Ray Summerlin argued that the market has over-corrected on Rashee Rice. While drafters treat the looming suspension as if Rice will be a zeros across the board, Summerlin stressed that any absence is not injury-related, eliminating re-injury risk, and best-ball lineups replace those weeks with a bench score. He prefers Rice over rookie Xavier Worthy at current ADPs, noting that even a 6–8 game sample of Rice in Patrick Mahomes’ offense could outscore a full year of replacement-level options. Summerlin believes Rice is still being under-drafted relative to his likely high-efficiency target share once active.

Davis Mattek downgraded Rashee Rice after the looming suspension, saying the sophomore wideout belongs at the 4/5 turn alongside Courtland Sutton and Jameson Williams rather than in the late-second where he was still going immediately after the legal news broke. Mattek maintained Rice can still matter in Best Ball because any missed games will occur before bye-weeks start, but the opportunity cost of an early-round pick is now too steep. He’s baking in a four-to-six-game absence and the added risk that Xavier Worthy could muscle his way into a larger target share while Rice is out. Until the NFL announces the exact length of the suspension, Mattek is letting the market come to him and will only click Rice if he slides past ADP into that Round 5 sweet spot.

Rich Ryan moved Rashee Rice from a late-second ADP all the way down to the 4/5 turn, grouping him with Courtland Sutton and Jameson Williams. He believes that range finally bakes in the uncertainty of a looming multi-game suspension and the possibility that Xavier Worthy cements himself as Patrick Mahomes’ preferred horizontal target during Rice’s absence. Ryan noted that a four-to-six-game ban would lop 25-35 % off Rice’s season-long snaps—material in best ball where every weekly score matters—and pointed to Kansas City’s 2023 "stuck-in-the-mud" passing efficiency as another reason to discount ceiling projections. Until the NFL announces the exact length, Ryan is capping his exposure and will only click Rice when he slips past pick 45, preferring to chase the cheaper upside offered by Worthy and late-round Elijah Mitchell shares.

Overzet highlighted that his Round-2 Rice shares are underwater (-9.1 average CLV) now that the Chiefs wideout’s ADP has cratered to 37.5 amid suspension concerns. Those early picks will compete against managers who scoop Rice in the 4th-5th round, creating a structural disadvantage. He recommends steering clear until the market fully bakes in the games-missed risk.

Best Ball Guy warned that letting Rashee Rice slip to the 5/6 turn can create "super-teams" if the Chiefs wideout avoids a lengthy suspension. He compared the situation to early-summer Joe Burrow drafters who were grabbing the quarterback naked in Round 6 just to block elite stacks from forming on the wrap. Because Rice’s legal outcome is still uncertain, his price could jump a full round the moment there is even a hint the league will go easy. Grabbing him in Round 5 now protects your portfolio from watching an explosive Chiefs WR land on rosters that already spent premium capital elsewhere, a leverage edge that matters in small-field best-ball contests like the $50 Chow Chow.

Ben Gretch warned that Rashee Rice’s Round-5 best-ball price ignores two red flags. First, any early-season suspension means the sophomore will have to "board a moving train," Mike Tomlin’s term for players trying to re-enter an offense that has already found rhythm without them. Second, Rice’s 2023 fantasy appeal rested on an 81 % catch rate on ultra-short targets (league-low 4.5-yard aDOT), a combo Gretch doubts is sustainable over a full season. With Travis Kelce, new arrival Hollywood Brown and rookies Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals all demanding snaps, Gretch sees a realistic path where Rice returns, plays fewer routes than drafters expect, and never justifies his mid-round cost. He prefers taking the rookies or even buying Patrick Mahomes naked rather than assuming Rice reprises last year’s volume-plus-efficiency blend.

Jonathan Fuller recommended treating Rashee Rice’s looming suspension as a buying opportunity. Rice posted a 13.23 PPR points-per-game average and strong utilization metrics last season, proving he can command targets from Patrick Mahomes. Fuller stressed that a handful of missed games will not dent his long-term ceiling and urged dynasty managers to send out offers while the narrative is still negative.

