Should I start Rashee Rice or Deebo Samuel Sr. in Week 8?

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Rashee Rice, and the board ranks him 75th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Deebo Samuel Sr., and the board ranks him 78th overall on the rest of his evidence.

The market-based projections

The market-based projection for Rashee Rice is 3.3 PPR points a game off 1 market across 5 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a wide receiver's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

The market has Deebo Samuel Sr. at 3.2 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 30 percent of what a wide receiver's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

Rashee Rice's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.

This season so far

Through Week 8, Rashee Rice has been on the field for 64 percent of KC snaps, drawn 16 percent of the targets and had 9 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 5 of the offence's 42 third down targets, had 0 of its 17 chances inside the five and seen 4 of its 22 two minute targets.

His 25 targets have averaged 6.1 air yards.

In Week 3 against MIA he caught 7 of 9 targets for 88 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against LV he was not given the ball.

In Week 8 against DEN he caught 7 of 8 targets for 53 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Through Week 5, Deebo Samuel Sr. has been on the field for 57 percent of SF snaps, drawn 15 percent of the targets and had 10 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 2 of the offence's 35 third down targets, had 2 of its 14 chances inside the five and seen 2 of its 21 two minute targets.

His 20 targets have averaged 2.6 air yards.

In Week 3 against ARI he carried 2 times for 14 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against DEN he carried 3 times for 44 yards, caught 5 of 6 targets for 26 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 5 against SEA he carried 2 times for 4 yards, caught 2 of 3 targets for 21 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Rashee Rice played 8 games and scored 150.1 PPR points, 18.8 a game, finishing WR40.

He caught 53 of 78 targets for 571 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 18 red zone targets.

That came to 9.8 targets a game, a 68 percent catch rate and 10.8 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 73 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Deebo Samuel Sr. played 16 games and scored 188.2 PPR points, 11.8 a game, finishing WR25.

He caught 72 of 99 targets for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 11 red zone targets.

That came to 6.2 targets a game, a 73 percent catch rate and 10.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 72 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Deebo Samuel Sr. was available for 8 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Rashee Rice scored 18.8 PPR points a game and Deebo Samuel Sr. 11.8, 7.0 a game between them.

Rashee Rice finished WR40 that year and Deebo Samuel Sr. WR25.

Deebo Samuel Sr. had 21 more targets than Rashee Rice, 99 to 78.

Deebo Samuel Sr. had 156 more receiving yards than Rashee Rice, 727 to 571.

This season Rashee Rice holds the bigger snap share, 64 percent against 57 percent.

This season Rashee Rice holds the bigger target share, 16 percent against 15 percent.

Byes and availability

Rashee Rice is off in Week 5 and Deebo Samuel Sr. in Week 8, so either can cover the other's bye.

Deebo Samuel Sr. is listed as out on the injury report.