Despite there being hope that Rice could return to the lineup at some point this year, the in-depth test results revealed LCL damage that will require corrective surgery for the Chiefs’ star receiver. The news comes just over one week after Patrick Mahomes collided with Rice’s knee on one of the most ridiculous circus plays you’ll see in professional sport and officially snuffs out any hope for a miracle. The silver lining here is that with no major ligament damage revealed, Rice’s recovery should be significantly shorter than the 9-month timeline for ACL tears and similar injuries. That means Rice could potentially enter the 2025 season with a clean slate, which would be a welcome development considering that the initial fears were that Rice suffered an ACL tear. He’ll be no use to fantasy managers the rest of the way in redraft leagues, and can safely be dropped at this point in favor of other options on the waiver wire. As for his dynasty value, Rice’s stock should remain intact assuming he’s able to avoid hitting any snags in his recovery process the rest of the way this season and into the offseason. Rice was placed on short-term IR last week as the Chiefs awaited results from the tests on his knee.