Kyren Williams vs Rashee Rice

“Kyren Williams slotted behind Omarion Hampton and only barely ahead of Jeremiyah Love is, frankly, scandalous. Williams is entering his age-26 season, so he certainly isn’t cooked.”

“Round 3: Kyren Williams (RB – LAR) Kyren Williams was the counter-pick, a player who’s kept sliding further down draft boards each offseason despite finishing as a top-10 running back in fantasy points per game last year. Much of the hesitation traces back to a well-known backfield split with a rookie teammate, but the full-season split was closer to 65-35 in Williams’ favor, not the even split many assume.”

“Drafting Perine robs you of a chance to find the next Kyren Williams—a late-round pick in 2023 who ran for 1,144 yards and scored 15 touchdowns that year.”

“You can likely snag him in the fifth or even sixth round. There, you are landing a player who has finished as the RB10, RB10, and RB2 in fantasy points per game since 2023. If you're still on the fence, know that Williams gets one of the five easiest schedules for running backs.”

“Kyren Williams catches a lot of flak, but much of it seems unwarranted. All the guy does is produce. He has three straight seasons of at least 1,100 rushing yards, 30-plus receptions, and 13 touchdowns. And yet, he's sitting all the way down at RB22 in dynasty rankings.”

“For the fourth straight season, there is a clear runway for Kyren to have another top 10 finish along with 10-plus touchdowns.”

“Corum only had one game above 40 percent of the snaps. Even with this stretch, Williams remained the lead back and was heavily relied on in the playoffs.”

“In points per game, he was two slots lower at RB11, averaging 15.5 points per outing. Williams does add a bit of production in the pass-catching game, which is a plus because Blake Corum doesn't catch the ball. However, when it comes to running the ball, Corum looked like the better option many times.”

“While Kyren Williams ran 259 times for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns, and caught 36 passes for 281 yards and three more scores, I believe he's in for a down season. Last season, Williams finished as the RB9 in PPR leagues.”

“Kyren Williams was the RB10 in fantasy points per game last season, marking his third straight year finishing inside the top 15. Blake Corum did eat into his playing time a bit, but Williams still held onto the valuable red-zone role.”

“Williams is valued a bit too highly across dynasty marketplaces for his projection moving forward.”

“Kyren Williams threw his support behind OT Warren McClendon, Jr. and reiterated that he was a staple along the team's offensive line last season. "I learned so much about Warren. I love him as a player and being out there on that field with him when I had the chance this year to do that with him. It was fun because he has that competitive mindset, competitive spirit."”

“Rashee Rice faces a potential suspension, Cyrus Allen is dealing with a shin injury, and Xavier Worthy hurt his shoulder.”

“I had my eye on Bowers, but this felt like a spot to roll the dice on Rashee Rice. I know he’s had a plethora of off-field issues, but when he’s on the field, he’s constantly targeted. Last season, in limited time, Rice had a target share of about 30% while on the field.”

“20 come from two buckets: Hyper-specified role players (Stefon Diggs, Rashee Rice) Guys with other top 24 or strong ancillary target competition (Both Rams WRs, Jameson Williams, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Quentin Johnston with Ladd McConkey/Keenan Allen) You may notice there’s one guy on this list who fits in neither, and it’s Thundering Herd legend Christian Watson (shout out to NDSU).”

“Rashee Rice (WR – KC) Rice is going 25th overall as the WR11, a price that reflects real excitement about his upside. His track record supports some of that: he ranked 11th in target share among receivers last year, fourth in targets per route run, and 10th in receiving yards per game, all despite playing only eight games.”

“Rice is a tricky player to grade. He's one of the league's most dynamic receivers, but off-field issues and repeated legal troubles have put his career in jeopardy.”

“Rice has been one of the best receivers in the league in terms of counting production when he has been available. From Week 7 to Week 15 last year, Rice averaged 6.6 receptions for 71.4 yards per game. Rice has been targeted on 30.4% of his routes over the past two seasons.”

“Rashee Rice is a bit of a gimmick wide receiver dependent on being force-fed low aDOT targets, with a 4.9-yard average depth of target that ranked 106th among 109 wideouts with at least 200 routes run in 2025. Beyond Rice's fantasy value being tied to low aDOT targets, he also has durability concerns after playing only eight games in 2025 and four in 2024, plus he earned his lowest PFF receiving grade in 2025 with the lowest yards per target (7.3) of his career.”

“When Rice was on the field, he had a target share of 37.9%. I believe Rice is a top-12 wide receiver in PPR formats.”

“When he's on the field, though, Rice smashes for fantasy managers. He's talented, but no one is going to mistake him for being a nuanced route-runner. Where he wins is underneath on manufactured touches.”

“Rice recently served a 30-day sentence for violating his probation and is rehabbing following a clean-up procedure on his knee. He was outstanding when on the field last year, averaging 18.8 PPR fantasy points per game, scoring over 23.1 in half the contests.”

“Based on what information is available to us in mid-June, there is just too much risk here to make Rashee Rice a top-10 wide receiver in redraft leagues, and for him to return value as the WR8 is asking a lot. Rice's legal troubles continue to linger after he broke parole, and a recent knee procedure forced him to miss organized team activities (OTAs), in addition to the jail time.”

“This format elevates Rashee Rice into the elite wideout conversation — for fantasy purposes, not skill. Last season, Rice played only eight games, but he was pacing for 113 catches, 1,213 yards and 11 touchdowns over a full season. If Rice can lock in and stay healthy for a full season, top-five output is in play.”