Rashee Rice

Rashee Rice hasn't had an easy ride in his early career. A great rookie season was followed by a troubled off season and then an ACL injury early in 2024. If he has his head right and with full fitness he should destroy his current ADP, but the IF's are real concerns. Especially with a looming suspension

Looked primed for a top-5 fantasy season before tearing his LCL in Week 4 on a fluke play. The fact he won't start the season suspended adds risk, but he'll slot in for WR1 numbers at your WR2 or WR3 slots in any games he's active. Fingers crossed he's not missing for the fantasy playoffs, which is a possiblity that has to be considered.

My podcast partner, Brandon Angelo, from Angelo's Analysis is an athletic trainer to professional athletes. He had concerns about Kirk Cousins last spring that were rooted in his job knowledge. He has concerns about Rice's ability to withstand the punishment of the game this year. 

My ranking of Worthy and Rice is based on this. If you want to bet against this, then flip-flop where I have valued Worthy and Rice, but you still have to factor a multi-game suspension that's coming after pleaing guilty to two felony charges. 

*Pending suspension has pushed his ranking down.* He's a bully at 204 pounds and an amazing athlete who posted a 41" vertical and a 10'08" broad jump. His 2024 breakout into superstar status was going to be glorious. Here were his game logs before the season-ending injury: Week 1: 9 targets, 7 catches, 103 yards; Week 2: 6 targets, 5 catches, 75 yards, 1 touchdown; Week 3: 14 targets, 12 catches, 110 yards, 1 touchdown. The Chiefs love to utilize him in motion, on screens, and with targets near the line of scrimmage to let him use his elite yards after catch ability. But he also has the athleticism and talent to win down the field.

He is going to miss three or four games, but if he returns to the same role we saw in 2024, with 9 or 10 targets per game, his value is still excellent once he is back on the field.