Reid: Rice (knee) doing great, cleared to practice

Rashee Rice (knee) is also practicing in full. Both players underwent offseason knee procedures and had slow ramp-ups during the summer. Both players were active for Week 1 and found the end zone. Mahomes did so on the ground, putting the notion that he would be hampered by the knee issue to rest. The passing attack still looked shaky in Week 1, but there are no health concerns for either player. Mahomes will be a low-end QB1 versus the Colts, and Rice will hold a spot in the WR2 ranks.

Rice saw only two targets as the Chiefs clearly had a ground-heavy game plan to ease quarterback Patrick Mahomes back into action in his first game since tearing his ACL in 2025. Furthermore, Rice was largely unable to generate separation against a stingy Denver secondary, oftentimes locked down in man coverage. Even his touchdown was uninspiring aside from a great effort to bounce off the first tackler. Rice appears to be a shaky fantasy bet for managers that invested an early-round pick into his services, particularly in the coming weeks against poor competition. Rice will be a speculative WR3 against the Colts in Week 2.

Rice is evidently good to go for Week 1 after a tumultuous offseason, which included a knee operation and a jail stint. The Chiefs’ No. 1 wide receiver looked sluggish in training camp while rookie WR Cyrus Allen shined, but Rice’s status as the entrenched top target earner counts for something. Rice should be viewed as a WR2 entering the season.

Andy Reid also echoed this sentiment earlier in the offseason. As Rapoport points out, Rice was already suspended for his involvement in a hit-and-run car crash in 2024. He violated his probation this year and spent 30 days in jail, but it doesn’t sound like the league plans to punish him any further. Rice is also recovering from offseason knee surgery and has received mixed reviews over the first two weeks of training camp. For fantasy purposes, as long as Rice can soak up check-downs, the PPR points will flow.

The Chiefs are doing the same thing with CB L’Jarius Sneed. There is nothing to be worried about here. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the team is “just building them up,” which will “take a little bit of time.” Rice is still working on conditioning at this point, but once his cardio is good to go, we should see him practicing fully. He was cleared to practice on July 24th after undergoing an offseason clean-up procedure on his knee. Rice is a WR2 with WR1 upside.

Reid gave a meandering response when asked about the team’s discussions with the league regarding Rice’s latest off-field issues. Rice is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence for violating his probation. Per Reid, the team spoke with the league, and “as far as any further ado to that, there’s been no talk about anything further.” Reid said only, “don’t know,” when reporters tried to clarify whether Rice might be suspended. The Chiefs are evidently “moving forward, just normal as we go here.” Drawing a firm conclusion from this is difficult, but we suppose that the fact that the league did not bring up a possible suspension when speaking with the team is a positive sign.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite a productive 156-1,797-14 line in 28 career games, recurring legal issues have caught up to Rice here. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would ordinarily be in line for an extension here, but Rice, who was recently sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating his probation, will need to wait on that. Rice will miss OTAs and mandatory minicamp as a result of his prison stint, and will need to impress both on and off the field this upcoming season if he hopes to secure a long-term extension next offseason. He caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in eight games last season and has averaged 64.2 receiving yards per game in his career to go with 7.5 targets per game. Assuming he’s good to go for the start of this season, Rice will profile as a fringe WR1/WR2 with tons of upside.

This of course has to do with Rashee Rice failing a drug test and undergoing another knee procedure and missing up to two months. Rice this week violated his probation by testing positive for THC and will serve 30 days in jail. He’s slated to be out of jail by the middle of June. This is just the latest in a long time of off-the-field issues that have kept Rice away from the team. There’s also the matter of Rice’s health, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tuesday that the KC wideout will be sidelined for upwards of two months after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his right knee. The Chiefs, Breer said, believed Rice can be a top-10 NFL receiver when healthy, but are skeptical as to whether they can trust Rice to stay out of legal trouble and stay healthy. Rice’s legal woes and injury history could force Kansas City to reconsider an offer for Brown, who is widely expected to be dealt by the Eagles after June 1. The Patriots and Jaguars have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown. “I don’t believe that happens,” Breer said of Brown landing in Kansas City. “But I think if you’re the Chiefs you have to take a look at all of these things going forward.”

Rice’s off-the-field issues once again will coincide with a knee issue. Schefter reports Rice underwent a clean-up procedure to remove “loose debris” in his right knee one week prior to being ordered to serve 30 days in jail due to violating probation. The 26-year-old is expected to be sidelined two months due to the procedure. He will miss much of the Chiefs offseason program but would be ready to return for training camp, as long as legal issues do not keep him off the field. The Chiefs have a sparse receiving room behind Rice and would have Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton as their top two wide receivers without Rice. Pending Rice’s recovery, the Chiefs may look to add a pass-catcher or two for depth heading into training camp.

Rice reportedly tested positive for marijuana, released in court documents dated Tuesday, 19 May. The court order states that the defendant (Rice) was placed in custody Tuesday and has been ordered to serve 30 days in jail, to end 16 June. That places Rice in line to miss organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. The presence of a controlled substance in his system was a violation of the probation stemming from third degree felony charges levied last July in connection with highway racing that led to bodily harm. This comes a month after the league ruled that there would be no further adjudication resultant from the incident. That could change given recent happenings. Stay tuned, sports fans. Xavier Worthy would be the player to benefit most in a fantasy setting should Rice face additional league discipline. Playing in the final season of his rookie deal, Rice’s future hangs in the balance after yet another offseason transgression.