trim after the season that had more than enough time to heal, but it's still a situation worth noticing.
For players like Kadarius Toney, whose speed is a huge part of his game, suffering knee injuries can be detrimental in the long term as well. His agility is affected, creating separation from the defenders becomes more difficult, and overall his value diminishes.
Having surgery during camp, as small as it is, will always affect your status at the start of the season. The truth is that, if you're thinking about starting Toney with Travis Kelce's injury opening new opportunities for the passing game, you want to think twice about it
When will Kadarius Toney return?
All signs point to the wide receiver making his season debut for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, but it's uncertain if his snap count will be limited. Due to the nature of the injuries, and the fact that his surgery happened just over a month ago, the bet is that Toney will be limited during the game.
He netted only 14 receptions throughout last season, and while expectations for 2023 are high, there's no reason to put him in your starting lineup. There will be better options who won't be limited, even if his star potential is higher - it's unlikely he will be given many vertical routes during Week 1.
Kadarius Toney, who has an incredible consensus ADP of #115, will feature for your team in plenty of interesting matchups, especially as his chemistry with Mahomes develops throughout the season. But for the first week, the Kansas City Chiefs aren't going to take any chances with him. You should do the same.
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