Fantasy Football Reaction to Rashee Rice Sentencing

Jul 18, 2025 2:09 PM EDT

The news of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice’s sentence of 30 days in jail and a five-year probation stint broke as fantasy football experts were participating in the industry’s premier live drafts, drawing immediate speculation about a looming suspension’s duration.

While it’s ultimately a guessing game as to how long he’ll miss, it didn’t stop these pro drafters from choosing Rice fairly early in this 14-team, 16-round, point-per-reception format. I participated in the National Conference, which is one tier below the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association’s signature Champions League. After a decade of competing in the headlining group, I suffered through an injury-plagued 2022 season that relegated me to the next rung down the ladder. I’ve been fighting the last two years to get back, but that’s a story for another day.

Fellow drafters included fierce representatives from prominent industry forces, such as Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, RotoWire, CBS Sports, and more. When it came to drafting Rice, gamers navigated the situation in real time as the news broke, making it interesting to see how some of the top minds in the space handled it on the fly.

The previous PPR WR16 in ADP took a serious tumble down the draft board. After five entire rounds passed and 33 receivers were chosen, Rotowire’s Sasha Yodashkin pulled the trigger on Rice and gambled on his unknown outlook. An 18-receiver free fall sandwiched the third-year wideout between the likes of Calvin Ridley (WR32), George Pickens (WR33), Cooper Kupp (WR35), and Chris Olave (WR36), for perspective.

Even without knowing his presumed suspension’s length, the risk of Rice missing anywhere from two to six games isn’t all that different than what those other receivers present. Ridley is getting long in the tooth and has a rookie quarterback throwing his way. Pickens is the No. 2 in a new offense and has to make do with fewer targets. Kupp is a strong sneeze away from visiting the ER, and Olave has a storied history of concussions.

The NFL could respond at any moment, and until we have a definitive timeline for Rice’s probable suspension, consider this a fair placement. He’s healthy after last year’s knee sprain and has an elite quarterback on his side in Patrick Mahomes. Don’t be afraid to use a WR3 roster spot on the 25-year-old SMU product prior to the league’s decision.