Whalen warned drafters that Rashee Rice’s ADP must slide until the NFL announces discipline stemming from his July 17th incident. He was comfortable taking Rice in Round 2 prior to the news, but now views any 3- to 6-game suspension as a realistic outcome. Whalen will not make a final ranking adjustment until an official ruling lands, yet advised listeners to treat Rice as a boom-bust pick whose early-season absence could cost precious head-to-head wins.

Pete Overzet reminded readers that Round-2 Rashee Rice shares are already underwater. Rice’s looming suspension has cratered his ADP to 37.5, giving those picks a –9.1 closing-line value in Pete’s own data pull. He warned that early Rice teams will have to beat opponents who can now draft the Chiefs wideout in the 4th or even 5th round, creating an immediate quality gap. The takeaway: if you missed the initial dip, keep fading until the news fully bottoms out the price.

Rich Hribar said gamers are over-penalizing Rashee Rice for his likely 3- or 4-game suspension. Even after trimming Rice’s target share to account for early rust and a larger slice for rookie Xavier Worthy, Hribar’s median projection still spits out the Chiefs sophomore as the WR15 for the full season. He reminded listeners that replacement value matters—those first few weeks you will slot in another receiver rather than take a zero. Hribar cited historical comps: Julian Edelman in 2018 (fell to WR30 ADP, returned as the WR12 in points per game) and Steve Smith’s two-game ban in 2017, both of which paid off handsomely once they were back. Unless the NFL drops a six-plus-game hammer, Hribar will keep Rice in the late-third/early-fourth-round "fulcrum" alongside Terry McLaurin and Garrett Wilson, and he’s "smashing" every Round-5 slide in Best Ball or season-long drafts.

Jeff Mueller explained that Rashee Rice’s season-ending injury was an LCL tear paired with a surgically repaired hamstring rupture—serious on paper but far less worrisome after seeing Rice’s March–April workout clips showing full-speed change of direction and deceleration. Rice avoided the preseason PUP list and, per Andy Reid, will reclaim his high target-per-route slot role alongside Xavier Worthy once active. While legal analysts and Chiefs beat reporters project only a 2–4-game suspension, Rice’s ADP has fallen to Round 5. Mueller is aggressively drafting him there, projecting low early-season opportunity cost (replacement points fill the gap) and WR2 production over Weeks 5-17 thanks to Kansas City’s pass-heavy scheme and Rice’s 2023 efficiency (top-12 yards per route run).

Pat Kerrane argued that drafters worried about Rashee Rice losing his spot to Xavier Worthy are overreacting. The Chiefs are installing Worthy-specific game plans for Weeks 1–4, but the season-long playbook still revolves around Rice’s underneath, yards-after-catch skill set that Kansas City lacked when the offense stalled last year. Kerrane noted Rice already has timing with Patrick Mahomes and was "crushing" in the shallow areas of the field as a rookie, so Worthy has to be legitimately special to push Rice into a secondary role. Kerrane therefore views Rice’s post-suspension target share as secure, framing the current ADP dip as an opportunity rather than a red flag.

Pat Kerrane argued that a two-game suspension for Rashee Rice is 'basically impossible.' Citing Chiefs beat writer Matt Derrick and the league’s own precedent—Jordan Addison is bracing for three games after a lesser offense—Kerrane pegged four games as the median outcome, with six more likely than two. He explained that Rice’s quick plea deal signals back-channel coordination between the team, the player’s lawyers, and the NFL to lock in a shorter punishment, but league optics make anything under four games highly unlikely. Kerrane ranked the likelihood of various outcomes as 4 > 6 > 5 > 8 > 2 games. Because Rice will miss at least a month and may return to an offense that could already be humming with rookie Xavier Worthy, Kerrane sees fragility in Rice’s second-half target share and continues to fade him at his current pick-50 cost in Best Ball drafts.

Davis Mattek said Rashee Rice remains a fade in the late-fourth/early-fifth round because insiders now expect at least a four-game—and possibly six-game—ban stemming from his multi-charge street-racing incident. Citing Chiefs beat writer Matt Derrick, Mattek noted team officials are “expecting a two-to-four game suspension,” but he called two games “wildly optimistic” given that Vikings WR Jordan Addison is bracing for three after a lesser offense. Mattek reminded listeners that NFL discipline historically escalates when property damage and public endangerment are involved, and the league will want to avoid the optics of punishing Rice less severely than Addison. Until the ruling is official, Mattek has dropped Rice behind Courtland Sutton, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Waddle in his ranks and advised using the savings on rookie Xavier Worthy or tight-end pivots in that ADP neighborhood.

