About Freakin' Time the Rashee Rice Situation Gets Resolved

What They're Saying

Pelissero: "The NFL and NFLPA are working to finalize the settlement, which will end Rice's disciplinary limbo and make him eligible to return Week 7 vs. Las Vegas."

ESPN's Adam Schefter, from earlier Wednesday morning: "NFL is aiming for at least a potential six-game suspension for Chiefs WR Rashee Rice for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, sources tell ESPN. The suspension would kick in at the start of this season."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Finally.

Rice's infraction came all the way back in April 2024, so it's still shocking we took so long to get to this point. But now we at least know Rice will miss the first six games. They'll come against the:

• Chargers
• Eagles
• Giants
• Ravens
• Jaguars
• Lions

We already had Rice projected to miss six games, which landed him in mid-WR3 territory in our WR rankings.

It's OK if you'd rather pass on a guy who'll miss a little more than a third of the season. But it's also possible to reinforce around Rice on your fantasy roster and get a guy with WR1-level upside for the rest of the schedule.

Other Winners & Losers

Chiefs WRs Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Jalen Royals obviously gain some upside during Rice's absence.

QB Patrick Mahomes takes at least a slight early-season hit. He'll miss his most targeted wideout (for Rice's healthy games) since the middle of 2023.

We're not downgrading Mahomes now for a suspension that's long been expected. But don't be surprised if Mahomes falls short of his QB6 ADP over at least the first two weeks (vs. the Chargers in Brazil and vs. the Eagles).