Rashee Rice Injury Update: 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

With the upcoming 2025 NFL season, fantasy football players can't wait to hear the latest on the most critical players, and the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is at the forefront of their minds. 

After a bright start to his career was stalled by a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 of the 2024 season, Rice's rehabilitation has been the topic of the day. Kansas Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes offered good news on the subject, in that Rice is fully healthy and is playing without limitation. 

This is good news for the 25-year-old wide receiver and gets the pump primed for a breakthrough season. In this article, we'll discuss Rice's injury, his career stats, his current fantasy ADP, and how his return to good health impacts your 2025 fantasy football team.

Rashee Rice Injury Update

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice suffered a major setback to the 2024 NFL season with a season-ending knee injury during Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

The diagnosis was lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and posterolateral corner (PLC) injury to his right knee. Rice was operated on Oct. 8, 2024, to have an LCL reconstructed and to have further injury to his hamstring tendon repaired.

Even though the surgery ensured the integrity of his ACL and meniscus, rehabilitation was initially projected to be the same as with an ACL injury—9 to 12 months—keeping him out of the remainder of the 2024 season.

But there was a positive development as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes offered a positive update on the rehabilitation of Rice. 

Speaking to the press, Mahomes explained, "He looks like Rashee. Naturally, having the injury was awful. But so early in the season, he was on the practice field when the offseason opened. … There's no limitations. He's out there playing." 

The statement indicates Rice has fully healed and is in the same shape as before the injury, involved in offseason practice with no limitations as the team gets closer to the 2025 season. 

For fantasy football players, this is a big green flag for a player who sat out most of last season.

Rashee Rice Stats

Before his 2024 injury, Rashee Rice was becoming a key member of the Chiefs passing game. These are his career stats to date:

Rice's 2023 rookie season showcased his potential with 79 receptions for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns, good for sixth on the AP Award Top Offense Rookie of the Year ballot. 

In the 2024 season, playing in only four games, he was geared for a breakout with 24 receptions for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns, including an 82.8% catch rate and 72.0 yard per game average. 

His efficiency and part in the Chiefs' potent offense make him a highly interesting pick for fantasy players with him fully healthy.

Rashee Rice Fantasy Football ADP

As of May 29, 2025, Rashee Rice is being drafted as the WR21 in PPR drafts with an ADP of 47. In Underdog Best Ball leagues, his WR21 is where he is positioned as well but with a bit earlier ADP of 38. 

His draft position is a sign of caution from fantasy players balancing his established potential against the usual risk of a player returning from a severe knee injury. 

Part of this, however, is assuaged by recent comments from Mahomes, with the potential of his ADP rising as the 2025 season gets closer.

Rashee Rice Fantasy Football Outlook

Rashee Rice's full health comeback is good news for fantasy football players as we head toward the 2025 season. The 25-year-old receiver has already established himself as a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes with a significant target share and the ability to rack up yards in the passing game. Being the starter in the Chiefs offense—as evidenced by his four starts in four games in 2024—places him in line to become a WR2 with WR1 potential in fantasy lineups.

The biggest question surrounding Rice was if he'd regain his pre-injury speed and quickness, which are critical traits for a wide receiver in the Andy Reid system. Mahomes' assertion that "there's no limitations" and that Rice "looks like Rashee" likely put such doubts to bed. The fact that the injury occurred so early in the 2024 season allowed Rice plenty of time to heal, and his availability for offseason work suggests he's set to pick up where he'd left off in camp.

From a fantasy point of view, Rice's worth is tied to his relationship with Mahomes and the pass-happy Chiefs offense. He scored 7 touchdowns on 79 targets in 2023, and his 2024 pace (2 TDs in 4 games) is such that he might approach double-digit TDs in a full, injury-free season. His ADP at the WR21 currently ranks him as a value selection, particularly if he can re-establish his role as the go-to target for Mahomes in place of Travis Kelce.

All else being equal, there are some things to beware of. Rice's off-field issues, would be an issue if there remain legal implications involved. The Chiefs passing corps may also shuffle and pick up new pieces in terms of target allocation this offseason, which would impact Rice's workload. For the time being, his rehab process and vote of support from Mahomes make him a high-ceiling pick in 2025 fantasy drafts.

In essence, Rashee Rice is returning, and per Patrick Mahomes, he is on track to resume his place as an important piece in the Chiefs' offense. Fantasy team owners can draft him with his current ADP with the potential to live up to expectations if he picks up where he left off in 2024.