Who Should I Start? Rashee Rice or Ladd McConkey

Friday, October 24, 2:41 PM

In his first game back from a six-game suspension, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was on the field for 33 of his team's 81 offensive snaps against the Raiders, and OC Matt Nagy says he will continue to be brought along gradually. While a ramp-up is to be expected, the good news for fantasy managers is that 22 of those 33 snaps came on passing plays, and Rice was targeted a staggering nine times on the 19 routes that he ran. It's clear the team intends to run the passing offense through their third-year star, and as he sees more involvement, he should be viewed as a locked-in WR1, rewarding managers who held onto him through his lengthy absence. While Patrick Mahomes might see a dip in the rushing numbers that have made him one of the best fantasy quarterbacks to begin the year, the tradeoff is an electric receiver who can rack up yards and fantasy points with the ball in his hands.

Friday, October 24, 12:26 AM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey caught six of his 10 targets for 88 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's Week 8 win over the Minnesota Vikings. McConkey had a relatively underwhelming start to the season, but he seems to have turned a corner with 27 catches and three touchdowns over his last four games. Since Week 5, he is averaging 18.8 fantasy points per game (PPR), which ranks as the eighth-most among all NFL wide receivers during that span. McConkey's rapport with Justin Herbert continues to solidify, and he should be treated as a low-end fantasy WR1 going forward. He'll face off against the struggling Tennessee Titans in Week 9.