In just two years, Chase has proven to be among the elite wide receivers in Fantasy Football. But should he be the first receiver drafted? While he ranks among the top 12 in basic and high-level receiving stats over the past two years, including targets per game (9.03) and end-zone targets (27), he is behind Justin Jefferson in nearly every one. About the only way Chase could catch Jefferson is with a higher target rate, which would mean he'd have to dominate in Cincinnati while Jefferson loses serious volume in Minnesota. That's an unlikely combination. Still, Chase should finish as the second-best receiver in Fantasy, just as he did last season among WRs who played 10-plus games. Expect the Bengal to be taken within the first three picks in all non-Superflex/two-QB PPR format drafts this summer (maybe the first six picks in a non-PPR).
Chase recorded four receptions on six targets for 81 yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Steelers.
Chase was Cincinnati's most-targeted receiver by a narrow margin, but he was by far the team's most productive pass catcher. He made a few highlight reel plays, and his longest gain of the day came on a deflected pass that he collected and turned upfield for 31 yards. Chase later caught a tightly contested pass with his mouthguard in his hand. Though the catches may have come in unique circumstances, the fact that Chase was productive with Jake Browning under center for a full game is reassuring as Cincinnati heads into a Week 13 matchup against the Jaguars.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Scores in Week 11 loss
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Chase secured two of seven targets for 12 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' 34-20 loss to the Ravens on Thursday night.
Even with Tee Higgins (hamstring) sidelined for a second straight contest and Chase leading the team in targets, the star receiver's production was at a season-low point. Chase managed to salvage his fantasy night to an extent via a two-yard touchdown grab with 1:08 remaining that was exponentially more meaningful from a fantasy perspective than in the context of the game itself. With Joe Burrow having suffered a wrist injury of unknown severity Thursday night as well, Chase could have an uphill battle to get back to his usual numbers in a Week 12 home divisional clash against the Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 26.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Excels despite health concerns
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Chase (back) brought in five of six targets for 124 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' 30-27 loss to the Texans on Sunday.
Chase was able to clear the pregame warmup hurdle to garner active status, but he was believed to be playing with some notable discomfort stemming from the back bruise he'd suffered in the Week 9 win over the Bills. With Tee Higgins (hamstring) inactive, Chase was able to help make up for his teammate's absence via a team-high receiving yardage tally that was spearheaded by an impressive 64-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter. The fact Chase apparently made it through the game no worse for wear is particularly important when considering Higgins may be hard-pressed to return on a short week for a critical Week 11 Thursday night road matchup against the Ravens.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Suiting up Sunday
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Chase (back) is active for Sunday's game against the Texans, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
After sitting out one practice and managing only limited participation in the other two this week, Chase took a questionable tag into Sunday and was viewed as a true game-time decision leading up to kickoff. While he ultimately did enough during pregame warmups to avoid the inactive list, Chase is likely suiting up at less-than-optimal health while he contends with a painful back bruise that he sustained on a hard fall to the turf in last week's win over the Bills. No reports have indicated that Chase will be on a strict snap count Sunday, so fantasy managers can probably feel comfortable keeping him active this week. Even if Chase does end up facing some in-game limitations, he could be heavily targeted whenever he's on the field, given that No. 2 wideout Tee Higgins (hamstring) is inactive for Week 10.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Expected to suit up Sunday
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Chase (back) is expected to be active Sunday against the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Per Rapoport, Chase did what he needed to do during warmups and is now expected to be available for Sunday's contest. Either way, official confirmation of the wideout's status will arrive once the Bengals' inactives are posted ahead of the team's 1:00 ET kickoff.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Truly 50-50 for Sunday
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Chase (back) is viewed as a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup against the Texans and considered truly 50-50 to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Chase is officially listed as questionable, but fantasy managers aren't expected to have clarification on his status until Cincinnati releases its inactive list about 90 minutes ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. The star wideout isn't dealing with any structural damage, but the back bruise he suffered on a hard fall during the Bengals' Week 9 win over the Bills could still affect his availability for Sunday. After the matchup with Houston, the Bengals will have a short turnaround before facing the Ravens on Thursday. Fellow wideout Tee Higgins (hamstring) is already ruled out for Sunday, potentially leaving the position group thin if Chase is also inactive.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Hopeful to play
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The Bengals are hopeful that Chase (back) will be able to play Sunday against Houston, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Chase has dealt with a back bruise throughout the week after landing hard in a victory over the Bills in Week 9. He concluded the week with two limited practices but will go through pre-game workouts before his availability is decided. Chase is officially listed as questionable and his status will become official roughly 90 minutes before the team's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Sunday status undetermined
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was non-committal Friday when asked about the chances of Chase (back) playing Sunday against the Texans, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Per Ben Baby of ESPN.com, Chase -- who returned to practice Thursday in a limited capacity -- was present for Friday's session. The Bengals' final Week 10 injury report will be released later Friday and will reveal the extent of Chase's participation, but look for the wideout to be deemed questionable to play this weekend. Meanwhile, Taylor has already confirmed that Tee Higgins (hamstring) won't be available versus Houston.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Fails to practice Wednesday
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Chase (back) was listed as a non-participant in practice Wednesday.
According to Ben Baby of ESPN.com, Chase is dealing with back soreness coming out of the Bengals' Week 9 win over the Bills and now has two more chances to return to practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Texans. His status is thus worth monitoring closely as the week progresses, with the same applying to fellow wideout Tee Higgins (hamstring), who logged a limited session Wednesday.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Labeled day-to-day with back injury
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Chase is day-to-day with a back injury, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Though Chase handled a typical snap share (90 percent) on offense on his way to finishing with four catches for 41 yards on eight targets in Sunday's 24-18 win over the Bills, Taylor said the receiver was playing through a back issue that got worse as the game went along. Taylor added that Chase is still feeling sore Monday and noted that the 23-year-old may get a day off of practice to begin Week 10 prep. At this stage, Taylor hasn't committed to Chase being cleared ahead of next Sunday's game against the Texans, so his practice activity will bear watching in the days to come.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Modest output in victory
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Chase caught four of eight targets for 41 yards in Sunday's 24-18 win over the Bills.
