Eric Moody advised taking a stab on Kareem Hunt, who matched Isiah Pacheco with seven touches yet logged only 38 % of snaps in Week 1. Hunt’s diverse skill set—short-yardage power, pass protection and receiving—puts him one coach’s decision away from lead-back usage. With projections against Philadelphia nearly identical to Pacheco’s, Moody argued that Hunt’s low roster rate (20 %) and cheaper DFS salary make him the more attractive upside play.

Pearson’s favorite prop is Patrick Mahomes Under 0.5 interceptions at ‑118 on DraftKings, which he rated four stars. The handicap hinges on Kansas City’s depleted receiver corps; with Xavier Worthy doubtful and Rashee Rice out, Andy Reid is expected to lean on quick, short concepts that shrink turnover risk. Mahomes has cashed this Under in 10 of his last 12 outings, including seven straight regular-season games, and has thrown just one pick in his past ten. Even though Philadelphia’s secondary is its soft spot, Pearson doubts the quarterback will challenge them downfield often enough to expose himself to picks. At ‑118, a $10 stake returns an $8.47 profit, better than FanDuel’s ‑130 offering.

Ben Linsey recommended under 49.5 receiving yards for Travis Kelce at -115 on BetMGM. Since the start of 2024 the Eagles have surrendered the fewest yards to tight ends, and they limited Kelce below this mark in Week 1 despite an explosive touchdown. Linsey argued Kelce no longer owns a guaranteed high-volume role at this stage of his career, and with Philadelphia’s linebackers and slot defenders ranking top-three in PFF coverage grade versus TEs, the matchup tilts heavily toward the under.

Middlekauff said the Chiefs’ biggest offensive issue is that Travis Kelce "is nowhere near what he once was." Now in his mid-30s with 15 years of NFL mileage, Kelce’s game is no longer built on explosion; he is finally “coverable.” Kansas City’s two most talented wideouts are unavailable—first-rounder Xavier Worthy left early with an injury and Rashee Rice is suspended—allowing defenses to bracket Kelce without fear. Middlekauff expects production to lean on Andy Reid’s scheme rather than Kelce’s athletic dominance, advising fantasy players to downgrade him from set-and-forget TE1 status and avoid overpaying in DFS until he shows renewed burst.

Prez WagerTalk stated he does not expect the Chiefs to reach the postseason, calling 2025 a likely ‘off year’ for the franchise. His rationale: the offense is battered by injuries, the club still has no dependable wide receiver, and the ground game looked powerless against the Chargers. Given those issues, he believes Kansas City cannot currently match up with other AFC heavyweights such as Buffalo and Baltimore or NFC power Philadelphia. He recommends fading KC in playoff-yes/no markets before books fully adjust.

Kris Knox laid the –3 with Kansas City, predicting Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes enter 2025 eager to re-establish an "explosive" identity after a relatively quiet 2024. Knox called left-tackle Rashawn Slater’s foot injury a season-long problem that will surface immediately against Chris Jones & Co., jeopardizing Justin Herbert’s timing. With the Chargers’ offensive cornerstone missing and no weather concerns on the Brazilian pitch, Knox sees Mahomes’ ceiling outpacing L.A.’s and expects K.C. to clear the short number.

Everett laid the three points with Kansas City at the neutral-site game in São Paulo. He cited the Chargers’ loss of All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater in camp and questioned Los Angeles’ 2024 résumé—seven of its 11 wins came against 5-12 or worse clubs. With Justin Herbert’s protection compromised and the Chargers still looking for a signature victory, Everett expects Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to handle business and cover.

Everett laid the three points with Kansas City at the neutral-site game in São Paulo. He cited the Chargers’ loss of All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater in camp and questioned Los Angeles’ 2024 résumé—seven of its 11 wins came against 5-12 or worse clubs. With Justin Herbert’s protection compromised and the Chargers still looking for a signature victory, Everett expects Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to handle business and cover.

Tafur is on Kansas City ‑3 in Sao Paulo. He noted OC Matt Nagy’s offseason mandate to revive the deep passing attack after Patrick Mahomes hit a career-low 10.7 % of throws 20+ yards in 2024. Rookie LT Josh Simmons should give Mahomes more time, while Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown face a Chargers secondary that surrendered a league-high 13 touchdowns on passes 15+ yards. With Rashawn Slater lost for the season, Tafur expects Justin Herbert to be under duress and the Chiefs to begin another Super Bowl push.

