Fantasy Football Impact: Ja'Marr Chase Questionable to Play at Packers with Illness
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The Bengals just cannot seem to get right as the season goes on. They are 2-3 and could be worse, but it does get worse as Ja'Marr Chase is now questionable with an illness. Common theme would project that he may still play, but this does not help him meet his maximum output. Especially so late in the week, Chase could end up missing the game. They do need him and so you can expect it more likely that Chase does play, but this is not great news for anyone.
Fantasy Football Impact
If Chase does not play, the Bengals offense takes a massive hit. There may not be a single wide receiver in the NFL that has a bigger impact on his team than Chase. This team is already up against it in Green Bay and with a new quarterback in Joe Flacco. Without Chase, they are nearly guaranteed in a losing spot.
If Chase is out on Sunday, Tee Higgins is the undisputed WR1. However, I would not view his stock as all that increased. This makes the gameplan much easier for Green Bay. They can stack a safety on top to really compress the offense. This is defensive gameplanning 101. If Chase played, at least Higgins loses attention and could find opportunites. I believe that this would just supress the offense further.
Higgins may not receive a massive boost, but he does receive a higher ceiling. If the Packers fall flat like they did against the Cowboys, all of a sudden Higgins could be walking into a high-output game. The consensus here is that Higgins is high-risk high-reward. You should be starting him regardless.
No one else on the Bengals are fantasy viable. Andre Iosivas gets more snaps, but it is not valuable at all with this awful looking offense. The same goes for Mitchell Tinsley and Jermaine Burton.
Mike Gesicki may have moderate sleeper value, but I would not trust him. He could be a panic start if you need him. Flacco could end up just hitting nonstops checkdowns.
Stock Watch:
Must-Start Ja'Marr Chase if he plays, regardless of sickness.
Must-Start Tee Higgins regardless of Chase's status.
No one else is fantasy football viable.
Current Fantasy Sports On SI Rankings:
Ja'Marr Chase : WR6 | Tee Higgins : WR36
Ja'Marr Chase is Questionable with Illness
On Ja'Marr Chase, he did attend the Friday walkthrough and then was sent home to get rest. The hope is he'll be fine by Sunday. Shaka Heyward missed Thursday with an illness and was back Friday.
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) October 10, 2025
It is unclear what illness that Chase has, but we can suspect the usual stomach bug, sinus infection, or common cold. Most of the time the player still ends up playing, but that fact that is already Friday adds some caution. We have to remember that these are professional, young athletes with world-class medical staff. They will do all they can do to get him healthy enough to play.
I would expect Chase to remain active, but plan for the latter if it goes for the worst. I can say that Chase has a 70%... 80% chance to play, but that is not 100%.
More Fantasy Sports On SI News:
Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.