Rashee Rice in Concussion Protocol, Adding More Risk to Chiefs Pass-Catchers
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The Chiefs now find Rashee Rice on the injury report with a concussion, and it just makes the disappointment flow even worse in Kansas City. Rice can surely still play this week, but we must err on the side of caution. If Rice is out this week, and it seems to trend that way, it will change up this already questionable offense. We will guide you along this tough path for Week 16.
Fantasy Football Impact
2nd straight week Rashee Rice is just DELETED by a defender pic.twitter.com/lz7gHbUZZD
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) December 14, 2025
If Rice is out, it will elevate everyone else. Luckily, we have a sample size for the first six weeks of the season.
Hollywood Brown has been very viable, even with Rice back. Without Rice, Brown had been averaging (7.0) Targets and (5.0) Receptions per Game. In this time, he had (3) Touchdowns. Brown will be the WR1 and even with Minshew at the helm, Brown may trend as a low-end WR2.
Xavier Worthy also played to a much larger workload minus Rice. Worthy played just three full games without Rice, but he averaged (7.0) Targets and (4.3) Receptions per Game, on top of (1) Touchdown. Worthy, like everyone else, will have a 10-20 decrease in efficiency, but his volume still may have him Flex viable.
Tyquan Thornton has fallen to generally have no more than (2) Targets per Game with Rice back. However, he was a focal point without Rice. Thornton played 5 Games without Rice and he averaged (4.8) Targets and (2.8) Receptions per Game. This came on nearly (21) Yards per Reception and with (3) Touchdowns. Thornton could be a viable Flex play of boom-or-bust ability.
Travis Kelce is relatively unaffected. Without Rice, Kelce had been averaging (5.8) Targets and (4.8) Receptions per Game. He is actually averaging slightly above both of these marks with Rice active. Kelce is a must-start Tight End, even with Minshew.
Chiefs Week 16 Matchup
The Chiefs will be taking on the Titans in Nashville in Week 16. The Titans are 25th in Passing Yards Allowed. They are also 29th versus Wide Receivers and 22nd versus the Tight End. This matchup will be favorable, despite adding Minshew at Quarterback.
Stock Watch
Hollywood Brown may surge back up to a Flex-viable player. Stay tuned to our updated rankings once/if Rice is ruled out. He is of higher-variance with Minshew.
Xavier Worthy may be Flex-viable, but with high-variance with Minshew.
Tyquan Thornton is a longshot play, perhaps much better with Mahomes than Minshew. Thornton is better suited to be a DFS sleeper pick than a Fantasy Football option.
Travis Kelce lingers fine as a Top-10 Tight End.
Rashee Rice in Concussion Protocol
Rashee Rice got ROCKED in Sunday’s game and many were concerned about a possible concussion.
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) December 17, 2025
He presented Monday with symptoms and entered the protocol.
He would need to have a limited practice on Thursday and a full practice on Friday in order to play on Sunday. https://t.co/TdPCmn9FA9
Rice missed Wednesday practice, which bodes poorly as to his availability. When we combine this with the Chiefs now eliminated status, it would only make it more likely that Rice does not play. Nonetheless, there are incentives to competitiveness to be fielded. Thursday will be key for determining the availability of Rice. As for now, we expect it more likely than not that Rice is inactive.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.