Iyer advised taking Kansas City -3 in the Friday game from Sao Paulo. He trusts the Chiefs’ defense to handle a Charger offense that now leans on the run, and he expects Patrick Mahomes to manufacture a few more late-game plays than Justin Herbert. His projected score of 23-16 cashes a Chiefs ticket and the under.

Prisco laid the 3.5 with Kansas City in Brazil, noting the Chiefs rebuilt offensive line held up all preseason while the Chargers lost left tackle Rashawn Slater for the year. He emphasized that giving Patrick Mahomes clean pockets is "a bad thing for a defense" and expects the former MVP to post big numbers right away. With L.A. shorthanded up front and forced to chase points, Prisco projected a 30-21 Chiefs win and advised backing K.C. before the number climbs past a field goal.

MacMillan laid the -3 with Kansas City, reminding readers the Chiefs still went 15-2 last season and that fading the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid duo is "a dangerous game." He thinks the market is too quick to push a Chargers breakthrough despite major holes: rookie starter at RB, All-Pro LT Rashawn Slater out for the season, and no clear WR2. The more settled, championship-tested Chiefs "deserve to be bigger favorites on a neutral field," so he is comfortable eating the field goal.

Dwain McFarland is aggressively drafting Xavier Worthy, arguing that his late-season emergence in Kansas City’s complex system is the exact profile he loves to chase. Critics note it took until Week 14 for Worthy to log a full-time role, but McFarland counters that Rashee Rice followed the same Andy Reid learning curve the year prior. From Week 14 through the Super Bowl, Worthy averaged 19 fantasy points per game, commanded a 25 percent target share, owned 21 percent of team air yards, and posted a 2.13 yards-per-route-run—each metric squarely in WR1 territory. While many touches were ‘manufactured,’ they differed from Rice’s underneath usage, hinting at more vertical upside if the offseason deep-ball work with Patrick Mahomes sticks. McFarland tracks second-half rookie breakouts closely and says Worthy checks every box, giving him a “massive range of outcomes” that includes a true league-winning season. He is loading up on Worthy in both Season-Long and Best-Ball drafts at current ADP.

Addressing a listener who suggested ignoring "headache" offenses, Shawn Siegele pushed back, saying fading the Chiefs has consistently been punished. He cited Travis Kelce’s continued positional domination and reminded listeners that both Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy delivered league-winning stretches in last season’s fantasy playoffs. Siegele recommends drafting Kelce aggressively despite the premium price and sprinkling in other Kansas City pass-catchers instead of applying a blanket fade, arguing the offense remains too potent to ignore in tournament formats.

Shawn Siegele warned managers to pump the brakes on Rashee Rice, noting the receiver "is going to be up for a month and a half." Siegele argued that by the time Rice returns the Chiefs’ depth chart and pecking order could look completely different—especially if Xavier Worthy or other options seize the available snaps. With no practice time and limited conditioning, Siegele doubts Rice will command meaningful routes in September, making his current mid-round cost a trap in both Season-Long and Best Ball formats.

Colm Kelly argued that fantasy managers are unfairly fading Xavier Worthy because past combine-speed duds cloud perception. Kelly emphasized Worthy’s 9-touchdown, 748-yard rookie season and the fact he is only three weeks older than incoming rookie Ted McMullen despite already producing at the NFL level. With Rashee Rice suspended and other receivers injured, Kelly believes Worthy has a clear runway to become the focal point of a Patrick Mahomes offense, making the downside overstated and the upside enormous at current ADP.

Shawn Siegele doubled down on his bullish stance for Xavier Worthy after Rashee Rice accepted a six-game suspension. Siegele now projects Worthy to open the year as Kansas City’s unquestioned WR1, citing three data points: a 27 percent target share during last season’s playoff run, the added rushing element on jet-sweep carries, and the Chiefs’ demonstrated willingness to manufacture touches for their first-rounder. He contrasted the 21-year-old’s draft capital with Hollywood Brown’s one-year stop-gap deal, arguing that team investment alone makes Worthy the priority. Siegele also noted that Worthy’s modest rookie yards-per-route-run hid elite efficiency on designed plays—an area Andy Reid leans on heavily. With Patrick Mahomes forced to distribute Rice’s 6-plus targets elsewhere until Week 7, Siegele moved Worthy into his third-round tier and called him a smash in Best Ball and season-long drafts.

