3 Stats That Prove Rashee Rice Breakout is Imminent

The solution to Kansas City's wide receiver problem is already in house.

Rashee Rice has made a huge impact when he's been on the field and it's only a matter of time before he emerges as the Chiefs' No. 1 wide receiver. It's no secret the organization needs a receiver to step up, as that's been the team's biggest issue for the offense thus far.

Fear not, Chiefs fans. There are three stats that illustrate why the second-round rookie is destined for a breakout soon. Let's go through them here.

3 Stats Proving Rashee Rice's Breakout is Imminent

1. Targets Per Route Run

When he's on the field, Rice is involved at an elite level. Make no mistake, he's getting separation and demanding the ball at an absurd rate.

That number likely isn't sustainable, but it does show that Mahomes has enough trust in Rice to throw him the ball with regularity. Through four weeks, Rice has 19 targets though he's eclipsed at least five in three of the four contests.

He's farther along than Skyy Moore was at this time last year and I expect his snap count to rise as we progress through the season.

In fact, I expect Rice to become Mahomes' No. 1 receiver by the end of the year. The "targets per route run" leaderboard is littered with elite receivers. It's a useful predictive stat that shows how much a player is involved in the offense. For a rookie like Rice, 32% is an exceptional number.

It's no coincidence that Rice led all receivers in targets in three of Kansas City's four games, but it's also not the only stat that shows his breakout is coming.