Rashee

Rice

Seemingly unable to let him win in man coverage with the amount of pressure they were seeing, Rice was relegated to a high-end gadget player against the Broncos. He did manage a team-leading three targets in the red zone, but only turned them into nine yards. We expect better against the Colts next week, where Rice will remain on the WR1 line despite this dud against one of the league’s best defenses.

Rice had 50 yards receiving and one rushing touchdown in the first half, but was essentially silent in the second half. His only catch came on a 4th-and-17 conversion where Mahomes extended the play, and the Bills’ defense was caught scrambling. While the Bills’ defense certainly made adjustments to take Rice away, the Chiefs need to do a better job at feeding him targets. Still, as far as fantasy floors go, 80 yards and a rushing touchdown is pretty good. Rice will be on the WR1 line again in Week 11.

Rice now has consecutive games of leading the team in targets and has notched three scores in two games since returning from suspension. His fantasy day could have been even bigger had he not been tackled twice inside the two, the first on a run from wildcat inside the 10 and the second on a reception in the flat. Both of those plays resulted in short touchdowns by Kareem Hunt. Rice’s role appears to be one of the most valuable in the league considering the hefty volume and elite red zone role, all while playing for an offense that has now scored 28 points or more in five straight. He is likely to remain busy when the Chiefs take on the Bills in Week 9, keeping him firmly entrenched as a fantasy WR1 moving forward.

Head coach Andy Reid said Rice would have a “heavy” workload in his return from suspension and stuck to his word. Rice’s 10 targets led all Chiefs players on the afternoon, while his 42 receiving yards were tied for second-most. The Chiefs wasted little time getting Rice involved, targeting him four times on their first two possessions, including down inside the Raiders’ five-yard line where Patrick Mahomes connected with him on a two-yard shovel pass for a touchdown. Mahomes and Rice would later connect on a three-yard score to close out the first half in a game the Chiefs dominated from start to finish. Everything we saw from Rice looked exactly like what we saw from him in 2024, when he totaled 23 receptions for 288 yards and two scores in what was effectively three full games before his injury. Rice will be a fringe WR1/WR2 in a plus Week 8 matchup against the Commanders.

The Chiefs have no plans to ease Rice back into the starting lineup after he was suspended for the season’s first six games. Rice, according to Fowler, “has been in the building for weeks, had an excellent training camp and is in peak physical shape. A team source says Rice will be ‘full bore’ this week as he gets back onto the practice field.” It sound like fantasy managers can expect something close to a full route share and Rice’s normal role as a dominator of intermediate targets from Patrick Mahomes against a vulnerable Vegas secondary. Rice’s return will likely hurt Travis Kelce’s targets as he loses out on those intermediate looks.

Rice served a six-game suspension after violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Rice pleaded guilty to two felonies relating to a multi car crash he was involved with last year. It will be Rice’s first taste of game action since Week 4 of last season, but the third-year receiver was on a tear before his season-ending knee injury. In what amounted to essentially three games played, Rice caught 24 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns on 29 targets. Rice was involved with the team throughout training camp and should be up to full speed or close to it. We’ll conservatively project him as a WR2/WR3 in his first return to action against the Raiders.

Our long national nightmare appears over as the NFL and NFLPA work to finalize this settlement. Rice has accepted and will serve a six-game suspension to start the season. He’ll be eligible to return when the Chiefs take on the Raiders in Week 7.

According to a previous report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL initially proposed a 10-game suspension for Rice, which his representatives rebuffed. With the sides unable to reach a settlement on the length of the suspension, his case will be heard by Judge Sue L. Robinson. Rice is going to end up serving the suspension in the middle of the season and the league is still aiming for him to miss a significant portion of the season at potentially six games.

Rice nearly hauled in a long pass from Patrick Mahomes on the second play from scrimmage but CB Nahshon Wright interfered, resulting in both defensive pass interference and face mask penalties. Rice scored on the Chiefs’ third drive, gaining handsy separation on an end zone fade. He’s a risky pick due to the potential suspension but when on-field, he makes a strong case for WR1 consideration.

Per Pelissero, the NFL initially proposed a suspension lasting 10-plus games. Rice’s representatives argued for a far shorter suspension, in part because “there is no precedent for suspending someone for over half of the season.” With the two sides reaching an impasse, it was determined Rice’s case would be presented before Judge Sue L. Robinson, which could put Rice’s late-season availability at risk. Losing Rice early in the year would sting as well, with high-profile opponents like the Chargers, Eagles and Ravens on tap in Weeks 1-4. Both the team and the league are incentivized to get this issue sorted out as quickly as possible.