One of the NFL’s murkiest offseason storylines was finally clarified on Wednesday.
Rashee Rice has accepted a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He won’t be eligible to return to the field until Kansas City’s matchup with Las Vegas in Week 7.
From the team’s perspective, Rice’s punishment is perhaps longer than they might have hoped for, but the timing is manageable. If his disciplinary hearing had not taken place until the very end of September, as was originally reported, then Kansas City faced a scenario in which a key playmaker could have been absent for an extended period in the season’s second-half. As things now stand, the Chiefs’ Death Star offense has a chance to be fully operational in the most important months.
If you happen to be a fantasy manager heading into a weekend draft — or maybe you’d already taken a flier on Rice — we finally understand the mess we need to manage. This is a good thing. The easiest time to deal with an absence is in the season’s first four weeks, before the byes begin and your roster is hopelessly injured. Rice managers will need to navigate a pair of bye weeks in October, but will soon after add a potential WR1 for the remainder of the season.
Now that we have all the details on the Rice suspension, I’ll be slightly more aggressive drafting him than my WR36 rank would suggest, assuming a league of typical size and shape. I’d be a buyer when we reach the Jaylen Waddle-Rome Odunze range.
In my first live draft following the suspension news, he was taken with the No. 60 overall pick, the final selection in the fifth round (not by me). Ideally, if you’re inclined to draft Rice, he’d be slotted as your team’s first flex. If he’s the first or second receiver on your roster, you’re in for a bumpy ride.
A significant complicating factor with Rice is that he will not be eligible for an IR spot, so it’s not as if he’s some fantasy free square. He’s going to occupy a bench spot for the first six weeks, which is nearly half of your fantasy regular season. If you happen to play in a short-bench league — let’s say four spots or fewer — it’s fair to consider him undraftable. He’s obviously untouchable in guillotine leagues as well.
Rice’s absence gives second-year receiver Xavier Worthy a runway to build off the stellar conclusion to his season (and postseason) and possibly consolidate power. He operates frequently at the same level of the field as Rice without actually doing the same things, so these two can coexist perfectly well.
In theory, Travis Kelce should benefit over the first six weeks, as Rice had effectively usurped his role and claimed his place in KC’s receiving hierarchy. Kelce also looked a little fossilized last season, so he’s hardly a lock to claim any vacated targets. Utah State rookie Jalen Royals suddenly has an opening, although he’s battling knee tendinitis. He’s more of a watch-list player, not a draft target. The same goes for training camp star Tyquan Thornton.
We shouldn’t see dramatic shifts in anyone’s wide receiver rankings this week, because a four or six-week Rice suspension should have been assumed. If you’d already drafted, this news can be considered sweet relief.
Rice’s situation is of course just one of several early season fantasy problems with which we’re contending. Various other fantasy relevant players are expected to be sidelined for as-yet-undetermined periods of time (unless they aren’t), either due to league discipline, contract concerns or ambiguous injuries.
Here’s a snapshot of my current level of discomfort with these situations, expressed via the round in which I’d be willing to draft the player in a typical 12-team league:
Rashee Rice: Disciplinary predicament resolved. Too talented to ignore and the team context is too good. Again, I’ll take him near the Round 5/6 turn.
Jakobi Meyers: Issued a performative trade request with contract negotiations stalled, but continues to practice. Only the mildest concern. Round 7-ish.
Jordan Addison: Facing a three-game suspension. Also contending with a 22-year-old quarterback. Same neighborhood as Jakobi, Round 7.
Joe Mixon: Placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, resulting in a minimum four-game absence. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but the team hasn’t been particularly aggressive backing him up (Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks). I’d be interested in Mixon in the 10th round — and if my league offered multiple IR spots, maybe the ninth.
Quinshon Judkins: Remains unsigned as of this writing. He’s clear of criminal charges, but not necessarily league discipline. Zero chance at early season production. He might still be an every-week RB2 in the second-half, however. It’s a long time to wait. I’d put him in the queue in Round 9, but probably not draft him until the 11th.
Jauan Jennings: May or may not be injured and he may or may not want out of San Francisco. The team has not yet blinked. Either way, Ricky Pearsall is gonna be a star. I don’t think Jennings is a headache worth accepting. I’m not interested until Round 11 or later, which is never early enough to get him.
Najee Harris: Activated from the NFI list and returned to practice. He’s never missed a regular season game in his NFL career and doesn’t seem ready to give up the streak. He should eventually play enough to frustrate the Omarion Hampton managers, if not enough to become a locked-in fantasy starter. On my board, it’s still the 11th or 12th round.
Jason Sanders: Placed on IR with a hip injury, so he’s unable to kick for the Dolphins over the first four weeks. For me, that would typically land him on the do-not-draft list. Jake Ciely, however, has declared Sanders to be his favorite draft-and-stash kicker for 2025. Where kickers are concerned, I will always defer to Ciely, a true specialist’s specialist. Sanders stays in round 16.
(Photo of Rashee Rice: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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