Sam Monson wondered aloud whether Isiah Pacheco has already hit the wall that claims many violent, downhill runners. He reminded listeners that the average NFL back lasts only two seasons and labeled Pacheco a "psychotic, hard-running flash in the pan," adding that "Pacheco is now on the way out." Should the juice fade, Kansas City would be left leaning on Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, and seventh-round rookie Rashad Smith—hardly a fear-inducing trio—which could sap both fantasy value and rushing-prop overs. Monson’s takeaway: fade Pacheco at his current season-long ADP and tread carefully on Chiefs rushing bets until we see proof he still owns his trademark burst.

Warren Sharp said the Chiefs played "very tight" in 2024 because the receiving corps was banged-up and the offense had to live on third-down conversions just to reach the Super Bowl. With the wideouts healthy and Rashee Rice avoiding a Week 1 suspension, Sharp expects Andy Reid to “open things up a lot earlier in games and build leads quicker” instead of sitting on the ball. The takeaway is that Kansas City’s first-half team-total overs and full-season win total overs look attractive because the market may still be pricing last year’s conservative script.

Rich Hribar took the Kansas City Chiefs immediately after Buffalo, arguing their win floor is too high to pass. The Chiefs have posted double-digit victories every year since 2015 and have hit 12-plus wins in six of the past seven seasons. Hribar cited having "the best quarterback in the NFL" in Patrick Mahomes and what he called "arguably the best defensive coordinator" as structural edges that keep them in the 11-to-13 win band regardless of offensive style changes or statistical variance. He framed Kansas City as a tried-and-true futures anchor; even if the offense plays conservatively and lives in close games, the long-term results have been bankable and justify an over play on any total lower than 12.

Davis Mattek called Xavier Worthy the single most under-priced player in 2025 drafts, insisting the explosive Chiefs wideout should be going two rounds earlier—inside the top 24—especially on half-PPR sites. Mattek pointed to Worthy’s perfect stylistic fit with Patrick Mahomes, his multi-use role (deep routes, end-arounds), and his ability to absorb big hits—highlighting an end-around where he was drilled by a safety, then jogged back in the next play—as proof size concerns are overblown. With Hayden Winks echoing the same stance, Mattek is jamming Worthy exposure before the market corrects, expecting spike-week production that wins Best Ball tournaments.

Steve Palazzolo highlighted that Josh Simmons, once considered a top-15 talent before a patella injury, has stepped straight into the Chiefs’ starting left-tackle job and dominated pass protection in August. Palazzolo traced almost every sub-par Patrick Mahomes game back to pressure from the blind side and noted that when the left tackle holds up, Mahomes is elite. Through three preseason appearances Simmons has ceded virtually no ground, giving Mahomes a clean pocket and letting KC run its full vertical concept menu. Palazzolo believes Simmons’ emergence makes the Chiefs’ offense “really good again,” recommending bettors lean toward Kansas City team-total overs and maintain full confidence in Mahomes’ MVP futures.

Andy Holloway highlighted Xavier Worthy as a big early-season winner from the Rice suspension. Chiefs coaches have talked all offseason about dialing up more vertical concepts, and Worthy’s sub-4.3 speed fits that objective perfectly. With Rice’s middle-of-the-field snaps vacated, defenses will have to pick their poison between bracketing Kelce underneath and respecting Worthy over the top, setting the rookie up for splash-play upside right away in Weeks 1-6.

Jason Moore said Rashee Rice’s absence removes the only other Chiefs pass-catcher who consistently operates in Travis Kelce’s short-to-intermediate ‘first-read’ real estate. With those slant and option routes vacated for six weeks, Moore expects Patrick Mahomes to pepper Kelce with targets out of the gate, calling it a ‘much, much stronger start’ than last season. He framed Kelce as an even better early-round pick in formats where surviving the first month is critical, such as guillotine leagues.

Jason Moore pushed back hard on drafting Rashee Rice inside the top seven rounds. He stressed that a six-game suspension wipes out nearly half the fantasy regular season and forces managers to burn both a starting spot (once he returns) and a bench spot (while he’s out). Moore noted Rice’s résumé is still largely one three-game hot streak and said he prefers healthier options such as Chris Olave, Calvin Ridley, and Deebo Samuel in the same draft range. For Moore, Rice becomes palatable only in the 9th or even 10th round, after the plug-and-play WR2 tier is gone.