Peter Overzet said he is now jamming Rashee Rice in the 5th round of the Badge Bros Brawl after fading him when he cost a 2nd-rounder. Citing Jack Miller’s tweet that roughly 20,000 BBM entries paid that earlier premium, Overzet argued Rice is automatically “better than a normal fifth-round pick” because you can spend four earlier selections on other high-end talent and still land the same player. Overzet also likes that a six-game suspension guarantees Rice stays healthy during the season’s most violent stretch, giving drafters back-half production with zero injury risk. In a 12-round, fast-draft format where wide-receiver depth is easy to patch, he believes the risk is minimal relative to the ceiling of locking in Patrick Mahomes’ slot specialist at a two-round discount. His advice: keep smashing Rice at current ADP before the market finishes repricing him.

Nez explained that Rashee Rice falling to the 11th round in the Badge Bros Brawl is a gift. By that point more than half of a roster is already constructed, and Rice’s locked-in short-area role with Patrick Mahomes still carries weekly spike potential. The combination of a 30-plus-pick ADP discount (he opened near 37 overall in BBM) and a format that rewards any usable score makes him an easy click. Nez acknowledged the ongoing legal uncertainty but argued that in a small, 12-round contest you can easily patch wide-receiver depth with later darts, so the risk/reward tilts heavily in Rice’s favor at his new price.

Matt Harmon warned that Rashee Rice’s combination of a looming 4-to-6-game suspension and last year’s knee surgery creates far more downside than drafters realize. Harmon said Rice wins by bullying defenders after the catch and exploding through break points—traits that can disappear if a receiver is even 20 % short of top speed. He compared Rice’s predicament to recent running backs like Breece Hall, Javonte Williams and J.K. Dobbins, reminding listeners that very few regained their pre-injury juice in Year 1. Reception Perception charting already pegs Rice as a hyper-specialist who rarely beats press on the perimeter; losing any burst opens the door for Xavier Worthy or another dynamic option to leapfrog him permanently. Harmon advised treating Rice as a risky dynasty hold and downgrading him in season-long ranks even after he returns.

Matt Harmon cautioned drafters on Rashee Rice, noting that the expected four-to-six-game suspension plus his offseason knee recovery will delay his 2024 impact. Reception Perception grades Rice as an elite zone-beater and high-end target earner, but Harmon stressed his limitations: he rarely lines up outside, struggles against press-man, and doesn’t threaten vertically. That specialized underneath role means Rice’s fantasy value relies on heavy volume—volume he cannot collect while suspended. Harmon recommends tempering early-season expectations and pricing in the opportunity cost of a bench stash.

Ian Hartitz dropped Rashee Rice to WR37 but still encouraged drafting him as a late bench stash if you already roster three or four reliable starters. Hartitz highlighted Rice’s elite underlying metrics—top-10 yards per route run and targets per route run over the past decade—and reminded listeners that in his three fully healthy 2023 games Rice averaged more PPR points than any receiver not named Ja’Marr Chase. Hartitz views Rice as a complete receiver who should reclaim lead-dog duties once the suspension ends, especially with Travis Kelce another year older and Hollywood Brown’s durability a question. In keeper formats Hartitz called Rice a screaming value, noting managers could land a Round-7 cost player who profiles as a Round-2 talent in 2025. The play is to accept the dead bench spot early, then unleash a potential WR1 during Weeks 11-17 when championships are decided.

