The Kansas City Chiefs have an injury concern with wide receiver Rashee Rice going into Week 16.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid revealed on Wednesday that Rice is in the concussion protocol and will not take part in practice, per Matt McMullen of Chiefs.com.
This is somewhat surprising, as there was no indication Rice was dealing with a concussion during the team's season-ending loss to the Los Angels Chargers.
The reason it isn't totally shocking is because we saw Rice take multiple big hits while trying to reel in passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Sunday.
Nevertheless, this now puts Rice's status for Week 16 in serious doubt, especially with his inability to practice to start the week.
Rice will have to return to practice to make progress in the protocol, and more specifically he will need a full practice.
After doing that, the final step is getting clearance from an independent neurologist.
Of course, the Chiefs' season is already over, so not having Rice in the lineup won't be a big deal for Kansas City.
However, it is a big deal for fantasy football owners who have been relying on Rice to get them as far as they've gone this season.
On the flip side, Rice is also a major question mark this week, seeing as how he'll now be catching passes from backup Gardner Minshew for the rest of the season after Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 15.
Catching passes from Minshew makes Rice a total wild card for Week 16, so his absence might be a blessing in disguise for fantasy owners.
More NFL News
- What Patrick Mahomes tearing 2 ligaments means for recovery timeline
- Mike McDaniel gives bizarre answer for lack of late-game urgency
- Matt Prater injury update leaves Bills in precarious spot at kicker
- Micah Parsons' dad weighs in on Packers superstar's return timeline
- Jaguars offense in midst of streak not seen in NFL this season