Mike Wright remained bullish on Rashee Rice even after the league handed down a six-game suspension. Wright argued Rice is still worth a 6th–to-7th-round pick because he believes the second-year wideout has true difference-maker potential once active. The Chiefs leaned on Rice for first-read slants and middle-of-the-field work down the stretch last year, and Wright expects that role to return immediately in Week 7. He framed the suspension as a predictable, finite bench deletion—one that savvy managers can absorb early for eight straight regular-season games (Weeks 7-14) plus the fantasy playoffs. In his view, passing on boom-bust options like Khalil Shakir for Rice’s ceiling is the type of ‘big-brain’ play that wins leagues.

Kevin Szafraniec recommended scooping Jalen Royals in the final rounds because the rookie’s path to snaps could open wide by October. He expects Rashee Rice to receive a lengthy suspension—"eight games wouldn’t surprise me"—after multiple felony convictions. That time line syncs perfectly with Andy Reid’s long-standing tendency to ease rookies in and then unleash them around Weeks 8-10. Royals was a favorite of analyst Shawn Siegele pre-draft and steps into a depth chart that, aside from Travis Kelce, lacks proven target earners. Kevin believes Royals could become Patrick Mahomes’ primary vertical threat during the Best-Ball playoff weeks, making him an ideal upside stash.

Tom Strachan urged drafters to grab Xavier Worthy near pick 40 before his price spikes. Worthy saw 17 deep targets last year but caught only three because just 41 % were catchable, 61st among receivers. With Rashi Rice facing suspension and Patrick Mahomes publicly emphasizing downfield accuracy, Strachan expects Worthy to claim a larger target share and connect on more splash plays, making him a high-ceiling best-ball weapon.

Mike Wright grabbed Isiah Pacheco as his RB3 and said he is "growing more and more comfortable by the day" because no other Kansas City back is gaining momentum. Wright cited reports that Elijah Mitchell "has not necessarily played himself onto the roster" and that veteran Kareem Hunt is "old" and dealing with his own issues. He believes Pacheco looked sluggish last season only because he "came back too early from his injury" and now has had ample recovery time, positioning him as the clear lead runner in a Patrick Mahomes offense.

Jason Moore drafted Rashee Rice in the late eighth round and called it "worth the risk" because he expects Rice to remain productive once he is on the field. Moore acknowledged uncertainty around a potential suspension but stressed that the wideout "will be playing a bunch of football" and that, as his fourth receiver, he can absorb a few missed games while still offering strong weekly ceilings when active. Moore framed Rice as the ideal bench stash who can pay off handsomely when bye weeks and injuries hit later in the season.

R.J. White backed Patrick Mahomes at +700 to pace the league in passing yards. He noted Mahomes had only four games with Rashee Rice and just two with Marquise Brown last season, while first-round rookie Xavier Worthy needed time to develop. With Rice potentially available for more than half the season, Brown stretching the field from Week 1, and Worthy entering year two of the scheme, White expects a much better receiver situation. Mahomes has averaged 300-plus passing yards per game three separate seasons, and White thinks that ceiling is back in play, offering better value than the shorter-priced favorites.

R.J. White grabbed Patrick Mahomes at +1000 to finish as the passing-yards leader. Mahomes has topped 300 yards per game in three different seasons and White blames the recent dip on receiver injuries and shaky left-tackle play. With Rashee Rice expected back, rookie LT Josh Simmons in the fold, and Jalen Moore providing depth, White expects Kansas City to stay pass-first because the ground game still doesn’t scare anyone. The healthier supporting cast plus a throw-heavy scheme gives Mahomes 5,000-yard upside at a double-digit price.

Alex Selesnick took Travis Kelce over 4.5 receiving touchdowns. He noted Kansas City’s passing attack cratered in 2024, but expects greater efficiency in 2025 and anticipates Kelce shifting into a red-zone specialist role as he ages. Given Patrick Mahomes’ trust in Kelce and the lack of proven WR options, Selesnick believes hitting five TDs is a conservative projection.

Freedman edged Hollywood Brown up to WR50 after news that Rashee Rice faces a likely suspension. While KC hopes second-year burner Xavier Worthy steps up, the veteran Brown is the most proven field-stretcher on the roster. In Patrick Mahomes’ offense even a 20% target share could push Brown into weekly WR3 territory, making him a savvy mid-round pick for managers seeking early-season spike weeks.

