Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase and New York Jets running back Breece Hall are two of the best players in the fantasy football landscape.
They sit closely in our rankings, and their average draft positions (ADP) are very close. Hall is sixth overall, while Chase sits at seven. Both players are easy first-round picks, but this debate could have draft-defining ramifications. Your entire draft strategy may rest on which position you choose in Round 1.
You can pick Chase and go Heavy WR to start your draft, or you can draft Hall and lean into Heavy RB/Hero RB style builds. However, only one of these players offers you the correct upside and stability to help propel your team to victory. Let’s discuss both players’ fantasy football outlooks and help you correctly identify which player you should draft this season.
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Ja’Marr Chase
Chase ran 600 routes last year and saw the league’s 11th-highest number of targets. On those targets, he recorded 100 receptions (12th-most), 1,216 yards (12th-most), and seven touchdowns (18th-most). It was a down year for what we know Chase can bring to the table for fantasy football.
Even looking deeper into his stats, we wonder if Chase is being drafted a little too early. His yards per reception fell to 12.2 yards, the 48th-best mark in the NFL. We also saw shallow air yards per target numbers (8.65 yards), ranking him 65th overall on TruMedia. Part of that is unequivocally tied to quarterback Joe Burrow’s health. But it’s also a profile that demands elite after-the-catch production.
We enter 2024 with Chase holding in until recently for a new contract. Limiting oneself in training camp can be a sign of hesitancy due to the injury rates that accompany players once they return. With the offensive coordinator changing, we are mostly assuming what his role will be.
He will produce, but will he be worth his draft capital?
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Breece Hall
Hall endured a Zach Wilson-led offense last year and still produced for our fantasy teams.
He was given the 14th-most rushing attempts last season and turned those attempts into 994 yards with five touchdowns. For Hall to record the 13th-most yards while facing crowded boxes due to ineptitude at quarterback is something special.
Per TruMedia, Hall ranked 27th with 40 rushes for first downs. Now, imagine if he wasn’t facing eight-man boxes all year. He could have raised his third-down conversion rate from 37.5% and thus elevated his fantasy production even more.
Now, Hall gets Aaron Rodgers next to him in the backfield, with obvious advantages for his production. From there, it’s just a matter of his elite talent shining through.
Who Should I Draft in 2024?
You can’t win your league in the first round of your draft, but you can surely lose your league with the wrong selection. Ensure you draft Hall this year to give you a stable floor at a shallow position while retaining elite upside.
When drafting, volume is king, and few offer as clean of a path to elite volume than Hall. Make sure you don’t get too caught up in highlights and remember that a strong running back can become the anchor of your fantasy football team.
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