Jake Ciely pushed Rashee Rice outside his top-40 wide receivers and called him virtually un-draftable in typical redraft formats. Ciely is working off legal analysts’ consensus that Rice will receive a 6-to-8 game suspension and warned that, like Ezekiel Elliott’s case, the NFL could decide to enforce that ban mid-season, sabotaging fantasy playoff runs. Because suspended players cannot be stashed in IR spots, managers would have to burn a valuable bench slot for half the year while waiver-wire breakouts emerge. Ciely also questioned Rice’s ceiling even after the ban, noting Xavier Worthy produced a rookie-year finish almost identical to Rice’s and could cannibalize the short-to-intermediate targets Patrick Mahomes has leaned on. The uncertainty over Rice’s eventual aDOT, target share, and timing of the suspension led Ciely to advise passing on him unless he free-falls beyond the WR40 range.

PPRTyler warned drafters to fade Rashee Rice anywhere inside the first 10 rounds of Underdog’s Eliminator format. Tyler expects Rice to miss at least the opening 4-6 weeks because of a looming league suspension, which would force managers to eat multiple zeros in a contest that eliminates half the field after Week 5. He pointed out that advancing in this tournament is heavily front-loaded, making early-season availability far more valuable than theoretical playoff upside. Because of that structure, Tyler said he would not even consider Rice until the 80s or 90s overall—roughly seven rounds later than his pre-incident ADP—arguing that spending an early pick on a receiver who cannot score until October is “a losing play.”

Mark Drumheller remains all-in on Rashee Rice (WR13 ADP) even with a looming 2-4 game suspension for felony charges. He calculated that a four-game ban still leaves Rice needing roughly 17 fantasy PPG over the final 13 contests to crack the top five—numbers Rice already flirted with last year (21.6 PPR in three full starts). Drumheller noted Travis Kelce’s waning target dominance (just 10 total looks in the AFC title game and Super Bowl) and Kansas City’s offensive shift toward its young WRs. With Patrick Mahomes motivated and Rice averaging 9.7 targets when active, Drumheller is willing to absorb early risk for league-winning upside.

Kendall Valenzuela warned drafters that Rashee Rice is now a risky season-long investment after a Dallas court sentenced him to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation for last year’s multi-car crash. That legal resolution triggers the league’s disciplinary process, and multiple reports indicate the NFL is eyeing a 4-to-6-game suspension to start the 2025 season. Valenzuela advised anyone drafting this summer to build rosters assuming Rice will be unavailable through at least the first month, noting the uncertainty makes him tough to hold in shallow season-long leagues and pushes him down best-ball boards where early-season points matter.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound dismissed the idea that Rashee Rice’s looming league discipline could drop right in the middle of Underdog’s Week-16 or Week-17 playoff rounds. He said he is "planning on them getting it done before that" and therefore is not letting the suspension timeline scare him off drafting Rice at his current early-fourth-round price. Pat framed the worry as a leverage opportunity: if social-media chatter pushes a narrative that the decision might be delayed until December, he will happily buy the dip because he expects the NFL to announce a ruling well before best-ball rosters lock for the money weeks.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound explained exactly where he is willing to take Rashee Rice in Best Ball Mania depending on the eventual league discipline. He has Rice slotted in the "Flowers range" around pick 50 because the consensus expectation is a four-game suspension that could be appealed down to three. If it ends up five or six games, Pat would slide Rice to the late-fourth or early-fifth, but anything shorter keeps the Chiefs’ WR1 firmly in that early-fourth pocket "right in the Terry range." Pat reminded viewers that playoff-week upside with Patrick Mahomes is worth the temporary hole in Weeks 1-4 and urged drafters to pull the trigger before the public settles on a firmer timeline.

Jason Moore warned that Rashee Rice is now a stay-away pick in normal redraft formats. A Dallas County judge handed Rice five years’ probation and 30 days of jail time, and Moore expects the NFL to levy a suspension in the 2-to-6 game range, with four games looking like the most likely outcome based on recent CBA precedent. Because Rice will not be IR-eligible, fantasy managers would have to clog a bench spot for as much as a third of the fantasy regular season, and Moore reminded listeners that even BEFORE this legal news there was debate about whether Rice’s three-game heater last year (which coincided with an injured Isiah Pacheco and no Hollywood Brown) justified a top-40 overall ADP. Moore predicts the market will push Rice down at least two full rounds—potentially into the 6th—yet still sees the opportunity cost as too steep unless you believe he returns as an unquestioned superstar.

