Rashee Rice emerged as the No.1 Receiver last season in Kansas City and proved a valuable asset for the defending champs. When some of the other wideouts were dropping crucial passes, it was Rice who was making catch after catch and became a real quick asset for not only the Chiefs but also for fantasy owners during the back half of the season in 2023.
The only hesitation with drafting Rice in 2024 is whether or not he’ll be suspended for the offseason antics that he had, plus the potential big plays with two new speedster wideouts in Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy. Let’s look at Rice’s 2023 production.
Rashee Rice 2023 Production
Rice had 79 receptions for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2023 for the Kansas City Chiefs in his rookie season. The SMU prospect was a crucial part of the Chiefs’ stretch run at the end of the season, as from Weeks 12-18, Rice ranked 12th in target share (25.2%), 10th in YPRR (2.77) and FD/RR (0.123), and ninth in fantasy points per route run (0.60) according to Fantasy Pros.
These stats proved that Rice’s rise in PPR formats was crucial to the stretch run for fantasy owners during the fantasy playoffs, helping them win championships in various leagues. Rice proved to be a strong rookie option in 2023 with those numbers and could’ve had a huge 2024. However, with the hit-and-run case still being investigated by the league, the WR eight on ESPN fantasy over the last eight weeks of the season will likely see a suspension and a huge hit to his fantasy value.
Rashee Rice 2024 Projections
Rice’s projections on ESPN show that potential hit to his numbers that was laid out previously, as the projected stat line is 68 receptions for 793 yards and 7 touchdowns for 188.69 fantasy points for the WR 37 ranking. That projection sounds right with the possible suspension and the additions of Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy along with still having Travis Kelce as the actual number-one target for Patrick Mahomes.
Fantasy Pros has Rice as the WR 36 in their 2024 ECR rankings with the 23rd easiest schedule with the following stat line projection: 69 receptions for 812 yards and 6 touchdowns. The only difference between the two projections is that the Fantasy Pros projection has Rice getting one more reception for more yards but one less touchdown than the ESPN projection.
Final Thoughts
Rashee Rice is a guy who would’ve been a sneaky play for fantasy owners as a WR2 if the offseason behavioral issues didn’t happen. The likely suspension for him is going to sway a lot of people from taking him at a WR2 value now, but as a WR3, he’ll have a ton of value late in drafts. Especially if people have forgotten about him because of the potential of suspension and the rise of the two speedsters of Brown and Worthy. I would draft Rice in the late rounds of drafts if the board falls that way.
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