The big story heading into the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers is the wide receiver position. All eyes are on how the Chiefs plan to handle the injuries they suffered during Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season.

Kansas City opened its first practice session of the week without wide receiver Rashee Rice, who injured his hamstring early in the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs were also without wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who suffered an ankle dislocation and was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery.

Kansas City will definitely be without Thornton. The Chiefs could realistically be down two of their starting wide receivers against the Chargers. And not just any two starters, either. Rice and Thornton have been the team’s two most productive wide receivers so far in 2026.

Andy Reid leans on the next man up at wide receiver

Speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice session, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the team is prepared to handle the wide receiver injuries.

Coach Reid is comfortable with the group, even if Chiefs Kingdom has some reservations.

“They do get a lot of reps in practice, and we normally rotate guys in there anyways,” Reid said. “I mean, guys need a blow (to catch their breath), so the guys go in and have a chance to play. But we’ve got a good stable of guys at that spot and feel comfortable with, Pat (Mahomes) feels comfortable with, and so we try to use them when needed.”

Thornton played a specific role in Kansas City’s offense. He was the team’s premier deep threat this season, and he even caught a 55-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes on the play that injured him. So, how exactly do the Chiefs plan to fill that role?

Xavier Worthy is the natural fit for Tyquan Thornton’s role with the Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have long subscribed to a next-man-up mentality, and not just at wide receiver. It applies to every position across the roster. Reid echoed that sentiment on Wednesday. He explained that while Thornton was having a great season, Kansas City has players in place to step in and fill that same role. Reid specifically pointed to one of those players.

“Yeah, that’s the way things worked out for Tyquan (Thornton),” Reid said. “He was having a very good year, and I’m sad to see what happened to him because of that, and he’s a great kid on top of it. But one man’s lost, another man’s opportunity to jump in and do that. So, whoever that might be, that’s got the call. They make the play, then that’s a positive. But I have trust in all the guys. And Xavier (Worthy)’s still in there, too. And he’s coming off a couple of good catches in our last couple games.”

Xavier Worthy is coming off a strong performance. He caught a 41-yard pass in the Week 4 win over the Raiders, finishing with four catches for 70 yards on seven targets. Two weeks earlier, Worthy caught his first touchdown of the 2026 NFL season, hauling in five passes for 25 yards on seven targets against the Indianapolis Colts.

The former first-round draft pick and record-holding speedster is the natural replacement for Thornton. His speed makes him the obvious choice to slide into that vertical role for Mahomes. Worthy isn’t the only one who will have to step up in Thornton’s absence, and potentially Rice’s. Kansas City will rely on several young players to help the offense through this stretch of injury-related adversity.

What about Chiefs rookie WR Cyrus Allen?

That list includes rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen, who drew plenty of hype during training camp and the preseason. That buzz has since faded because of his limited opportunities through the first four weeks of the season.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes discussed his message to young receivers like Royals. An MVP quarterback’s trust and confidence go a long way.

“That they’re ready,” Mahomes said. “Like they’ve put in the work. Obviously, we’ve had guys in front of them with Tyquan going out there and playing great football, and so they’ve had to put in the work at practice, and they’ve been doing that and doing that, and so now their number gets called, and they’re going to step into the role and do their job, and so I’m excited for them. We’ll put them in position to succeed, and so I have a lot of trust in those guys, a lot of confidence in them, and so we’ll continue to push it forward.”

Mahomes also has faith in the system. He trusts the reps those players got in practice, training camp, and the preseason to prepare them for moments like this. He also trusts the conversations he has with his receivers to build the chemistry needed.

“Yeah, it’s going to make it easier for them,” Mahomes said. “I mean, when you’re kind of getting thrown in, and you never know which position you’re going to be at and what route you’re going to run, it’s hard. That’s part of playing in the NFL is you don’t get those reps that you necessarily would have had in college and high school and stuff like that, and so I thought they did a great job of stepping in whenever their number’s been called. But now they’ll have a full week of kind of getting those reps in, and we’ll put them in positions to succeed where they can do their best things. I have a lot of confidence in those guys. They did a great job at training camp, and whenever their numbers have been called in the season, they’ve done a great job.”

What Chiefs WR Cyrus Allen is saying about increased opportunities

Allen, for his part, feels the veterans ahead of him have set great examples. Through the first four weeks of the season, he’s been watching Rice, Worthy, and Thornton like a hawk.

“Just watching this great group of guys that I’m playing with,” Allen said via FOX 4 Kansas City’s Harold Kuntz. “Just learning from them, like Rashee (Rice), (Xavier) Worthy, and Ty (Thornton). They have my back. So, just being like very intentional on the things that I do, because I know it’s like a small margin that these guys are gonna break on the ball. So, just being ready for that.”

The rookie even preached the same next-man-up mentality as Reid.

“Just be ready for your opportunity,” Allen said. “Like being in the playbook and knowing everything. So when you get in, you can make plays.”

As for his chemistry with Mahomes, Allen has a lot of confidence in what the two have built during the 2026 offseason and in the lead-up to this moment.

“That’s my guy right there,” Allen said of Mahomes. “He trusts me. Trusted me in training camp. So I’m ready to work with him.”

The Chiefs will find out quickly whether that work translates on the field against Los Angeles. If Allen and Royals can complement Worthy, Kansas City’s offense might not miss a beat.