Chris Liss said Rashee Rice is still a priority mid-round target even with a looming league suspension. Liss is "very confident it's going to be at least six" games and is "still betting on eight, won't be shocked if it's ten," but emphasized that managers are not forced to eat zeros— they can draft temporary fill-ins such as Xavier Worthy or Hollywood Brown. Because the uncertainty has driven Rice’s ADP from the 4th to the late-8th round over the last week, Liss would now take him ahead of George Kittle or even Jaylen Waddle when he can afford to wait on production. The payoff, in his view, is eventual exposure to Patrick Mahomes’ target tree at a steep discount, a combination that gives Rice league-winning upside once the suspension is served.

Ian Hartitz endorsed Xavier Worthy as a premium upside pick. Worthy saw 17 deep targets but caught only three last year because just 41 % were deemed catchable, yet he still averaged 15.6 PPR points from Week 11 on by winning underneath and on manufactured touches. Hartitz expects that floor to rise because Patrick Mahomes has publicly prioritized restoring the deep game. With Rashee Rice likely facing a 4-to-6-game suspension, Hollywood Brown already banged up, and 35-year-old Travis Kelce a declining target hog, Worthy projects to soak up both vertical looks and gadget work. Hartitz places him in the Pickens/J.Williams discussion and has repeatedly seen him slip past ADP 50 into the 60s in high-stakes drafts, calling him an ideal WR3/WR4 who can finish as a mid-range WR2 with true WR1 spike-week potential.

Shawn Siegele argued that Xavier Worthy belongs in the late-second/early-third round. With Rashee Rice facing a potential 5-10-game ban, Worthy projects to step immediately into Patrick Mahomes’ vertical-stretch role. Siegele expects Kansas City to remain top-five in pass-rate-over-expectation, giving Worthy both reliable weekly volume and multi-TD spike-week upside that far exceeds his current ADP.

Shawn Siegele said Rashee Rice’s current draft price is a land mine. Internal league reports asked for a suspension of nearly ten games, and even Rice’s appeal is expected to leave him sidelined five or six. Siegele argued that missing half the fantasy regular season destroys Rice’s value in tournament-style best-ball formats and that drafters should simply cross him off their early-round boards and redirect Kansas City exposure elsewhere.

Matthew Freedman told readers to buy Rashee Rice despite a looming disciplinary hearing that pushed his Yahoo ADP down to 63.5. Freedman argues that even if Rice misses games in October, he is still Patrick Mahomes’ top wideout the rest of the year and profiles as a difference-maker when available.

From Week 14 through the Super Bowl, Worthy logged 87% route participation and produced 19.0 PPG with a 25% target share, 21% air-yards share, 2.13 YPRR, and 1.1 rushing attempts per game. McFarland says his Round 5 ADP (53.8) still leaves room for profit even when Rashee Rice returns, labeling Worthy a high-end WR3 with legitimate WR2 upside in Patrick Mahomes’ offense.

Shawn Siegele said his 12-plus-thousand-word deep dive on the Chiefs convinced him that Patrick Mahomes still owns a true ceiling season in 2025 best-ball drafts. Siegele outlined the path: historically, Mahomes padded his touchdown totals with short-area scores to specialty players like Jerick McKinnon; if those scheme wrinkles re-emerge he sees a 4,500-yard, 45-TD campaign in the range of outcomes. The caveats: Rashee Rice’s looming suspension and camp darling Bershard Smith possibly being cut create real pass-catcher volatility, so Siegele admitted a 5,000/50 eruption is less likely this year. Nonetheless, on any roster that already includes rookie burner Xavier Worthy, he views stacking Mahomes as a "million-dollar" upside bet because the pair could recreate the old Mahomes/Tyreek explosive profile at a moderate ADP cost.

Jim Coventry cautioned managers chasing Xavier Worthy’s late-season breakout. Worthy produced WR2 numbers only because he stepped into the Rashi Rice role after Rice injured his knee. With Rice healthy and entrenched as the offense’s alpha, Coventry expects Worthy to revert to his intended lid-lifter duties. That is a problem, he said, because Patrick Mahomes ranked among the league’s least efficient deep passers last year. Add established targets Hollywood Brown and Travis Kelce, and Coventry doubts a down-field-only Worthy can justify a top-20 WR draft slot when fantasy playoffs roll around.

