A.J. Brown vs Rashee Rice: Who Should You Start?
Two wide receivers who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles) finished the 2025 season averaging 12.1 fantasy points per game in 15 games. Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs) came in at 15.5 PPG over 8 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Rashee Rice carries a 3.4-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Target volume is the story here. A.J. Brown saw 121 targets in 2025, while Rashee Rice drew 78. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for A.J. Brown, even in weeks where Rashee Rice posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
Bye weeks matter for roster construction: A.J. Brown sits Week 5 while Rashee Rice is off Week 6. If you are deciding between the two as a season-long roster hold, the staggered byes actually work in your favor.
