Will Brenden Rice Make the Chargers 53-Man Roster? 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook

July 23, 2024

Will Brenden Rice make the Chargers 53-man roster? Andrew Ball looks at the fantasy football outlook for the rookie wide receiver in 2024.

Training camps are underway across the league, meaning hundreds of players are battling it out for a spot on regular season rosters.

For some, the NFL dream may end before it ever begins. Late-round and undrafted rookies have to exceed expectations to survive final roster cuts. One of those is the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice.

Brenden Rice may be on the Los Angeles roster bubble. Below, we dive into his chances of making the 53-man roster and his fantasy football outlook for 2024.

Will Brenden Rice Make The Chargers 53-Man Roster?

Unlike the son of another Hall of Fame wide receiver, Brenden Rice had to wait until near the end of the 2024 NFL Draft to hear his name called. The Los Angeles Chargers selected Rice with the fifth pick in the seventh round. Less than 30 picks later, the Chargers double-dipped at the wide receiver position and added Michigan's Cornelius Johnson to the roster. With the pair of rookies plus second-round pick Ladd McConkey joining D.J. Chark, Derius Davis, Quentin Johnston, and Joshua Palmer in training camp, opening-day roster spots will be at a premium.

"The two rookie draft picks, Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson, did not show me much during the spring. They will both likely be fighting for roster spots." - Daniel Popper, The Athletic

While the Chargers lack high-end talent at the position, they could be comfortable heading into the season with the three returnees (Davis, Johnston, Palmer) and higher-investment additions (McConkey, Chark).

Brenden Rice 2024 Fantasy Outlook

Rice was largely an afterthought in his two-year tenure at the University of Colorado. It wasn't until he transferred to USC that he made a splash. Rice logged 45 receptions, 791 yards, and 12 touchdowns in his senior season, catching passes from first-overall pick Caleb Williams. That's a score every 3.75 catches for those who don't want to do the math.

DOUBLIN' DOWN ✌️ @BrendenRice with another TD! @uscfb pic.twitter.com/7GAywgi2dk

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 24, 2023

The bloodlines may run deep, but a family name alone won't help Rice land on the 53-man roster. If his skill set allows him to make the team, the rookie still won't be worth rostering outside the deepest dynasty formats. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman will lead a run-heavy offense for the new-look Chargers, despite rostering one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

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