Rich Rebar advised pushing Rashee Rice out of the WR2 tier and treating him as a fringe WR3 after news broke that the wideout is likely facing a two-to-four-game suspension. Rebar cited Chiefs beat reporter Matt Derrick’s report and pointed out that those first four games (Chargers, Eagles, Giants, Ravens) are a brutal stretch Kansas City could navigate just fine without Rice. Missing September means Rice will have to jump onto a ‘moving train’—if Hollywood Brown or Xavier Worthy are clicking early, Rice’s target share will almost certainly fall well below the 40 % slice he owned last season’s first month. Coupled with his ongoing injury recovery, the added variance makes his current cost too rich; Rebar immediately dropped him outside his top-36 receivers and told fantasy managers not to pay more than WR3 prices in best ball drafts.

Hayden Winks said Rashee Rice should now be treated as a suspended-discount pick. Rice is likely to receive a four-to-six-game ban under the personal-conduct policy after pleading down to two of eight felony charges. Winks noted those early weeks are the easiest to patch over in best ball because rosters are still healthy, and the real money is won later in the year. He dropped Rice to 52nd overall but still views him as worth a fifth-round flyer thanks to his late-season ceiling in the Chiefs’ offense. Added risk stems from Rice’s lingering knee issue and the fact that any future legal slip-up would trigger even harsher league discipline.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said Rashee Rice is now a value after the legal-related suspension chatter pushed his ADP from 21 back into the 40-52 range. Pat is working off a four-game suspension assumption—"four is sort of where I'm going to land in my brain"—and thinks that at that price Rice should slot right behind Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and Zay Flowers and still ahead of Terry McLaurin, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and other tier-three wideouts. He noted that drafters "don't really care about Weeks 1-3" in Best Ball Mania and pointed out that any appeal could trim the ban to three games. With playoff weeks in mind, Pat views a fifth-round Rice as a classic risk-reward smash who could become a unique differentiator in BBM6 finals if the suspension falls early and the Chiefs' WR1 upside hits.

The What dismissed the idea of drafting Rashee Rice at the 2-3 turn, saying, “I don’t like a second-round Rice, come on, bud.” His stance is that the price ignores both the volatility of Kansas City’s target tree and the legal uncertainty still hanging over Rice, making the opportunity cost of a top-24 pick unjustifiable in best-ball formats.

Michael Leone labeled Rashee Rice the rare mid-round receiver who offers both a relatively safe weekly floor and legitimate league-winning upside. Kansas City funneled 20% of Mahomes’ targets to Rice once he became a full-time player last year, and the depth chart still lacks proven competition. Leone expects a concentrated target share that protects drafters from a total bust while still leaving room for a 1,200-yard spike season if Rice claims the alpha role in the league’s most efficient passing offense.

Jim Coventry advised drafting Rashee Rice even after his ADP spike from WR22 to WR13, contending Rice still offers upside to finish inside the top 7–8 receivers. Coventry reminded listeners that before his LCL knee injury Rice averaged 8 catches and 96 yards across three games and ranked in the 96th percentile for yards after the catch on largely short passes. Rice is expected to be a full participant in camp, and Coventry downplayed suspension worries, noting the legal process is unresolved and the NFL rarely acts before a case is settled. Healthy and with elite YAC skills, Rice remains worth the cost.

Best Ball Guy cautioned drafters against blindly clicking Rashee Rice at his current Round-3/4 ADP. Rice tore multiple knee ligaments this offseason, yet the market is pricing him as if he is already 100 percent. He reminded viewers that Rice’s meteoric rise last summer was fueled by an ultimately unrealized suspension, not by any proven NFL volume, and that now we are paying an even bigger premium while ignoring a very real medical red flag. The host warned that even a “step slow” version of Rice would crush his efficiency-based fantasy profile and that the Chiefs added plenty of ancillary receivers who could soak up routes if Rice is less explosive. In his words, “the second-round price is pretty high, man – I just want to be a little cautious with that kind of stuff.”

