Chase Claypool start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

Bills Mafia is going to be in a frenzy during the opening week of the NFL season as their Buffalo Bills look to build off of the high of the 2020 season. Their antagonist will be the Pittsburgh Steelers who are looking to return to form. Will Chase Claypool be a factor in getting Pittsburgh off to a start that resembled the 2020 season?

Fantasy Football analysis: Steelers WR Chase Claypool

Chase Claypool is the youngest of the three notable receivers on the Steelers’ squad. While he was a good rookie receiver during the 2020 season, he had such a wide range of outcomes each week that it was hard to predict his fantasy value. 62 catches in 16 games aren’t much, especially taking into account that Claypool caught fewer than five passes in 11 of the 16 games, and surpassed 60 receiving yards only five times. Yet, his 11 touchdowns (9 receiving and 2 rushing), did a ton of the heavy-lifting for Claypool’s value. That being said, a second season brings another year worth of familiarity within the offense, which should bring more consistency week in and week out.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

The hesitancy when deciding if you should start Chase Claypool or not comes down to whether or not you think he’ll score. When he does score, his value is great. When he doesn’t, not so much. However, I think these Steelers are chomping at the bit to get the taste of the 2020 season out of their mouth and will get a lot of production from their passing game early on in the season while Big Ben’s arm is fresh. I’d slot Claypool as my WR2 in fantasy leagues with his high upside being key.