Rashee Rice has appeared in just 12 games over the past two seasons after a standout rookie campaign (79 catches for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns), and this offseason didn’t get off to the greatest of starts with him rehabbing his bulky knee inside of a prison cell.
The health boxes seem to be checked as we prepare for kickoff, and that enters Kansas City’s top pass catcher into the WR1 fantasy football conversation, especially in PPR formats.
Should You Draft Rashee Rice in Fantasy Football?
Rice, the Kansas City wide receiver, is always in the headlines.
Rice has an ADP of 25.4, which would translate to a positional rank of WR11, but on the PFN analysts’ board, he has fallen to WR14. Jason Katz, PFN fantasy analyst, has him ranked 32nd. Kyle Soppe is a little bit higher on Rice, having him at 22nd overall, for an average composite ranking between them of 27th.
Rice will not be suspended for a probation violation and 30-day jail sentence this offseason after being suspended 6 games in 2025 in relation to felony street racing.
Off-field incidents have marred his career to this point, but this season it looks like he is going to have a clean bill of health, provided that nothing else happens in the near future. Rice is in line to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ WR1 and maybe the top target in that passing attack by a pretty wide margin.
As we’ve seen throughout Rice’s career, availability has been the main concern. But when he has been available, he has been a primary target. In 20 career starts, he’s averaged 8.2 targets per game. Even with the litany of legal issues, you can’t guarantee that he’ll stay available. But as long as he does stay available and is on the field, he gets fed in this Chiefs offense with schemed touches in the short and intermediate ranges.
His route tree is relatively limited, for sure. But Andy Reid knows how to get him the ball, and on slants, hitches, comebacks, and curls, Rice, at the very least, has shown that he can make himself available in that range. He can generate high levels of YAC as well. His 7.8 yards after the catch per reception was the highest mark in the NFL in 2025.
Since his days at SMU, he’s been an elite YAC threat. He’s also been able to operate at the catch point with nearly 33-inch arms. This is a budding three-level threat whose route tree isn’t as expansive as you would want, but in the Chiefs’ offense, there’s a very clear role for him and a very clear incentive to get him the ball.
There isn’t a lot of target competition either. The Chiefs’ offense only has an aging Travis Kelce, an inconsistent Xavier Worthy, and a host of unproven journeyman options alongside Rice at wide receiver. The most important part is that at the very least they do have the speed to spread the field for Rice in the short and intermediate ranges. Cyrus Allen, Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton are other guys who can at least stretch the defense down the field and open up space for Rice to operate underneath.
Overall, I think the offense is constructed well for Rice to produce as long as he can keep his head on straight and stay available. That’s the biggest question mark for him. But as of early September, I would draft Rice at his ADP, banking on him keeping his focus and taking hold of a major volume opportunity.
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Rashee Rice’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
Rehabbing a knee in prison isn’t how most fantasy assets spend their summers, but Rice’s skill set matched with what he is asked to do in Andy Reid’s system might be the best match in the sport.
The addition of Kenneth Walker gives this team a look at balance that they really haven’t had in the past, and that lowers my expectations for their WR1, but not nearly enough to make him worthy of a weekly discussion.
Rice is going to project as a top-10 reception player most weeks, and with strong YAC skills in an offense that is likely to scheme the ball out of Mahomes’ hands as fast as ever, this is a player you lock into your lineups.
We can have the DFS discussion when the Chiefs are on the main slate, and he can be a tough sell in those spots, but for any annual league, he’s to be viewed as a Tier 2 weapon that you can feel great about, no matter the matchup.
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Where Rice Ranks Among 2026 Wide Receivers
- Malik Nabers | NYG
- Drake London | ATL
- Nico Collins | HOU
- A.J. Brown | NE
- George Pickens | DAL
- Rashee Rice | KC
- Chris Olave | NO
- Zay Flowers | BAL
- Tee Higgins | CIN
- Jaylen Waddle | DEN
- DeVonta Smith | PHI
More rankings can be found in PFN’s PPR Wide Receiver Rankings.