Kev Coleman said Rashee Rice is an easy dynasty buy at his current WR18 pricing on Keep-Trade-Cut (roughly a mid-1st). Coleman pointed out that in the 10 career games where Rice has topped 70 % of the snaps, he has averaged 18.0 PPR points, squarely in WR1 territory. The efficiency numbers back it up: 2.54 yards per route run, a 90.0 PFF receiving grade, and the highest yards-after-catch per game among all receivers over the last two seasons. Coleman is not worried about the crowd in Kansas City. He views Xavier Worthy’s shallow aDOT usage as an extension of the run game, says Marquise Brown “doesn’t move the needle,” and notes Travis Kelce’s target share slipped late last year. Projecting 120-plus targets with Patrick Mahomes, Coleman believes Rice can quickly jump into the top-12 dynasty wide-receiver tier and even withstand a potential 2025 suspension because the win-now upside is so strong. At today’s price he would be the WR1 in the thin 2026 rookie class, making Rice a smash buy for multi-year contending windows.

Best Ball Guy said Rashee Rice is exactly the type of high-variance gamble you should embrace in a Dalmatian-style, $100 best-ball room. Rice did tear both his LCL and PCL late last year—making him, in BBG’s words, a “fake-comfy” early-second-round pick—but that same injury discount creates room for an outsized payoff. If the knee cooperates, BBG believes Rice can move from last season’s WR3 role to Patrick Mahomes’ unquestioned WR1 and push for 150-plus targets by mid-season. That target load would put him in the same usage tier as A.J. Brown and CeeDee Lamb while giving managers a unique build the field will be scared to replicate. Because this tournament advances four of twelve out of the regular season and culminates in only a 23-team final, ceiling matters far more than weekly consistency. BBG is willing to eat the medical risk for a player who could single-handedly drop a 35-pointer in the semifinal round and vault you into the money.

Jason Moore planted his flag on Rashee Rice as the Kansas City wideout to prioritize at his current WR27 price (5.11 ADP). Moore highlighted that when Rice was active over the first three weeks last year Travis Kelce’s target share cratered to 14-15%, an unprecedented dip that signals the Chiefs are comfortable letting Rice work underneath as the primary YAC option. He is skeptical that Xavier Worthy—who needed manufactured touches close to the line of scrimmage to flash late in the season—will command a similar share in a more traditional downfield role. With Hollywood Brown siphoning only occasional perimeter looks and Kelce’s age-related decline inevitable, Moore believes Rice has a realistic ceiling in the low-teens among fantasy receivers, outperforming current expectations despite a tough early schedule (Chargers, Eagles, Ravens in three of the first four weeks).

Best Ball Guy called Rashee Rice a "clear-cut smash" at current ADP because he profits in every plausible Chiefs game script. If Patrick Mahomes bounces back to a typical 4,500-yard, 40-TD season, the entire receiver room prints points. If defenses continue sitting in two-high shells, Rice’s underneath role makes him the primary quick-hitting option while Travis Kelce ages and Isiah Pacheco struggles for efficiency. Either way, Kansas City did not add meaningful rushing competition, so Rice is locked into targets on an offense he expects to push 30 points per game again.

Conor O'Driscoll enthusiastically snapped up Rashee Rice in the early-third, saying the Chiefs’ WR has climbed so fast that Sean Siegle’s month-old rankings now show him below ADP—but he expects Rice to jump back ahead once the ranks are updated. O'Driscoll has Rice ranked ahead of Tee Higgins this year and views him as a priority stack piece with Patrick Mahomes in tournament formats. Even with the upward cost, he prefers Rice’s second-year breakout profile and attached-to-Mahomes ceiling, pointing out that exposure is more important than squeezing every penny of closing line value when the talent and quarterback situation are elite.

Evan Silva doubled down on Rashee Rice as a must-draft even after the market pushed him from the 3.04 to the 2.10 on Underdog. Silva said Kansas City will ‘focus around Rashee Rice’ while rookie Xavier Worthy mostly runs clear-out routes on the perimeter. He framed Rice as a true power-slot dominator who could rank right behind CeeDee Lamb in that role. Injury concerns are gone: Rice is already sprinting after a rare PLC knee sprain that many (including Adam Levitan) initially confused with a harsher PCL tear. Across his final three games last year Rice was WR5 in points per game and stole targets from Travis Kelce inside the same areas of the field. Silva expects Patrick Mahomes to rebound to a 40-TD season and believes Rice’s volume plus red-zone usage keep climbing, so grabbing him in the late-second round is still ‘people finally getting it right, not overpaying.’

