Who Should I Start? Rashee Rice or Ricky Pearsall

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.

Thursday, September 11, 11:52 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is set to see an elevated workload in Sunday's meeting with the New Orleans Saints due to a myriad of injuries his team has faced. The 49ers won their opening matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but it didn't come without some collateral damage. Tight end George Kittle (hamstring) landed on IR with a hamstring injury, while fellow wideout Jauan Jennings (shoulder) picked up a shoulder issue of his own. Jennings isn't a lock to play in Week 2, leaving Pearsall and running back Christian McCaffrey as the 49ers' top options against New Orleans. Unfortunately, quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder, toe) isn't likely to start either, meaning Pearsall could -- and will probably -- be catching passes from former New England Patriot Mac Jones. The University of Florida product's target quality gets a downgrade if that's the case, but hopefully, his volume will help mitigate that.