Turns Out, Stashing Guys Like Rashee Rice Is Killing Your Fantasy Football Team

We’re all guilty of it. You draft a guy like Rashee Rice or Joe Mixon knowing they'll be out for a portion of the season, but as a long-term play.

It feels brilliant before Week 1, but it doesn't exactly pay off.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Rashee Rice #4 and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs walk off the field after a win over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Yahoo's Fantasy Football system compiled data on teams that stashed Rashee Rice this year, and most of them have losing records. There's truth in the data.

Nearly 70% of teams rostering Rashee Rice had two wins or fewer by Week 6, more than suggesting his absence weighed heavily on lineups.

We get it … who wouldn't want to keep a Chiefs top wideout on their back burner over some WR3? 

Chances are, you just won't be very successful until he's activated.

Fantasy Records of Yahoo Teams with Rashee Rice (Through Week 6):

0-6: 15.6%

1-5: 28.4%

2-4: 24.1%

3-3: 17.5%

4-2: 9.9%

5-1: 3.8%

6-0: 0.7%

Rice's rounded (PPR) ADP is about No. 73 overall, meaning he was going in the seventh round in 12-team leagues.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - AUGUST 19: Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs prepares for a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Names generally picked in the Rashee Rice territory included Jaylen Waddle, J.K. Dobbins, Rome Odunze, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield and Jake Ferguson, all of whom are considered starting-caliber players after Week 6.

When those mid-round picks go to a sidelined player, skill positions such as WR and RB take a major hit, expecting higher returns from guys we likely snagged from round 8 onward.

Week 7 marks Rice's return to the field after serving a six-game suspension — violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after his involvement in a high-speed car crash and subsequent legal charges in Dallas.

The questions flood in over cut-offs: what round is considered ‘too high’ for a sidelined player? Could guys like Jordan Addison — missing less time to start the year — be an exception?

In fantasy football, it takes a gut feeling to navigate these nuanced decisions. You either got the skills or you're losing.

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