That is, of course, unless Rice finally sees a bump toward a full complement of pass routes in the Kansas City offense. His 66 percent route rate in Week 12 against the Raiders netted eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on the strength of a hefty 42 percent targets per route run (TPRR) rate. Not to dismiss Rice’s superb 29 percent TPRR on the season, but 42 percent is quite a leap — one that likely won’t carry over no matter which KC receiver misses time.

Going from a 29% to 42% TPRR seems like a lot in a vacuum, but when you look at the context, I don’t see why this isn’t sustainable. People have been clamoring for Rashee Rice to be more involved in the Chiefs’ offense. From opening night against the Lions to today, it’s been clear that Rice is the most talented WR on the team. At the beginning of the season, Skyy Moore and MVS were the main WRs that were playing in 12 personnel and had the highest snap count out of the WRs. But since the bye week, Rashee Rice and Justin Watson have replaced the other two as the main WRs in 12 personnel sets, and Rice/Watson have led the KC WRs in snap count.