Few NFL wideouts have had the kind of instant impact out of college Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie Rashee Rice has made on the defending Super Bowl champs. The second-round draft pick in April had 938 receiving yards and seven touchdowns this season for the Chiefs, who would be rewarding hometown backers handsomely right now if Missouri sports betting apps had launched.
Rice, a 23-year-old SMU product, ranked in the top 40 in the NFL in receptions (T-24th at 79), yards (32nd, at 938) and touchdowns (T-18th with 9). He had an approximate value (via ProFootballReference.com) of 8 this season.
Rice A Bargain For AFC West Champs
Rice did all that on a rookie salary cap hit of $1,180,947, which was pro-rated for his draft slot (55th overall), meaning he averaged $1,263 per each of his 935 yards (receiving and rushing combined) this season.
To determine where Rice ranks among the NFL’s most undervalued wideouts, BetMissouri.com — where you can find coverage of the latest efforts to get Missouri sportsbooks underway — used ProFootballReference.com for research. We figured out the salary cap hit and yardage (for rushing and receiving combined, not including return yards) for every NFL wide receiver during 2023-24 NFL regular season.
Then we calculated each player’s dollar-per-yard value and tallied it up to make this list of 10 most value-driven receivers in the 2023-24 NFL season. We included all teams the WR played for in the regular season. The dollar figure was rounded to the nearest whole number.
Best Value Wide Receivers In 2023-24 Season
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Where Rice Ranks Among Best WR Values
Overall, Rice’s dollar-per-yard cost, $1,263, ranked sixth among NFL wideouts, according to the ProFootball-Reference.com stats. The rookie was sandwiched between No. 5 Tank Dell of the Houston Texans ($1,251 per yard) and No. 7 Demario Douglas of the New England Patriots ($1,301).
Most important, Rice is one of two wideouts on the list (alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions) to still be playing. The Chiefs are among the last four teams remaining in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, and they travel to Baltimore to play the No. 1 seeded Ravens on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Central time.
Rice and the Chiefs are listed as a 3.5-point underdog on ESPN BET Sportsbook as of Wednesday morning, with a moneyline of +170 for the visitors from Missouri (to -200 for the hometown Ravens).
In two playoff games, Rice has 177 receiving yards on 12 catches with a touchdown, building on an impressive debut campaign for the Texas native. He seeks to push Kansas City to another Super Bowl berth in 2024.
