Ja’Marr Chase Update: Should Fantasy Managers Be Concerned About the Bengals WR Missing Practice?

The NFL preseason is over and the regular season is just one week away, which means it’s time for fantasy football drafts. Many NFL fans are cramming ahead of their drafts and checking in on the status of various players around the league.

This includes Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, who has been missing practice as a result of his contract holdout. With the season so close, should fantasy managers be worried about Chase’s availability? Here’s the latest on the superstar wideout.

The Latest on Ja’Marr Chase’s Holdout

The Ja’Marr Chase situation is quite complicated. It seemed that Chase ended his holdout on Sunday when he participated in practice for the first time since the end of last season, and then went through a light practice on Monday.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor also seemed to think the holdout was over because when asked on Tuesday if Chase would play in Week 1, Taylor gave a definitive “yes.” However, Chase resumed his holdout the following day and hasn’t practiced since, prompting Taylor to walk back his comment.

“I think I probably put my foot in my mouth speaking too quickly,” Taylor told PFN’s Jay Morrison. “Every day is a new day. We’ll keep working through it. I’m not going to make predictions on what tomorrow brings. At the end of the day, Ja’Marr’s a great dude that means a lot to this team. And we’ll just continue to take it day to day.”

Chase is frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations on an extension despite having two years remaining on his contract.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who previously said that Chase may sit out games if he doesn’t get a new deal, said that “contract talks have been moving in slow motion and there’s a lot of uncertainty here” during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

"Zac Taylor said yesterday that he spoke too soon about the Ja'Marr Chase situation..

We do know that contract talks have been moving in slow motion and there's a lot of uncertainty here" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/1QCT5WBr6W

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 29, 2024

With just seven days until the start of the regular season, and Taylor now walking back his comment that Chase will play in Week 1, fantasy managers are definitely starting to get concerned about the superstar’s early-season availability.

Pro Football Network will continue to update this article with new information as it becomes available.

Ja’Marr Chase’s Fantasy Outlook

Ja’Marr Chase averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game last season, which are solid WR1 numbers but fell short of top-five pick expectations. He finished as the WR11, a noticeable drop from his WR4 finish the previous year.

MORE: The Best Ja’Marr Chase Fantasy Football Team Names

Chase’s production metrics, such as yards per reception and yards per route run, remained relatively stable. However, his target share dropped from 29.3% to 26.3%, impacting his overall production.

Chase’s performance was affected by QB Joe Burrow’s injuries. Burrow’s calf strain and subsequent wrist injury limited his effectiveness, forcing Chase to rely on backup QB Jake Browning for part of the season.

With Burrow expected to be fully healthy, there’s optimism that Chase will return to elite WR1 status. Burrow’s recovery and Chase’s stable production metrics suggest a rebound is likely.

For a complete breakdown, check out Ja’Marr Chase’s fantasy profile.