Rice had a lot of talent coming out of South Carolina. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been able to put it together. Some of it is not his fault. I mean seriously, how can he be expected to develop when he has Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson (and possibly Sage Rosenfels) as his quarterbacks? That said, I think Rice still has a lot of upside, but he still needs a lot of work before he can become a legit No. 2 wide receiver for the Vikings. Maybe in 2010 he’ll be draftable. But not this year, unless you are loaded at the position and are looking for high risk/high reward type player at the END of the draft.
(’09 Proj: 560 yds, 6 touchdowns) ~Jon Rascon
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Disturbing stat alert! Rice’s stats were cut in half from his rookie year to his sophomore year. You can point to the arrival of Bernard Berrian, the emergence of TE Visanthe Shiancoe or QB ineffectiveness as a whole. Whatever the reason, when you have 1 less catch than teammate Naufahu Tahi you probably shouldn’t be on any fantasy owner's radar. He’s only 22 years old heading into his third season but look elsewhere for upside. Pick him up on the waiver wire during the year if he actually produces at some point.
('09 Proj: 30rec, 450yds, 4 touchdowns ~Steve Cavanagh
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He's 6’4, only 22 years old, and has caught eight touchdowns on only 46 career receptions. It’s the 46 receptions (only 13 last season), the seven starts in two years, and never playing in more than 13 games that are the problem. This could be a breakout year for Rice but then again he could be the next Reggie Williams. High Risk/Reward pick in my book.
('09 Proj: 53 rec, 583 yds, 5 touchdowns) ~Robb Perkins
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He was injured for most of the season and never found chemistry with either Tarvaris Jackson or Gus Frerotte. However, he does have a ridiculous reception to touchdown ratio over his career (46:8). If he can stay on the field and the Vikings get more consistent quarterback play, this guy could be an outright steal as a WR3 this year.
('09 Proj: 55 rec, 650 yds, 7 touchdowns) ~Frank Mazzola
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Count me as one of the folks who loved Rice's ability coming out of South Carolina. But he can't stay healthy, plays in a run first offense with two great backs, plays opposite a better receiver in Berrian and who knows who will be the Minnesota quarterback? Ugly.
('09 Proj: 30 rec, 300 yds, 4 touchdowns) ~Jeremy Fischer
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A second round pick in the 2007 draft. Hindered by a knee injury for much the season, Rice limped through 2008 with just 15 receptions despite appearing in 13 games. Blessed with great size and speed, owners hope the Vikings improve their quarterback situation to make their playmakers, Rice and Berrian, more viable options in 2009.
('09 Proj: 45 rec, 550 yds, 5 touchdowns) ~Stan Feldman
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Amidst a flurry of FA and trade activity in the NFL this week, one under the radar move was the fact that the Vikings shipped a 4th round pick to Houston for the services of Sage Rosenfels. Make no mistake about it - this is no QB competition. The Vikes just acquired their starting QB for 2009. Rosenfels, heading into his ninth NFL season, had his moments in a three year stint with the Texans. Though he's prone to the occasional "WTF was that!?!" moment, I'm encouraged by the fact that he's joining a team with a well established ground game in place. All of this builds me up to Sidney Rice who, when healthy as a rookie, flashed very nice receiving skills. This will all come out in the wash but for now, Rice just got bumped up my sneaky situations to watch this summer.
('09 Proj: 80 rec, 950 yds, 9 touchdowns) ~Rick Perkins
