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Will Rashee Rice play for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025? Will Rashee Rice be suspended for Week 1? Andy breaks down the latest Rashee Rice outlook and suspension update for fantasy football.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice entered the offseason with several questions looking over his head. The wideout is recovering from a season-ending LCL tear that he suffered during Week 4 of the 2024 season.
In addition, Rice is dealing with legal troubles regarding his role in a multi-car crash that occurred in Texas in 2024.
Will Rice suit up in Week 1? Is he fully healthy following his season-ending surgery? Let's dive in!
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Will Rice Play This Season?
Rice will not be in any danger of missing the entire 2025 campaign. The star wideout entered camp fully healthy and was deemed a "full go' by members of the Kansas City coaching staff. While he has recently been dealing with a groin injury, his coach, Andy Reid, has told the media that Rice has been held out for precautionary reasons.
Hollywood Brown (ankle), Rashee Rice (groin), Jake Briningstool (hamstring) and Cam Jones didn’t practice for the Chiefs today.
Brashard Smith (finger) left early.
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) August 7, 2025
In addition, although he may eventually receive a suspension due to his legal case, it does not appear that the suspension will be 17 games in length. As a result, fantasy managers should not consider leaving Rice off their draft board as he is slated to suit up for the majority of the 2025 season.
Will Rashee Rice Play In Week 1?
However, while Rice is not expected to miss the entire season, he could be in danger of missing time early in the campaign. Last week, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Rice is expected to have his disciplinary hearing with the NFL regarding the car accident on September 30.
ESPN sources: Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is expected to have his disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Tuesday, Sept 30 in New York. This means that Rice now is likely to be able to play the first four weeks of this season before any potential discipline is imposed for his role in a… pic.twitter.com/nC37poNfEb
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2025
As a result, fantasy managers should expect Rice to be cleared to suit up in their season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, as his suspension will likely be agreed on following his hearing.
Although Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network mentioned that a settlement could be reached before the season starts, it could result in him missing the first four games of the season. However, since the hearing is not until September 30, this outcome is unlikely, and he should be in a good position to avoid missing the opening month of the season.
The NFL initially proposed a lengthy suspension that would sideline #Chiefs WR Rashee Rice for over half the season. And while a Sept. 30 hearing date has been set, it’s still possible a settlement could be reached before the season. @NFLGameDay @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/kHOozuu1RW
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 15, 2025
Rashee Rice 2025 Fantasy Outlook
Despite his potential to miss several games in the regular season, Rice is still worth strongly considering in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft. Before suffering the season-ending LCL tear, Rice was on track to nearly finish as the WR1.
Through the first three games of the season, the former second-round pick averaged an elite 96.0 yards per game with 8.0 receptions per game. During this stretch, his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, targeted him 9.7 times per game and found him in the back of the end zone twice.
Even though wideout Xavier Worthy broke out in the second half of the season and tight end Travis Kelce will still be a threat in the red zone, when Rice is on the field, he is clearly Mahomes' top target and is worth viewing as a WR2 in upside. When on the field, he should finish near the top of the position in terms of fantasy points per game.
RASHEE RICE GOES ALL THE WAY FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!!! 🔥🔥
(🎥 @NFL)
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) November 26, 2023
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