Ja’Marr Chase was the No. 1 pick in many fantasy drafts this year, but it hasn’t been an ideal season. The Bengals have had three different starting quarterbacks, making it difficult for Chase to build much continuity.
Joe Burrow’s injury led to Jake Browning starting under center. Browning underperformed, so the Bengals traded for 40-year-old Joe Flacco. Flacco debuted for Cincinnati in Week 6, connecting with Chase on 10-of-12 targets for 94 yards and a touchdown. Is this sustainable?
The answer would be no for most wide receivers, but most wide receivers don’t have Chase’s skillset. He’s not just one of the best wide receivers in the league; he’s one of the best skill position players, too. There’s a reason he went No. 1 in so many fantasy drafts this year.
Chase has played in six games this year, totaling 468 yards and four touchdowns on 42 receptions. One game has been with Flacco, 1.5 with Burrow and 3.5 with Browning. It’s hard to build any consistency with the revolving door of quarterbacks this year, which is why Chase has been a bit inconsistent at times.
He caught 14-of-16 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, which was split between Burrow and Browning. But he also caught 2-of-5 passes for 26 yards with Burrow in Week 1 and 5-of-8 passes for 23 yards with Browning in Week 4.
It’s certainly a good debut with Flacco under center, but it’s understandable for some to be skeptical about the sustainability. Even so, Chase is too talented and has shown the ability to dominate games regardless of who’s throwing him the ball.
He’ll be the No. 1 option for Cincinnati as long as he’s healthy, and that’s enough to be confident in him moving forward.