​Rashee Rice Is a Much Better Fantasy WR Than Real Life WRThere’s no denying the high level of production Rashee Rice provides whenever healthy. His role in the Kansas City Chiefs offense works, and he excels at it. But the underlying data reveals concerns that fantasy football managers need to be aware of before pushing the button on Rice in 2026 fantasy drafts.Should You Draft Rashee Rice in Fantasy Football?There’s no denying that what Rice does works for fantasy and, I guess, the Chiefs. In his three healthy games in 2024, Rice averaged 21.6 fantasy points per game. Last season, Rice averaged 18.8 PPG. Across his last 11 healthy games, Rice has five games with 20+ fantasy points and another three at 17+. A healthy Rice in the role he’s had the past two seasons is a fantasy WR1.Last season, Rice’s target share was 28.7%. Most importantly, he was targeted on 30.2% of his routes run. He averaged 2.21 yards per route run, 15th in the league, and his 0.109 first downs per route run ranked 14th. Rice was a very effective chain mover and served as Patrick Mahomes’ safety blanket.START PREPARING:PFN’s Fantasy Mock Draft SimulatorThis is, of course, by design. Behind Rice, the Chiefs had an injured Xavier Worthy and then a bunch of journeymen veterans or unproven young players. Travis Kelce was 35 years old last season. Rice is clearly their best wide receiver. Thus, it should not be a surprise he has so many targets manufactured for him. But therein lies the risk.Rice’s entire production stems from manufactured targets. He is one of the worst wide receivers in the league against man coverage. The man simply cannot get open. Last season, he averaged a paltry 0.91 yards per route run against man.The only thing Rice does well is find holes in the zone. Well, what happens if teams stop playing zone against the Chiefs? According to Matt Harmon’s reception perception, Rice’s success rate against man coverage ranked in the 9th percentile.Rice’s aDOT was 4.3 last season. It’s really hard to put into words how low that is. He was almost outside the top 100. Rice’s ability to get open extends to slants, screens, and flares. He can’t do anything else at an NFL level.Essentially, what this means is that the entirety of Rice’s value stems from the Chiefs continuing to manufacture touches for him. Rice’s talent is not the driver of his production; the role is. That is a scary proposition to bet on in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts.Rice’s Redraft Fantasy Football ValueIt’s pretty safe to say Rice is not a particularly special player. He’s the guy with the role, and the role is great as long as it lasts. By way of example, if you swapped Rice with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins would be the unquestioned alpha on the Bengals, and Rice would likely be a fantasy WR3. If we’re ranking real-life wide receivers based purely on talent, I am not sure Rice cracks the top 30.With that said, look at the Chiefs’ depth chart this seas