The Fantasy Football Fallout of Rashee Rice's Knee Injury

The Kansas City Chiefs improved to 4-0 on the season with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4, but injuries are beginning to mount up for them on the offensive side of the ball. After losing Marquise Brown for the season and putting Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve, Rashee Rice suffered a potential season-ending knee injury against the Chargers.

Since the start of his rookie season in 2023, Rice has quickly emerged as the No. 1 WR for Patrick Mahomes. Prior to his unfortunate knee injury, Rice led the Chiefs in target share (34.5%), air yards share (33.6%), and yards per route run (3.69) through the first three weeks, per NextGenStats.

With Rice sidelined, let's take a look at how the injury affects Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, and the other pass-catchers on the Chiefs.

How Rice's Injury Impacts Patrick Mahomes

Before Rice exited Sunday's contest, it's not like Mahomes was lighting it up in fantasy football. In the first three weeks of the season, Mahomes was QB14 in fantasy points per game (15.8), and he didn't have a weekly finish better than QB14.

Through four weeks of action, Mahomes is now QB16 in fantasy points per game (15.4), but he's yet to finish worse than QB15 in a given week. While the floor is relatively solid for the best QB in football, the ceiling games haven't been there this year, and it's hard to expect them to arrive sans Rice in the offense.

When people were selecting Mahomes with an overall average draft position (ADP) of 31.0 (QB2), via FantasyPros' consensus ADP in half-PPR leagues, they were expecting to get closer to the 2022 version of Mahomes who finished as QB2 in fantasy points per game (25.2) rather than the QB12 average output (18.4) he had in 2023.

Unless the Chiefs make a move for a wideout or Kelce returns to prime form, it's tough to expect things getting much better for Mahomes in the fantasy realm.

Travis Kelce's Outlook

On a positive note, Kelce had his most productive outing of the 2024 campaign in Sunday's win against the Chargers. Across the first three weeks of the season, Kelce combined for only 8 receptions for 69 yards on 12 targets, earning a forgettable 14.3% target share, 18.7% air yards share, and 0.84 yards per route run.

However, in Week 4, Kelce hauled in 7 of his 9 targets for a season-high 89 yards while posting an elite 32.1% target share, 40.4% air yards share, and 2.87 yards per route run. That sort of fantastic usage is what we're accustomed to seeing from the All-Pro TE, and we may get just that with Rice inactive.

Entering Week 4, Kelce was TE26 in fantasy points per game (3.7), putting him behind the likes of Johnny Mundt, Tommy Tremble, and Elijah Higgins. Before the Monday night games are played, Kelce is currently the TE5 in Week 4 with 12.4 points in half-PPR formats.

Given the lack of other options in KC's aerial attack, Kelce is poised to be the No. 1 option for Mahomes again, so there's finally a chance he begins providing consistent production moving forward at a TE position that lacks consistency.

Xavier Worthy's Outlook

It was exciting to see Worthy get involved in the offense right out of the gate to begin his rookie season, posting 68 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs in the season opener versus the Baltimore Ravens. But in Weeks 2 and 3, Worthy combined for only 52 scrimmage yards and zero TDs as he became an afterthought in the passing game.

When Rice left the game in Week 4, Worthy caught a 54-yard touchdown, finishing with 73 yards and a score on 3 receptions. There's no doubt the Chiefs are going to need Worthy to step into a larger role earlier than the team likely wanted as his size could be a concern with an expanded workload.

At the same time, what Worthy lacks in size he makes up for with his blazing speed as he's capable of cruising past defenders in the blink of an eye. Up to this point, Worthy is logging a 13.4% target share, a team-high 27.2% air yards share, and 1.62 yards per route run.

Outside of Kelce, Worthy appears to be the other pass-catcher in Kansas City's offense who will get the ball in their hands more amid Rice's absence. Barring a trade for a notable receiver, Worthy has plenty of upside the rest of the way with Andy Reid's ability to get the ball in his playmaker's hands in unique ways.

The Other Pass-Catchers

Along with Kelce and Worthy, the other pass-catchers on the Chiefs figure to get more playing time in the coming weeks. Justin Watson received the third-most snaps (40) and routes (23) behind Kelce and Worthy in Week 4, while JuJu Smith-Schuster and Noah Gray each got 30 snaps on offense.

Of those three players, Gray was the most productive as he caught all 4 of his targets for 40 yards. There's a chance the Chiefs address their injuries at WR by deploying more 12 personnel, which would allow Kelce and Gray to be options through the air at the same time.

Besides the names mentioned, Skyy Moore or Mecole Hardman saw some playing time at WR for the Chiefs in their win over the Chargers. It's tough to get excited about the prospects of any of the pass-catchers not named Kelce or Worthy right now.

Once again, the reigning champs could turn to the trade market to replace Rice, which would dampen the outlook on everyone in the passing game -- especially if it's a move for a proven target-earner. So all things considered, I wouldn't go out of my way to add any of the secondary pass-catching options on the Chiefs unless we see someone emerge with a definitive role in the weeks ahead.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.