Should I start Rashee Rice or DeVonta Smith in Week 9?

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Rashee Rice, and the board ranks him 143rd overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on DeVonta Smith, and the board ranks him 150th overall on the rest of his evidence.

By format he goes standard: ADP 11; 2QB: ADP 28.

The market-based projections

The market-based projection for Rashee Rice is 2.8 PPR points a game off 1 market across 9 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-based projection for DeVonta Smith is 2.5 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 62 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 6, DeVonta Smith has been on the field for 86 percent of PHI snaps, drawn 33 percent of the targets and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 15 of the offence's 41 third down targets, had 0 of its 8 chances inside the five and seen 10 of its 18 two minute targets.

His 41 targets have averaged 12.2 air yards.

In Week 2 against TEN he caught 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 3 against CHI he caught 6 of 8 targets for 65 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against CAR he caught 7 of 14 targets for 75 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

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 DeVonta Smith played 17 games and scored 201.8 PPR points, 11.9 a game, finishing WR20.

He caught 77 of 113 targets for 1008 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 10 red zone targets.

That came to 6.6 targets a game, a 68 percent catch rate and 13.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 89 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

DeVonta Smith was available for 9 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Rashee Rice scored 18.8 PPR points a game and DeVonta Smith 11.9, 6.9 a game between them.

Rashee Rice finished WR40 that year and DeVonta Smith WR20.

DeVonta Smith had 35 more targets than Rashee Rice, 113 to 78.

DeVonta Smith had 437 more receiving yards than Rashee Rice, 1008 to 571.

This season DeVonta Smith holds the bigger snap share, 86 percent against 62 percent.

This season DeVonta Smith holds the bigger target share, 33 percent against 16 percent.

Byes and availability

Rashee Rice is off in Week 5 and DeVonta Smith in Week 10, so either can cover the other's bye.

DeVonta Smith is listed as questionable on the injury report.