Rashee Rice Sentence & Looming Suspension Crushes Patrick Mahomes’ Fantasy Value

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation, opening the door for a potential multi-game suspension from the NFL, which would crush Patrick Mahomes' fantasy football value.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) warms up against the Cincinnati Bengals prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice got hit with some tough news today — and fantasy managers felt it too. As the WR1 for the reigning AFC champs, Rice's value took a major dive, and unfortunately for Patrick Mahomes, his stock may be going down with him.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rice has been sentenced for his part in a multi-car accident in Dallas, Texas, during the 2024 offseason. Rice was sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days in jail — time he’s allowed to serve during that probationary period. Now that the legal dust has settled, the NFL is expected to hand down a multi-game suspension for the 2025 season. Fantasy managers were bracing for impact in 2026, not this year, so this unexpected twist shakes up not only Rice’s outlook but also the fantasy value of several other Chiefs playmakers.

ESPN sources: A Dallas County judge just sentenced Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to five years probation and 30 days of jail time that can be served during those five years stemming for his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.

Now that the judge has ruled, the… pic.twitter.com/MKGytL6Lzk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025

Rashee Rice Potential Suspension Fantasy Football Impact

WR Rashee Rice

This is speculation, but we are projecting a suspension of about four-six games. There is a chance it could be slightly more or slightly less, but this is a fair starting point to base our outlook on him based on precedent.

According to his current ADP on FantasyPros, he's being drafted as the WR15 in PPR formats. We expect that to drop significantly. Not only is he going to miss a significant portion of the fantasy season, but he'll have to be reintegrated into the offense once he returns. His ADP is going to be extremely volatile for a while, so it's difficult to evaluate his value until it settles. Right now, his ADP is way too high, but that will change quickly. It could drop low enough that he becomes a value and even a late-season league winner. If you can survive without him, he can be a massive in-season boost if he joins your roster coming off suspension. However, we need to not get ahead of ourselves and wait for the rest of the details. 

QB Patrick Mahomes

This is a tough blow for Mahomes, who never looked the same last season after Rice got injured early in Week 4. With that said, this year we know that he will be getting Rice back at some point. There is no doubt this is a downgrade for Mahomes' overall outlook for 2025, but it could open up an interesting scenario where he can become an intriguing mid-season trade target if he once again struggles without his WR1. 

WR Xavier Worthy

This is a huge boost for Worthy, who is now projected to be Mahomes' top target for an extended portion of the season with Rice expected to face a suspension. The longer Rice is suspended, the more value Worthy gains. We expect him to pick up where he left off last season, assuming Rice's suspension drops prior to the start of the season. 

TE Travis Kelce

The Rice suspension could impact Kelce more than any player not named Rice. Kelce was completely useless last season when Rice was on the field. In the three games Rice played, Kelce totaled eight receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns on 12 targets. While he never returned to his past elite form, Kelce was a much more important part of the offense with Rice off the field. Kelce now becomes a much better draft pick who you may want to dump midseason if he builds up value with Rice out.  

---

Senior Fantasy Football Expert Shawn Childs is currently projecting Rice to finish the season with 73 receptions, 879 receiving yards, and seven trips to the end zone, a far cry from what drafters were hoping for when they selected him over the summer. Worthy and Kelce figure to be the biggest beneficiaries. And Mahomes will yet again have to figure out a way to win games with a less than stellar pass-catching corps.

2025 Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Football Projections | Shawn Childs

Editor's Note: This is a developing story. More details to follow.