Chase took a back seat to Tee Higgins (8-110-0), who finished as the Bengals' leading receiver Sunday. The usual No. 1 option also ceded a pair of touchdowns in the red zone to tight ends Drew Sample and Irv Smith Jr., resulting in a down performance by the wideout's lofty standards. Chase was coming off of a massive three-game stretch in which he produced 31 receptions, 372 yards and four touchdowns for fantasy owners, which helps soften the blow of Sunday's underwhelming line. In positive news, Joe Burrow continues to excel as his health returns, putting Chase in a prime position to bounce back against the Texans next Sunday.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Commands 13 targets
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Chase recorded six receptions on 13 targets for 80 yards in Sunday's 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
Even with the return of Tee Higgins (ribs), Chase dominated targets, doubling the next-closest member of the receiving corps. He was less successful in terms of efficiency, as he caught fewer than half of his opportunities, which limited him to 6.2 yards per target. Even so, he's now topped 60 receiving yards in each of his last four games. He'll face a challenge in his next outing, which will come in Week 8 against the 49ers.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Hauls in three TDs against Arizona
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Chase caught 15 of 19 targets for 192 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 34-20 win over the Cardinals.
Joe Burrow finally looked completely healthy for the first time this season, and with Tee Higgins (ribs) sidelined, Chase was far and away the top option for the Bengals quarterback. The TDs were the first of 2023 for the wideout, but this was the second time in five games he's caught double-digit passes and topped 140 yards, and over his last three contests Chase has racked up a massive 34-406-3 line on 43 targets. He could be headed for another big performance in Week 6 against a Seahawks secondary that's already allowed four different WRs to top 100 yards this year.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Breaks out with 12 catches on MNF
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Chase hauled in 12 of his 15 targets for 141 receiving yards in Monday's 19-16 win over the Rams.
Chase busted out of his early-season slump in a big way with a career best 12-catch game in a primetime matchup. The only thing missing from the superstar's receiving line was a trip to the end zone, which has eluded the wideout through three games this season. Joe Burrow (calf) was limited by injury for the third consecutive week, but he finally was able to get his top weapon involved after the duo combined for just 70 total yards in Cincinnati's first two contests. Chase's production is tied heavily to Burrow's health, and the QB told Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic in a post-game interview that his calf made it through Monday's win without a setback. With his first big game of the season out of the way, Chase will look for his first trip to the end zone in 2023 when the Bengals visit the Titans on Sunday.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Another quiet week
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Chase had five catches for 31 yards on eight targets in the Bengals' Week 2 loss to the Ravens.
The Bengals struggled to unlock Chase, with almost all of his targets coming on shorter routes. Teammate Joe Burrow appeared to tweak his calf injury very late in the game, which could continue to drag down Chase's production next week against the Rams.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Top DFS Play
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Chase and the Bengals offense was a big-time bust in Week 1. With Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson both off the main slate, I am going right back to Chase. He doesn't often have two bad games in a row and he has had his way with the Ravens in the past. Chase has topped 19 Fantasy points in four of five games against the Ravens, including the playoffs.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Quiet in Week 1 loss
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Chase caught five of nine targets for 39 yards and rushed once for two yards in Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Browns.
Chase accounted for more than half of Joe Burrow's first-half passing yardage, but that was unfortunately just 19 of 36 yards as the Bengals trailed 10-0 at halftime. The star receiver drew an 18-yard pass interference penalty to set up a field goal for the Bengals' first points on their first possession after halftime, but it was more of the same from there, as Burrow finished with a meager 82 passing yards. Fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins failed to catch any of his eight targets, so at least Chase still managed to salvage something from this disastrous road performance out of the Bengals' offense. Chase and his teammates will look to bounce back at home in Week 2 against the Ravens.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Preaching patience to Burrow
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Speaking to NFL Network on Friday, Chase encouraged teammate Joe Burrow to fully recover from his calf injury, even if it means missing Week 1, Jay Morrison of ProFootballNetwork.com reports. Chase elaborated: "I 100 percent mean that. I just want him to be 100 percent healthy to play. I don't want him rushing nothing. I don't want people in his ear telling him to play at a certain time. I just want him to be healthy."
Chase has his own experience recovering from an injury and taking the extra week after being technically cleared to play. He took one extra week to rest when the Bengals played the Titans (and they won anyway) in Week 12 last season in order to allow him to be 100 percent down the stretch.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Six catches not enough in loss
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Chase caught six of eight targets for 75 yards in Sunday's 23-20 AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs.
Chase finished three targets and eight receiving yards shy of Tee Higgins' team-leading totals, and the former also was held out of the end zone for the first time this postseason while Higgins scored his first touchdown of the playoffs. The fifth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft again was brilliant in his second NFL campaign, needing only 12 games to rack up 1,046 yards and nine TDs in the regular season before adding 220 yards and two more scores in three playoff games.
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Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase: Scores in big win
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Chase caught five of eight targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Bills in the AFC divisional round. He also rushed once for three yards.
Chase started the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown to cap Cincinnati's opening drive. The wideout had another touchdown grab overturned later in the game, but Chase still led the Bengals in receiving. Thanks to Sunday's win, he'll now prepare for next weekend's showdown with the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Chase returned from injury to face Kansas City in Week 13 of the regular season and finished with seven catches for 97 yards in a 27-24 victory.