Davis Mattek reached a full round ahead of ADP for Xavier Worthy because he is betting that Worthy "earns targets at an above-average NFL level" immediately while catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, whom Mattek expects to put up MVP-caliber numbers again. If that target-earning thesis is correct, Worthy provides weekly spike-week potential that can separate best-ball tournament line-ups, making the early selection a calculated ceiling play.

Strachan highlighted Xavier Worthy as the best mid-round way to leverage Mahomes’ stated goal of throwing deep more often in 2025. He pointed out that Worthy’s speed instantly makes him the premier field-stretcher on a receiving corps that “is definitely starting to look better.” Because Mahomes has been vocal about improving long-ball efficiency and the Chiefs invested first-round capital in Worthy, Strachan believes the Mahomes-Worthy stack offers league-winning spike weeks in half-PPR and best-ball formats at a much cheaper total cost than the traditional Mahomes–Kelce hookup.

Tom Strachan warned drafters not to pay full freight for Patrick Mahomes in 2025 redraft or best-ball contests. He blamed what he called the “Matanagi factor” – Matt Nagy’s play-calling tendencies that, in Strachan’s view, lower Mahomes’ weekly ceiling compared with past Eric Bieniemy seasons. Strachan also flagged the looming Rashee Rice suspension as another hit to overall passing efficiency. While acknowledging that Mahomes has publicly emphasized improving his deep-ball accuracy throughout the offseason program, Strachan said he is only interested when the quarterback falls below market price or can be paired with a late-round Chiefs wideout, otherwise preferring to wait on cheaper QB options.

Matt Okada advised grabbing Isiah Pacheco at his RB23 ADP because every signal points to a career year. During the Chiefs’ eight-game Super Bowl push in 2023 plus the first two games of 2024, a healthy Pacheco averaged 16.6 fantasy points (an RB6 pace) and was on a 17-game projection for 1,640 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns. A fractured fibula spoiled 2024, yet Kansas City simultaneously posted a Mahomes-era-high 41% rush rate and 26.5 carries per game. With the depth chart still uninspiring and reports that Pacheco is back to full strength, Okada believes that volume in a top red-zone offense can finally vault him into the RB1 tier.

Jake Trowbridge said he is keeping Xavier Worthy over Rashee Rice in half-PPR leagues because the looming Rice suspension could sideline him during the most important fantasy weeks. Worthy, free from disciplinary issues, steps into a Patrick Mahomes offense that just vacated 135 wide-receiver targets. With 4.21 forty speed and a projected field-stretcher role, Worthy offers weekly ceiling without the risk of disappearing in December, making him the clear keep candidate for Trowbridge.

Jake Trowbridge recommended avoiding Rashee Rice entirely. Rice’s disciplinary hearing is set for Sept 30, and Trowbridge fears a 6-plus-game suspension that could overlap fantasy playoffs given Kansas City’s Week-10 bye. Even if Rice is active Weeks 1-4, the Chiefs open against three top-12 pass defenses, limiting early usefulness. The uncertainty around timing of any appeal adds further downside, so Trowbridge will not draft Rice at all.

Addressing Travis Kelce’s claim that career opportunities may have hurt his 2024 production, Marcas Grant argued the tight end is simply slowing down. Next Gen Stats chart Kelce’s average speed, burst score and yards-after-catch percentage as the lowest of his last five seasons. Rather than blaming off-field appearances or concert cameos, Grant sees Father Time at work and recommends fantasy managers price Kelce as a star entering his decline phase rather than assuming a quick bounce-back to peak numbers.

While the consensus moved Rashee Rice up to 43rd overall, Jeff Erickson held firm at 66, essentially two rounds below the other three analysts. The article explains Rice’s earlier slide was driven by suspension concerns; although settlement news has softened that outlook, Erickson is unconvinced enough to adjust. His stance signals that he is still pricing in a multi-game ban and prefers safer options in the WR4 range, advising drafters not to chase the recent ADP climb.

Jim Coventry pushed Rashee Rice up from 70th in July to 40th in the August 14 Roundtable update. The article notes Rice "had fallen to 54th on the expectation of a suspension" but has now "rebounded" to 43rd overall in the composite, and Coventry’s revised rank is even more aggressive. Coventry’s move is tied to the diminished suspension outlook—reinforced by Friday’s headline that "a settlement could be reached" in Rice’s case. With fewer missed games now projected, Coventry views Rice as a viable every-week PPR starter and the clear WR1 in Kansas City’s offense once active, making him a draft target in the late-fourth/early-fifth round of single-QB PPR formats.