The Facts: Ten days away from the launch of free agency, Rice remains "optimistic" that his NFL career will go on. In a wide-ranging interview with Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun, the former Ravens running back expressed hope that teams will pick up the phone after last year's public tumble from grace."I'm optimistic that I'll get a second chance," Rice said.

Diehards Line:Rice was suspended by the NFL at the beginning of last season after video footage surfaced of him striking his then-fiancée -- and now wife -- Janay Palmer, in an Atlantic City elevator. The 28-year-old Rice was reinstated in November when Judge Barbara S. Jones ruled that he did not mislead Commissioner Roger Goodell, and therefore, should not have been disciplined beyond his initial two-game suspension. Asked what he would tell interested teams, Rice promised to "own my mistake." In a deep free-agent market for running backs, teams are likely to look elsewhere, but Rice believes he can still play. Revealing to the Sun that he quietly battled through a torn quadriceps in 2013, Rice billed himself today as a back who "can play all three downs. ..." From a fantasy football perspective, we recommend a "believe-it-when-you-see-it" approach.