The situation around Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice got cleared up on Wednesday, but it doesn't make it any less difficult for Fantasy Football managers. 

Rice will miss each of the Chiefs' first six games -- and seven of the first 10 weeks of the Fantasy Football season -- for violating the league's Personal Conduct Policy in relation to his pleading guilty to two felony traffic charges in 2024. He was also sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days in jail, and he settled with all victims of the crash.

As a football player, Rice is great. In the three games he finished last year he averaged 21.6 PPR points on a ridiculous 9.7 targets per game. In Rice's last 17 completed games that number's been a still-great 16.4 PPR points per game on roughly 7.5 targets per game. That's top-12 receiver good. 

When do you take a guy who might deliver that kind of production when you know he'll be on your bench for such a long time before you can use him? 

The answer isn't so complicated, and it's predicated on a couple of factors, but you should expect Rice to get swooped up between 50th and 70th overall. 

Whether or not you want him is another issue altogether. 

Do you want the headache? 

Make no mistake, rostering Rice won't be fun and will be costly. You'll have to commit to spending a bench spot on one of your first six picks until mid-October, then again in Week 10. If you only have five bench spots, that'll cause some logjams, especially when bye weeks begin to kick in starting in Week 5. Naturally, if your league allows space for more guys on the bench, the easier this is to deal with. 

There's also inherent risk in drafting a player who will effectively sit out the equivalent of a full training camp before suiting up and playing pro ball. Rice might need a week or three to get back into the shape needed to perform at a high level. And even when that happens, will he be as good as he was last year? Will he ever be at any point this year? There's no guarantee of that whatsoever. 

And obviously there's risk that your team could wind up struggling while Rice serves his suspension. If you get hit by tough luck and bad injuries, having Rice's mug staring back at you when you go to set your lineup will sting. You've gotta win if you want to make the Fantasy playoffs -- Rice can't help for a while. 

I'd feel awful if I spent a big pick on Rice and never got or ever benefitted from huge numbers out of him. 

Can you find a replacement? 

Let's say you're not worried about the headaches involved. Let's say you believe in Rice and want to find a way to roster him. 

If you think finding a good alternative to Rice is going to be easy, then it's a no-brainer to take Rice as soon as Round 5. Naturally, you'll feel that way if you're in a 10-team, two-WR format where receivers are in deep supply. You may not feel as good about it if you're in a 12-team, three-WR format, though. The more receivers you have to start, and the deeper your league is, the tougher it will be to carry Rice. 

Here's a checklist of what to do before you go to your draft: 

• Review your preferred rankings list and make a mental note of the number of receivers you're OK starting in your specific league format. Do not include Rice.
• Once you settle on the number and names of receivers you'd be OK starting, consult your preferred average draft position (ADP) source and see how many of those names figure to be available at 70th overall and later. 
• If you can identify enough names of receivers who you think will be available with your next pick, then you should take Rice. 

Let's put this checklist into action: When I look at my rankings, I see 37 wide receivers I'd be happy to start in a three-WR format, not including Rice. This includes all of the elite receivers who will get taken way before Rice even comes to mind.

Of those 37 receivers, 11 have an ADP on CBS Sports of 70th overall or later. That signals to me that I should be able to find at least one wide receiver I could take beginning in Round 6. I might be able to take even two. That would mean not taking players at other positions, but maybe you could overcome that in the later rounds.

If you don't take the time to review these steps, you might find yourself struggling to find receivers you'd be okay using for the first six weeks. That would give a huge advantage to every team you play. 

More tips for surviving the six-week suspension

Here are the circumstances you should stick to if you don't want to overcomplicate your life when you draft Rice: 

• Don't take a QB or a TE early unless it's an irresistible value (and even then ...).
• Be confident in your first four picks with at least one of them a running back and two of them a wide receiver. 
• Don't take any receivers with a bye in Weeks 5 or 6 -- that rules out any Falcons, Bears, Packers, Steelers, Texans and Vikings. 
• Keep your other bench spots flexible, which means avoiding anyone else who will miss early-season games -- that rules out Chris Godwin, Jordan Addison, Joe Mixon, Tyjae Spears, etc. 
• Don't expect a clear-cut "handcuff" for Rice on the Chiefs roster. Rookie Jalen Royals hasn't flashed this preseason, veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster could be asked to handle Rice's role, but he's nowhere near as effective. Tyquan Thornton isn't known as a slot receiver. The Chiefs will piece-meal their passing game while Rice is out, probably to the benefit of Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce, neither of whom should be considered "replacements" for Rice.
• Someone else could pop off waivers during the season. That's likely, actually. Can you get him on your team? Will none of the other managers in your league stand in your way? 

Too many tips, ifs and issues?

Maybe you've read this far and realized you don't want to deal with the hassle of Rice on your Fantasy team. That's cool, it's how I feel about Rice too! 

It'll be the freewheeling Fantasy manager who doesn't think about the problems carrying Rice for six weeks will cause that will live to regret it. "I'll just figure it out later" is definitely a choice, but not a winning Fantasy strategy. 

And aggressive managers who know their stuff and recognize the challenges but go for it anyway will manage, but they better hope Rice doesn't miss a beat when he comes back. 

There will come a time in your draft when Rice will be on the board and you'll think about drafting him. If you love your team up to that point, and you're confident you'll find a good, competitive replacement for him in the rounds to follow, then go for it. Otherwise, let someone else take him and the headache medicine that's sure to follow.