Team news: Kansas City Chiefs

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.

Good news from Chiefs coach Andy Reid with minicamp set to wrap up: He expects both first-round OT Josh Simmons (knee) and WR Rashee Rice (knee) to be full participants at the start of training camp.

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

Great start to the ramp up to the regular season, as Rice should be in WR2 territory if he's fully healthy by Week 1. We saw how much a healthy Rice severely impacted Kelce's ceiling, as they both operate in similar areas of the field, so he should be closer to TE10 than his historical top-3 consideration.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is officially back with KC after catching 18 passes for 231 yards and two TDs in 2024.

He’ll have an entire offseason with the Chiefs this go-around after signing with KC just days before the opener last year.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore

It looks like the Chiefs will be running it back with their WR room from 2024, after also re-signing Hollywood Brown to a one-year deal during this free agency cycle. The pass-catching group was nothing to write home about last season, but to be fair, there were plenty of injuries that prevented us from seeing exactly how it would work out. We could see a bit of a Patrick Mahomes revenge tour this season, which makes Smith-Schuster a little more interesting as a bye-week plug-in.

The Chiefs are re-signing RB Kareem Hunt to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with incentives, per source.

Related Players: Isiah Pacheco, Elijah Mitchell, Carson Steele

With Hunt and Mitchell finding themselves in KC this week, it feels like the Chiefs will be passing on a rookie once again, which is good news for Pacheco. A full offseason removed from his fibula injury, he should be back in RB2 consideration.

“I think I’ll be in a better place ankle-wise,” Patrick Mahomes said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “Obviously the body’s going to be sore just with a short week and everything like that, but I think the ankle should be in a better place. We’ll see in practice, but as far as how I felt after this game compared to the one before, I’m definitely in a lot better place.”

The short week could be a factor but it's hard to doubt Mahomes as this point. He bounced back rather nicely in Week 17, throwing for a TD and then running for another. The Chiefs play on Christmas Day against the Steelers.

Sources: The Chiefs are activating WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and he will officially make his season-debut on Saturday vs the Texans.

Related Players: DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson

It feels exceedingly likely that Hollywood Brown will be limited in his first in-game action of the season, but even light usage could lower the floor of his teammates. Hopkins and Worthy project as a fringe WR3/4 while Brown should stay on benches for now, but could end up being viable in Week 17.

Patrick Mahomes will “most likely end up playing” on Saturday, per Coach Reid.

There’s also a “good chance” Hollywood Brown will play.

Related Players: Carson Wentz

We'd like a little more reassurance here, but at least we have some hope that Mahomes will be available to elevate the offense. Mahomes should be benched in favor of a streamer in most fantasy formats.