Ja’Marr Chase fantasy outlook: Start or sit Bengals WR in the Wild Card round?

Ja’Maar Chase burst onto the scene during his rookie campaign for the Cincinnati Bengals and his insane first pro season has helped push his team into the NFL Playoffs.

Cincy will welcome the Las Vegas Raiders to Ohio on Saturday afternoon in the Wild Card round of the postseason. For those playing DFS or in playoff fantasy leagues, should Chase be in your lineup this week?

Fantasy Football analysis: Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase ($7,800)

Chase has a high price tag, but rightfully so. He’s been an absolute unit for the Cincy offense in 2021. He’s the team’s leading pass-catcher by nearly 400 yards despite having just seven more catches than anybody else on the roster. He’s racked up 1,455 yards this year, has hit paydirt 13 times and is averaging an insane 18 yards per reception.

While most teams tend to try and exploit the Vegas defense on the ground, Chase can still produce when operating with a gameplan like that. When the two teams met earlier this season, Chase caught three passes for 32 yards, which isn’t eye-popping at all. But it says something that he was still able to find the end zone even when the team was heavily emphasizing the running game.

He’s gotten better as he’s gotten further into his rookie year too. In the last two weeks that his starting QB and college teammate Joe Burrow has played, Chase has totaled 391 yards and three scores.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Chase is a guy who should always be in your lineup, regardless of matchup. Start him for $7,800