Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Rashee Rice

Friday, August 15, 1:06 PM

Cole Thompson of Texans Wire writes that Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk stood out during the team's two-minute offense in joint practice with th Carolina Panthers on Thursday and "has been the most consistent receiver in camp not named Nico Collins." Kirk is locking up the WR2 spot behind Collins, and "no one expected Kirk to be just an average receiver when the Texans traded for him this offseason." The 28-year-old's fantasy stock was down following an injury-plagued final season in Jacksonville in 2024 in which he played in only eight games and caught 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdowns. It also didn't help that Houston drafted rookies Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) back in April. Kirk's fantasy demise might be premature, though, which could make him an excellent value pick later in fantasy drafts for WR depth.

Wednesday, August 27, 12:19 PM

Updating a previous report, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is accepting and will serve a six-game suspension to start the 2025 regular season, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The league and the NFL Players Association are working to finalize the settlement, which will end the limbo surrounding Rice's off-the-field issues. He will be eligible to return for a Week 7 divisional clash against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 19. This is obviously a big hit to the 25-year-old's fantasy value this year, but managers already knew a four- to six-game suspension was coming, and Rice sitting out games to begin the year is actually better than him missing key games down the stretch into the fantasy playoffs. Despite the suspension, Rice is worth stashing in all fantasy formats, and he could even come at a nice discount. Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown will see more targets in the first six weeks.