The Kansas City Chiefs prepare for their Week 17 Christmas Day matchup against the Denver Broncos after getting blown out by the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. Rashee Rice remains in the concussion protocol after reporting the injury last Monday and continues to miss practice. Will fantasy football managers see the third-year wide receiver again this season?
Rashee Rice Injury Update
Rice took several significant hits while attempting to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes in Week 15 and reported concussion symptoms the following day. Andy Reid confirmed Rice entered the concussion protocol and was held out of practice to begin Week 16. He popped up on the injury report Wednesday and did not practice at all that week before being ruled out for the road loss to Tennessee.
Nothing has improved heading into Week 17. Rice is still in the concussion protocol and has yet to log any on‑field work since the symptoms surfaced. He was listed as a non‑participant on Monday’s estimated practice report, which is especially concerning with the Chiefs on a short week playing on Christmas Day.
Concussion protocol requires a stepwise progression and at least one full practice plus clearance from an independent neurologist before a player can return, and Rice has not come close to those benchmarks.
Context only makes the situation more decisive. The Chiefs were officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15 when Mahomes tore his ACL in a 16‑13 loss to the Chargers, ending a decade‑long postseason streak and seven straight AFC Championship Game appearances. As we saw in Week 16, the team simply rolled over once its playoff run was over; the effort and urgency were nonexistent in the blowout defeat to Tennessee.
There is absolutely no competitive reason to bring Rice back. This is his latest significant setback after he spent last offseason rehabbing from knee surgery, and the organization has every incentive to protect one of its few long‑term offensive building blocks.
There is no chance Rice plays this week. The fact that he did not practice on Monday makes it impossible for him to get cleared by Thursday. And if we’re being candid, we won’t see him again this season. Rice is not about to return for a meaningless Week 18 game and potentially risk further injury.
Rice’s Fantasy Outlook
With Rice sidelined, Xavier Worthy steps in as the nominal WR1, with Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith‑Schuster rounding out the wide receiver corps. On paper, that kind of three‑receiver set would usually generate at least one fantasy‑viable option, but the quarterback situation makes this offense completely toxic for fantasy purposes.
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Chris Oladokun is starting for a team that has already checked out emotionally after losing its franchise quarterback and its postseason chances. The offense looked disinterested in Week 16, and there is nothing to suggest a sudden resurgence in efficiency or scoring is coming over the final two games.
Even in deeper formats, none of Worthy, Brown, or Smith‑Schuster can be trusted in lineups, regardless of league size.
Travis Kelce technically retains a mid‑TE1 profile because of positional scarcity, but even his weekly ceiling is capped with this version of the Chiefs offense.
Kareem Hunt saw his usage plummet last week, as presumably the Chiefs want to get a better look at their players who aren’t 30 years old probably not returning to the team next year.
It would not be surprising if Kansas City fails to score another touchdown the rest of the season given how lifeless the unit has looked since Mahomes went down.
