The NFL has long been expected to suspend Rashee Rice for his role in a multi-car crash during the 2024 offseason. The only questions have been when the suspension would be handed down and how many games he'd miss as a result. ESPN's Adam Schefter didn't reveal the answer to either of those questions on Thursday, but he did make it clear that Rice would likely be able to play in the Kansas City Chiefs' first four games of the season before discipline of any kind is imposed.
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
Getting to have Rice for at least the first four weeks of the season is a win for both the Chiefs and fantasy football managers. This gives the Chiefs and fantasy football managers to get off to good starts to the 2025 season.
With that being said, the NFL regular season is 17 weeks long. Having some certainty regarding the first four weeks is a good thing, but the fact that we know nothing regarding when Rice will be suspended and how many games he'll miss presents a nightmare scenario for fantasy football managers.
Rashee Rice uncertainty makes life incredibly difficult for fantasy football managers
Having Rice to begin the season is a good thing, but beyond that, who knows what's to come? A suspension could come at a moment's notice, and who knows how many games he'll miss? Rice might get suspended for four weeks beginning in Week 5, which, while annoying, probably won't end too many fantasy seasons. However, he might also get suspended starting in Week 12 through the entire fantasy playoffs. We have no idea.
Rice, when he's on the field, projects to be a legitimate WR1; being the go-to target in a Patrick Mahomes-led offense has its perks. This makes him an easy player to draft in most scenarios, but fantasy managers have to deal with the one thing they can't stand: uncertainty.
What makes this situation even more frustrating is that the games we know Rice will be active for aren't exactly the best games for him to put up monster numbers.
Rashee Rice might not get off to dream start fantasy owners hope
Here's a look at how Rice will begin his season:
Week | Opponent |
|---|---|
1 | at Chargers |
2 | vs. Eagles |
3 | at Giants |
4 | vs. Ravens |
Rice's season will begin in Brazil against a Los Angeles Chargers team that allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards per game in 2024 and held the Chiefs to under 20 points in each of their meetings last season. He will then face a Philadelphia Eagles team that held the opposition to the fewest passing yards per game. The fourth game on Rice's schedule is against a Baltimore Ravens team that has a loaded secondary and just added both Jaire Alexander and Malaki Starks over the offseason.
The only game to begin the season against a subpar opponent comes in Week 3, when the Chiefs face the New York Giants on the road. This sounds like an ideal matchup on paper, but the Giants might have the best defensive line in the NFL. How will Kansas City's new-look offensive line hold up against that unit? The Giants allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards per game last season and might be better on that front in 2025.
There's a real scenario in which Rice gets off to a fairly lackluster start, then gets suspended for a month, putting fantasy managers in a very deep early-season hole. I'll never say don't draft the WR1 in a Mahomes-led offense, but fantasy managers must know what they're in for if they make the choice to draft him.