Ja'Marr Chase vs Ashton Jeanty

“His weekly ceiling remains extremely high, especially near the end zone, although Ja’Marr Chase ‘s presence naturally caps Higgins’ overall target volume.”

“Chase was excellent again in 2025. He led the NFL in targets (185) while catching 125 passes for 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns. No receiver has Chase's full-field upside.”

“There aren't many questions about Ja'Marr Chase in 2026, but if you remember 2025, there were plenty. The start of the season was rough, and everyone was panicking (and I was buying). It's old news because he led the league in targets, finished as the WR4, and is now going off the board as the WR1, right where Mike and Jason have him ranked.”

“No receiver projects for more volume than Ja'Marr Chase. His 182 targets led the league, reinforcing his status as one of the few true offensive focal points in the game. The surprising part of Chase's season wasn't the workload. It was the TD total. After scoring 17 TDs the previous year, Chase found the end zone just eight times despite finishing with 22 targets inside the 20-yard line, 6th most in the league.”

“Chase has averaged 115+ catches, 1,400+ receiving yards and 10+ touchdowns over the last three years, and Joe Burrow is coming into 2026 100% healthy.”

“Chase has led the league in targets each of the last two years. He's averaged 6.7 catches and 87.7 yards per game over his five-year career. Chase also gets to play with Joe Burrow, one of the best pure passers in the game.”

“Much of Chase's ceiling is tied to Joe Burrow's health. In games with Burrow at quarterback since Chase was drafted, he averages 0.78 touchdowns and 20.67 PPR points. In the games without Burrow, those numbers drop to 0.33 touchdowns and 15.48 points.”

“The only question mark is the consistency beyond Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, with the Bengals' next most targeted wide receivers combining for a 16% drop rate while Chase and Higgins were at 4% combined.”

“Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals (4) was the highest rated Wide Receiver in the NFL Top 100 for 2025.”

“One player who notably looks worse in per-route data compared to his annual ADP is Higgins' teammate — Ja'Marr Chase. However, I don't think anyone seriously believes this means Chase isn't one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.”

“In five years in the league, Chase has averaged 1,490 yards a season.”

“The same goes for elite wideouts like Ja'Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. But they are knocked down a peg or two by the top-tier quarterbacks.”

“I was not burned on Ashton Jeanty last season as BEAST DOME ranked him lower than any site last season, but he was so awful last year I could not imagine spending a 1st or 2nd Round pick on a guy who played like an RB3 at best in 2025.”

“I nearly clicked Zay Flowers with my second pick, and probably should have because he is in line for a huge 2026, but I instead grabbed my first running back in Ashton Jeanty, who should benefit from an upgraded offensive line and an offense-minded head coach in Klint Kubiak.”

“Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV) I could not have been more hyped for Ashton Jeanty heading into the 2025 season”

“With Klint Kubiak in town, Fernando Mendoza or Kirk Cousins at the helm, a healthy Brock Bowers , and improved blocking up front, Jeanty could be poised to post a strong RB1 season in his second season.”

“Ashton Jeanty had 100% of the backfield rushes from inside of the 5-yard line as a rookie, but he only had 9 rushes from that area of the field.”

“Ashton Jeanty will be seen as a disappointment for fantasy managers exiting his rookie season. It wasn’t a failure, but you can make the argument that, because of his talent and the hype, it didn’t live up to lofty expectations. Jeanty was the RB15 in fantasy points per game, finishing with 321 touches and 1,321 total yards.”

“Ashton Jeanty is entering his sophomore season with an improved situation. First and foremost, the Raiders hired Klint Kubiak as head coach, giving them one of the best play-callers in the NFL.”

“Last season, Jeanty was fifth in snap share at running back and first in backfield opportunity shares. If this usage continues, all we need is for the offense to take a step forward to have a huge season.”

“He now has a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, one of the rising offensive minds in the NFL. More importantly, the Raiders also bolstered the offensive line by adding All-Pro Tyler Linderbaum (BAL). If Jeanty was able to produce average numbers in a dysfunctional offense, he should be capable of producing above-average numbers in a functional one.”

“Ashton Jeanty may be the player I'm most excited to see on the field again. Jeanty was a can't-miss prospect who had a tumultuous first season. Despite the circumstances, Jeanty still finished as a high-end RB2, averaging 14 FPPG.”

“Ashton Jeanty will be seen as a disappointment for fantasy managers exiting his rookie season. The ecosystem surrounding Jeanty stunk. The Raiders were 31st in red zone scoring attempts per game and 30th in yards per play.”

“Last season, Ashton Jeanty eventually finished as the RB12, but he started slowly and, after the first three weeks, was the RB33.”