Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Rashee Rice

Wednesday, May 21, 3:10 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was not at Wednesday's practice, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The 29-year-old has been a full participant in offseason workouts before this absence, but this is a situation to monitor as he heads into the final year of his contract. McLaurin's contract ranks 16th among wideouts in average salary ($23.2 million), and he could be looking for long-term security with a pay bump toward the top of the position after an 82-catch, 1,096-yard, 13-touchdown season in 2024. The former third-round pick has tallied five consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns and is finally playing with a high-level quarterback in rising sophomore Jayden Daniels. Fantasy managers should expect any issues to be resolved ahead of this season, and McLaurin has WR1 upside in Washington's explosive offense.

Wednesday, April 23, 10:56 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes confirmed that wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee) is healthy and has been taking part in the team's voluntary offseason workouts. "The expectations are high," Mahomes said of Rice. "I mean, he looks really good. He's running routes. He's catching the football. I don't know when we get back into the actual OTAs, how much he'll be able to do, but he's been able to do everything here, as far as running routes and everything like that." It's great news for the 25-year-old, who suffered a season-ending LCL tear in Week 4 against the Chargers last year. The Chiefs will likely be cautious with Rice when OTAs begin, but barring a setback, he's fully expected to be ready for training camp and the start of the 2025 regular season this fall. In addition to coming off a major knee injury, Rice could be facing discipline from the league for an off-the-field incident. But all that aside, he has clear WR1 upside.