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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice finds himself embroiled in legal battles that have spooked fantasy managers. As of now, Rice's suspension status by the league remains unknown.
Before the legal battles, Rice was a player at the forefront of many fantasy minds after a stellar rookie season. Rice took over the Chief's wide receiver room partway through the 2023 season and established himself as the No. 1.
With a December 9 court date for his role in a March 2024 hit-and-run car crash, it would seem that a suspension for Rice may be issued for 2025 rather than 2024. If that is the case, then fantasy managers can buy the dip and take a swing at Rice. Should you still draft Rice at ADP or not? Let's check it out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
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- Tight end fantasy football rankings
Rashee Rice 2024 Fantasy Outlook
The NFL tends to hand down suspensions for players after legal proceedings have played out. As such, Rice's December court date in conjunction with the current proximity to Week 1 suggests that Rice will not be suspended in 2024.
Even if Rice had been suspended for the first few games in 2024, his current ADP would have been worth a shot. Rice is currently being drafted in the eighth to tenth-round range outside of the top 30 wide receivers.
With Marquise Brown nursing a shoulder injury that is expected to sideline him for four to six weeks and a rookie Xavier Worthy in the fold, Rice projects to hold on to his No. 1 wide receiver status. The former second-round pick is coming off a rookie season in which he caught 79 passes for 938 yards and a team-leading seven receiving touchdowns.
It appears that Rashee Rice is going to play most or all of the 2024 season.
Rice averaged 17 PPR points in games he was a full-time player during his rookie season.
For comparison, here's the per-game averages for wide receivers through their first 50 career games. https://t.co/PGo6ZcQDe7 pic.twitter.com/CnGZqxkOya
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 14, 2024
Rice is in a position to take a second-year leap and has a clear advantage over other Chiefs wide receivers. The Chief's offense is poised to bounce back after a down year in 2023 as well. You should fully expect quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw for more than the 27 touchdowns he threw in 2023, so there will be more opportunities for Rice to score.
When Should I Draft Rashee Rice in Fantasy Football?
With Rice staying on the board until at least the eighth round in most 12-team leagues, it may be worth grabbing him a round early to ensure that you secure his services. Rice will play second fiddle to Travis Kelce in the pass catcher pecking order, but he should absolutely lead the wide receiver room.
If he plays a full season, Rice should easily surpass 1,000 receiving yards and could push for double-digit touchdowns. A seventh-round pick in your fantasy draft is generally a flex player or WR3 at best. Securing Rice in this range will significantly bolster your depth and give you a cheap player who is worthy of weekly starting.
Rookie WR’s with 75+ receptions & 900+ yards in the past decade:
⁃ OBJ
⁃ MT
⁃ Jefferson
⁃ ARSB
⁃ Waddle
⁃ Chase
⁃ Garrett Wilson
⁃ PukaAND…
⁃ Rashee Rice 👀
No suspension in sight. Hollywood already hurt.
WR28 in PPG as a ROOKIE.
WR34 ADP this year.
SMASH. pic.twitter.com/I7HFyewjmz
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) August 15, 2024
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