Six weeks into the NFL season, it is officially time to start looking into fantasy football trades.
Whether you’re fighting for a playoff spot and looking for a Hail Mary, or you’re undefeated and trying to prey on the desperate teams, there is a large enough sample size to start some serious conversations about how to move forward. Injuries have left plenty of managers short-handed, as have disappointing starts from some notable stars.
Fantasy football trades are always tough to get across the finish line, so it could take a while for a deal to come together. Before Week 7 gets underway, it’s time to take stock of where certain players of note stand — like A.J. Brown, Drake London, Brian Thomas Jr., Ja’Marr Chase, Ladd McConkey, CeeDee Lamb, Alvin Kamara, Chase Brown, Derrick Henry, Jaylen Waddle and Breece Hall. DraftKings is here to break down who could be worth moving, with Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice up next.
Rashee Rice Fantasy Value
Rashee Rice has yet to take a snap this year, as he accepted a six-game suspension just before the regular season kicked off. The NFL initially pushed to suspend Rice 10 games, but the NFLPA was able to negotiate it down. That uncertainty led to a high variance in Rice’s ADP heading into 2025, although he averaged out as WR32 at about 70th overall.
Rice converted 102 targets into 79 receptions, 938 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, finishing 2023 as WR27. Through three games in 2024, Rice was averaging 21.6 PPR fantasy points per game with a whopping 33.7% target share. He got hurt in Week 4, though, missing the rest of the season while he recovered from knee surgery. Rice was healthy enough to return for the 2025 preseason – before he received his suspension – even scoring a touchdown in an exhibition against the Chicago Bears.
Kansas City’s offense has gotten into somewhat of a groove without Rice, ranking eighth in yards per game and ninth in points per game. Patrick Mahomes is QB1 in fantasy – thanks in large part to his legs, notably – and now he has another top target to feed.
Should I trade Rashee Rice?
The ceiling is undoubtedly very high for Rice. He showed promise as a rookie, was on the verge of breaking out in year two and is fully healthy midway through year three. After drafting the wideout and stashing him on your bench all this time, you are finally in a position to capitalize on his talent.
At the same time, the hype around Rice is palpable. If you survived Rice’s absence and are sitting at 5-1 or better, you could be in a position to flip him for a position of need or a more established piece. The Chiefs’ post-Tyreek Hill, late-stage Travis Kelce offense can be finicky from a fantasy perspective, so Rice dominating on a consistent basis is no sure thing. His value is high now, so strike before he has the chance to disappoint. Rolling the dice on a productive debut could also be worth it, since it could convince opposing teams that Rice’s value isn’t purely hypothetical.
Meanwhile, if you are 2-4 or worse, Rice’s return could be just what you need to bring your campaign back from the dead. He has the potential to turn your season around, so don’t punt on him now. Part of that can surely be attributed to the sunk cost fallacy and trade leverage, but those sentiments cannot be ignored.
What trade package could Rashee Rice fetch?
A team with Rashee Rice and a winning record should hold all of the cards in any potential negotiations, so don’t fold and wind up selling low. Rice could net you Rome Odunze coming off a lackluster week, or George Pickens with CeeDee Lamb about to return. Davante Adams and Jaylen Waddle may be tough to get, considering Puka Nacua and Tyreek Hill’s injuries, while Emeka Egbuka is now banged up himself. Rice should be held slightly above DK Metcalf and Tetairoa McMillan, and probably Brian Thomas Jr. as well.
But again, if you thrived with Rice on your bench though six weeks, you probably have enough talent at receiver. You can move forward with the same receivers that got you this far, then use Rice to upgrade at running back. Maybe another team will try to sell high on Javonte Williams or Quinshon Judkins. Derrick Henry is a major buy-low candidate, too. Saquon Barkley could be tough to get in a one-for-one swap, but whoever owns him is probably open to moving on from the veteran if you can throw in a FLEX-level running back like Tony Pollard, Jordan Mason or Zach Charbonnet.
