Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown is not expected to play in the season opener

The defending champions will not have a major offseason addition to begin the 2024 NFL season.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Friday that wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is not expected to play in Thursday night’s regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Brown injured his shoulder in the Chiefs’ preseason opener and is unlikely to be healthy in time for Week 1. He’s dealing with a sprained sternoclavicular ligament.

The Chiefs signed Brown to a one-year, $7 million contract this offseason. The former first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens has 313 receptions for 3,644 yards and 28 touchdowns in 72 career games. In 14 games last year with the Arizona Cardinals, he had 51 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns.

Brown is expected to be Kansas City’s No. 1 wide receiver and a favorite weapon of Patrick Mahomes. However, he will have to wait at least a week to get on the pitch and make his debut with his new team.

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The Chiefs opted not to place Brown on injured reserve, meaning they expect him back for the first month of the season. On Thursday, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach provided an update on the injury.

“I don’t like to talk about medical because if I say something and he’s ahead of that timeline or behind that timeline, then I don’t want to put more pressure on the kid,” Veach said. “I can probably say with confidence that it was similar to Tyreek and I think given that timeline, I think it fits the timeline that Tyreek went through, but I know he’s here every day. Now he’s to the point where he can laugh without pain, so that’s a good thing, he’s definitely headed in the right direction and look, there was a reason we didn’t put him on IR to start the season.”

The fantasy football impact of Marquise Brown’s injury

With Brown unlikely to play in Week 1, the Chiefs’ No. 1 wide receiver will likely be Rashee Rice, and he gets an instant boost in fantasy lineups. Moreover, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy could have an early breakout due to his big-play ability.

Tight end Travis Kelce remains a great option as he is sure to see tons of targets, especially in the red zone.

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