Evan Silva called Rashee Rice the clear centerpiece of Patrick Mahomes’ passing attack and one of his must-draft players. Over Rice’s last 17 games—including the postseason—he produced 108 receptions, 1,243 yards and eight TDs, proving he can handle volume. League sources tell Silva Rice carries a clean bill of health and is unlikely to be suspended for his offseason incident. With Marquise Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy stretching the field, Silva projects Rice to dominate targets from the big slot while the perimeter speedsters siphon coverage. He dismissed concerns about target competition, arguing that any squeeze will hit Travis Kelce or Worthy before Rice. Silva expects Kansas City’s upgraded offensive line and receiving corps to help Mahomes rebound to a 40-TD season, making Rice a high-floor, high-ceiling buy in both best ball and redraft formats at his current ADP.

Andy Holloway said he would keep Rashee Rice in the 7th round rather than De'Von Achane at 2.10. Holloway argued the value gap is massive: Achane is already priced as a mid-second pick so the discount is minimal, and you could still draft another strong back like Josh Jacobs or rookie Bucky Irving at 2.10. By contrast, the 7th-round slot normally produces depth names such as Khalil Shakir, so locking in a presumptive top-40 overall wideout from Patrick Mahomes’ offense represents several rounds of surplus equity. Holloway emphasized opportunity cost—what you lose by tying up the earlier pick—making Rice the clearly superior keeper choice in typical season-long formats.

Jagger May urged drafters to hammer Rashee Rice as a mid-round pick. Rice earned targets at an elite per-route rate as a rookie and is locked into the slot role for Patrick Mahomes—May called him the "slot god" of this offense. Even with first-rounder Xavier Worthy in town, Rice’s chemistry with Mahomes should yield 18 PPR points per game upside while you’re paying a WR2 price tag. That combo of cost, floor, and ceiling makes him a roster-defining pick.

Beimfohr remains bullish on Rashee Rice even though the second-year wideout has climbed into the late-second/early-third round. He called Rice "a star" whose underneath YAC ability perfectly complements Xavier Worthy’s lid-lifting speed, predicting Rice will vacuum high-percentage targets from Patrick Mahomes. Rice’s rookie 2.46 yards per route run and 31% first-read target share already place him in the NFL’s elite company; now the Chiefs have doubled down by passing on expensive veteran receivers. Beimfohr is happy to take Rice at WR18-22, slotting him ahead of aging alphas like Mike Evans because Rice owns top-five WR upside with a playoff schedule that includes two dome games.

Peter Overzet grew "squeamish" about Rashee Rice after learning the wideout’s receiving-yard prop is just 924—identical to Jauan Jennings, who goes 40 spots later at pick 63.3. Despite Rice’s meteoric ADP climb into the late-second round, the market is still pricing him closer to an 850-yard player than a true alpha. Pete noted Kansas City added Marvin Harrison–type vertical threat Xavier Worthy, signed Hollywood Brown, and still has Travis Kelce soaking up high-value targets, while San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk situation keeps moving in the opposite direction for Jennings. The slim gap in projections versus the massive gap in cost makes Rice a sell/under in Pick'Em cards and an easy fade in Best Ball tournaments, whereas Jennings profiles as the arbitrage play for drafters hunting for late-season upside.

Tom Strachan defended Rashee Rice’s move into the late-second round (ADP 22.4). Before tearing his ACL in Week 3, Rice owned a 33% target share—higher than every WR except Malik Nabers and Cooper Kupp—and averaged WR5 scoring in half-PPR. Strachan concedes that Xavier Worthy’s development and Hollywood Brown’s return add competition, but he still projects Rice for a team-leading 25% target share thanks to Patrick Mahomes’ historical preference for trusted intermediate options. Even a 10% target-share haircut would keep Rice in the WR1 conversation in KC’s top-3 passing offense, justifying the aggressive cost in tournament formats.

