Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee) was placed on the injured reserve on Thursday afternoon. The sophomore wideout suffered a knee injury last weekend and was initially feared to have torn his ACL. However, the team has yet to confirm the severity of the injury and plans to continue to perform tests to see its extent. This move to the IR will sideline the 24-year-old for at least the next four weeks. Fantasy managers should continue to follow any updates regarding his status for the remainder of the season. Before the injury, Rice continued his strong finish to his rookie season, averaging 21.6 PPR points across the first three weeks. Fantasy managers should expect Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, and tight end Travis Kelce to see a drastic uptick in targets while Rice remains sidelined.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee) suffered a serious-looking knee injury in the Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but the team is still waiting on information about the severity of his injury. This situation is an ongoing development, so fantasy managers will need to be patient. However, Chiefs reporter Pete Sweeney said Rice was spotted in the Chiefs locker room "walking about normally" with no crutches. Again, not much information is known about his ailment, but he was originally feared to have suffered a torn ACL. Hopefully, the fact that he is walking without crutches is a positive sign for his outlook, but this is a "wait and see" situation. In Rice's absence, rookie wideout Xavier Worthy and veterans Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster are expected to see extra targets. However, tight end Travis Kelce could regain his target hog status.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that the team is waiting for swelling to be reduced in wide receiver Rashee Rice's injured right knee, and further tests are scheduled for next week. Rice injured his knee early in the Week 4 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, and initial fears were that the 24-year-old suffered a season-ending torn ACL. He has already been ruled out for Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, but the team has held off on officially ruling Rice out for the rest of 2024. For the time being, the Chiefs offense is without two of their best playmakers in Rice and running back Isiah Pacheco (leg), making things much more difficult for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. At least this Monday against the Saints, expect him to lean more on rookie Xavier Worthy and tight end Travis Kelce, while wideouts Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster will also be more involved to help pick up the slack. Rice needs to be stashed in all leagues.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters on Wednesday that "hopefully we have him back soon" when referring to wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee), who was feared to have torn his ACL in the Week 4 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers. Further testing on Rice's knee earlier this week has offered a glimpse of hope that he didn't suffer a season-ending injury last Sunday. He is currently seeking a second opinion, and his timetable for a return remains unclear. Mahomes isn't exactly a doctor, but fantasy managers in single-year leagues definitely shouldn't drop Rice just yet. Rice leads the team with 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns but will not play on Monday night against the Saints. The Chiefs are expected to spread the ball around more with Rice out, with rookie Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster expected to be Mahomes' top three wideouts. Tight end Travis Kelce will also have a higher fantasy ceiling.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson could find himself with a larger role on offense going forward. The Chiefs are going to be shorthanded for some time after Rashee Rice (knee) went down on Sunday. The expectation is that rookie Xavier Worthy and tight end Travis Kelce are going to be the focal points in the receiving game. However, Watson might end up seeing more work as well. He hauled in two of his three targets for 27 yards during Sunday's win. Watson knows the offense well and finished with nearly 500 yards in a part-time role last season. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Chiefs give Watson more responsibility with the team limited on offensive weapons. Fantasy managers shouldn't rush to add Watson, but keep him on their radar, especially in deep leagues.