Ja'Marr Chase Could End Up Becoming a Steal in Fantasy Football Drafts

The 21-year-old's stock has fallen over the past few weeks.

Author:
James Rapien
Updated:
Aug 27, 2021 2:45 PM EDT
Original:
Aug 27, 2021

CINCINNATI — When the Bengals selected Ja'Marr Chase with the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, he was expected to make an instant impact.

He flourished alongside Joe Burrow in college and most believed the duo could pick up where they left off.

That confidence led to Chase being one of the first rookies taken in fantasy football drafts. The 21-year-old had the highest average draft position (ADP) out of any Bengals players not named Joe Mixon.

Chase's stock has dropped in recent weeks. First, there were reports about his inability to get separation. Then, he had three drops last week in Washington on national television.

At one point Chase was being drafted in the fifth round. His slow start has caused his his ADP to plummet. He's currently being taken with the third pick of the seventh round (7.03, 75th overall) in 12-team PPR leagues according to Fantasy Football Calculator.

That's great value for a guy that is going to be used in a bunch of different ways for the Bengals.

Chase is going to be a featured part of this offense. He's going to get reps in the slot and on both sides of the field. The Bengals are going to send him in motion and give him the occasional handoff.

They plan on getting him in space any way they can—slants, screens, crossers and drag routes—to name a few of the things he'll be doing.

Of course they're going to send him deep and give him a chance to make big plays downfield.

Chase has responded well since last week's blunder in Washington. He caught five passes for roughly 100 yards and one touchdown in Thursday's practice. Burrow connected with him on a deep ball, a back shoulder throw and a crossing route in the middle of a two minute drill.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan wanted to take Chase in the draft. Why wouldn't they feature him?

Of course Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are going to be heavily involved, but Cincinnati is going to throw the ball a lot. Chase is going to get plenty of opportunities to make big plays.

He's an elite talent that got off to a slow start in training camp. This coaching staff is going to use him all over the field in an offense that should produce plenty of big plays.

Chase went from being properly drafted to becoming a steal in just a few weeks. Don't let the early struggles fool you, he's going to post big numbers for fantasy owners this season.

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