Rich Cooling said second-tier contenders should kick the tires on Rashee Rice because his current dynasty price bakes in every bit of off-field and usage risk but almost none of the ceiling. Rice’s value has been "depleted" after the offseason headlines and uncertainty about how Kansas City will spread targets, yet Cooling reminded listeners the wideout already produced WR1 stretches as a rookie and would vault into the top-five conversation if he captures Patrick Mahomes’ undisputed WR1 role. For rosters that are one tier below the true juggernauts, Cooling argued the asymmetric payoff—top-five upside at a mid-WR3 acquisition cost—is worth embracing the suspension or volatility risk.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said he is still drafting Rashee Rice despite news of a third civil suit stemming from the Dallas freeway crash. Pat expects the case to crawl through the courts—he noted that "any criminal cases take a long time" and predicted Rice’s lawyers will push hearings deep into 2025. Because the league typically waits for legal resolution before handing down discipline, Pat doubts a 2024 suspension materializes. He even joked that "they all get off in KC," underscoring his confidence in a lenient outcome. Pat hopes nervous drafters shave a few ADP spots off Rice, but stressed that managers should keep clicking him at cost, treating any dip as found equity in best-ball rooms that reward regular-season ceiling games.

Andy Holloway labeled Rashee Rice a pure wild card and said he will not pay the current fourth-round price tag. Rice’s celebrated late-season surge lasted only three games before his knee injury, yet that tiny sample has him going ahead of Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown in many drafts. Holloway pointed out that 68 % of Rice’s rookie receiving yards came after the catch, a rate he attributes to soft single coverage while defenses bracketed Travis Kelce. With Kelce turning 36 and losing a step, Holloway anticipates different coverage shells and fewer free slant windows. He also flagged Rice’s ongoing six-to-nine-month knee rehab, noting that lost offseason reps often stunt year-two development as a route runner. The Chiefs invested a first-round pick in Worthy and signed Brown, both of whom threaten target share. Holloway pegs Rice’s ceiling around WR7-8 if everything breaks perfectly with Patrick Mahomes, but his projected floor sits outside the top-24. He prefers Worthy at cost and will only take Rice if he slips into Round 6 of best-ball or traditional drafts.

Davis Mattek argued that Rashee Rice can post an Amon-Ra St. Brown style WR1 season even if the film crowd hates how it looks. He pulled up 2023 numbers that show Rice actually edged St. Brown in targets-per-route, matched him in target share when both were on the field, carried a slightly deeper average depth of target and produced comparable air-yard totals—all while receiving zero end-zone looks. Mattek’s thesis is that Andy Reid will, in his words, “spam what works,” meaning Rice’s underneath slant/option diet should remain Patrick Mahomes’ first read even once Travis Kelce and Marquise Brown return to full health. Mattek still has Rice as a heavy draft target in both best-ball and season-long formats until the market pushes him into the mid-second round, a point at which he would re-evaluate.

Davis Mattek urged drafters to scoop up Rashee Rice while legal and injury uncertainty still prices him in the late-third. Mattek expects Rice’s ADP to rocket into the mid-second once the LCL rehab looks normal and the NFL clarifies discipline (or lack thereof). He cited Andy Reid’s history of "spamming what works" and pointed to Mike Clay’s 14-game projection of 112 targets, 84-946-6 receiving despite only 30 projected Chiefs passing TDs. Mattek noted Rice would leapfrog names like Drake London and Tee Higgins once the market gains clarity, giving drafters a rare pre-camp discount on Kansas City’s clear No. 1 wideout in both best-ball and redraft.

Buck warned against taking Rashee Rice at his current ADP near the 2-3 turn (around pick 30). He argued Rice’s early-2024 target spike was a mirage created by a "broken" Chiefs offense that had Travis Kelce and Hollywood Brown sidelined and Isaiah Pacheco hurt, forcing Kansas City to use Rice as an extension of the run game. With Kelce and Brown healthy and the Chiefs determined to re-establish the ground attack, Buck expects Rice’s target share to fall. He added that Rice still runs a limited slant/option-heavy route tree, is rehabbing an LCL tear, and faces a possible league suspension. Given those layered risks, Buck believes Rice offers more downside than upside at a second-round price and prefers fading him in both best-ball and season-long formats.