Team news: Kansas City Chiefs

NFL is aiming for at least a potential six-game suspension for Chiefs WR Rashee Rice for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, sources tell ESPN. The suspension would kick in at the start of this season.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce

Presumably, the "aiming" part means that six games isn't locked in stone, but we can safely assume that four games is the floor. Rice is still very much draftable, but this is an obvious boost to the rest of the receiving corps, and Kelce could be the biggest beneficiary if the team isn't "saving" him for the postseason. This is a far better outcome for Rice than if it were going to be in the middle-to-late part of the season, which is what was originally bandied about.

Trade! The Chiefs send Skyy Moore to the 49ers. The teams will swap sixth- and seventh-round picks in 2027.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Royals, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Brandon Aiyuk

Both of these teams are dealing with wide receiver issues/injuries, so maybe this points toward good news for Worthy and Brown, who have been dinged up this summer, and/or Rice receiving a shorter suspension than initially thought.

Moore will benefit a 49ers room that is dealing with bad injury luck themselves, including Jennings' calf, Watkins' ankle, and Robinson's three-game suspension. Moore can be left on waiver wires in all but the deepest Dynasty leagues.

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 multi-car crash in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce

This is actually pretty miserable timing, as it means a potential suspension could be pushing up against the fantasy playoffs. Regardless, fantasy managers will get the Chiefs WR1 for the first four games of the season, and the suspension could be anywhere from 4-8 games. It'd be nice to have that information as we head into the season, but we'll have to roll with the punches following the hearing.

The reason why Rashee Rice didn't practice today -- which was mostly held indoors & without fans -- is because he has a groin injury, per the team.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce

This seems to be a new injury and adds to Worthy (concussion protocol) and Brown (ankle) receiving their own bruises in practices over the last week or so. There are no further updates to Rice's injury at the time, so we won't speculate further until we receive more information.

Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy, who left yesterday’s practice after banging his head, is in the NFL’s concussion protocol, per coach Andy Reid.

Related Players: Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster

This comes just a day after Brown left practice with an ankle injury, signaling an all-around tough practice for the squad yesterday. With Rice potentially missing a portion of the season due to suspension, the Chiefs can't afford to be missing either Brown or Worthy for any time. Let's hope for a speedy recovery for both receivers, or it's going to be a sneaky bounce back season for TE Travis Kelce.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid says WR Hollywood Brown left practice with an ankle injury.

"I don't think it's too bad, but we'll see."

Reid says WR Xavier Worthy "banged his head."

Related Players: Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster

Looks like a bad day at the office for the WR room. With Rice potentially missing a portion of the season due to suspension, the Chiefs can't afford to be missing either Brown or Worthy for any time. We'll keep an eye on things, but it's obviously a good sign that Reid doesn't seem overly concerned.

Running back order of touch during rush period: Pacheco, Mitchell, Hunt, Smith, Steele

Related Players: Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, Carson Steele

We'll see if this is just to get the team some more looks at Mitchell or if this will last into the season, but it's a good sign nonetheless. Smith is likely to start off as an explosive passing-down option and nothing else, while we all know what Hunt is at this point in his career.

Mitchell would be an RB5 option if he ends up leapfrogging Hunt.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will be a full participant at training camp, coach Andy Reid said, after Rice was sentenced to five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of his probation last week.

“We’re going to progress as normal with (Rice),” Reid said Sunday after the Chiefs arrived at Missouri Western State University’s campus for training camp. “He’ll go in and take all the reps that he’ll normally take. We always rotate that position, so depending on what happens here with the future, whoever needs to play will step in and know what they are doing and be in good shape to do it.”

Reid said he did not know when the NFL would decide on a potential suspension for Rice, the story went on to say. It added that last Thursday, Rice pleaded guilty in a Dallas County court to two third-degree felony charges, including a collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury.

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 NFL can expedite its disciplinary process and Rice is likely to receive a multi-game suspension.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce, Noah Gray

We'll keep an eye on things to determine whether a "multi-game suspension" equates to two, four, or six, but regardless, it would be an obvious blow to his fantasy bottom line if that comes in 2025. If/when that decision comes down, it would open up the middle of the field for Kelce, where the two have operated in recent history. If Rice's ADP drops precipitously over a two-game suspension in the middle of the season, he'll start to be an even bigger target in drafts.

He saw just four games his sophomore season before tearing up his knee chasing down a defender after a Patrick Mahomes interception. But the good news amid the bad news: Rashee Rice did not tear his ACL but his LCL, which meant a shorter recovery time. Thus, the wideout was back on the field this spring for the Chiefs, and coach Andy Reid said he expects him to be full-go for the start of training camp. Rice’s return will be crucial for an offense looking to rediscover its explosiveness. — Zak Keefer

Keefer went on to say Rice had 938 receiving yards as a rookie in 2023 and was building off that early in Year 2. Kansas City has been waiting for a WR1 to step into the role vacated by Tyreek Hill in 2022. He’s not Hill, but Rice might be this team’s best bet. He has future Pro Bowler written all over him, according to Keefer. Rice was good his first four games and seemed on his way to a bust-out year last season. Rice seems to be a late third round target in 12-team leagues so far this summer.