Fantasy Football: Ja'Marr Chase Will Make a Splash Right Away in Cincinnati
Ja'Marr Chase was the overwhelming favorite to be the first wideout taken in the 2021 NFL Draft -- with FanDuel Sportsbook listing his odds at -1500 -- and that's exactly how the draft unfolded as Chase went fifth overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, reuniting with his college quarterback, Joe Burrow.
Chase opted out the 2020 campaign, but he was instrumental in LSU's 2019 title-winning season. That year, Chase racked up more yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20) than Justin Jefferson (1,540 and 18) did, and we know what Jefferson did as a rookie.
Will Chase have a similar type of impact as a rookie? Let's dig in.
Player Comparisons
numberFire's JJ Zachariason and Jim Sannes break down Chase's profile, and Jim gives his top comparison.
Elite breakout age + Elite production@LateRoundQB's NFL comparison for Ja'Marr Chase might surprise you #WhoDey | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/N93AKYytxY
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 30, 2021
Brandon Gdula's draft database has found these 10 prior prospects to have the most similar statistical profiles to Chase. Keep in mind that these are based not on play style or traits but age, athleticism, draft equity, experience, efficiency, and production.
| Ja'Marr Chase Profile Comparisons | Similarity |
|---|---|
| CeeDee Lamb | 91.0% |
| Jerry Jeudy | 90.8% |
| Odell Beckham Jr | 89.2% |
| Josh Doctson | 87.8% |
| Justin Blackmon | 86.7% |
| Brandon Aiyuk | 85.7% |
| Dyami Brown | 85.7% |
| Nelson Agholor | 85.5% |
| Robert Woods | 85.5% |
| Will Fuller | 85.4% |
Gdula's Take: Chase ranks in the 85th percentile in my database in receiving efficiency and is a top-10 prospect since 2003 in my model. That probably covers it.
Chase's 2021 Fantasy Football Projection
Zachariason's initial projections for Chase include 75 grabs, 996 yards and 4.9 touchdowns across 17 games. Zachariason ranks him as the PPR WR36 for the season.
Chase is walking into a stout group of skill players in Cincy as Bengals have surrounded Burrow with a pretty dope group of pass-catchers -- namely Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Running back Joe Mixon is pretty good in the pass game, too, so Burrow has a lot of mouths to feed to keep all of these guys fantasy relevant.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Bengals are listed at +8000 to win the Super Bowl and +2300 to take the AFC North, and they have a win total projection of 6.5 on FOX Bet.
