Saquon Barkley
vs Ja'Marr Chase

“News Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley are considered week-to-week with lower-body injuries.”

“With a soft schedule for running backs the rest of the way, Barkley is a guy I’d be hunting for. The fantasy points will start flowing soon; he won’t stay down like this for long. If I could turn a receiver like Rashee Rice into Barkley, I’d be a happy camper.” – Wolf Trelles-Heard ( FantasyPros )”

“Best Bet: Saquon Barkley to Lead the NFL in Rushing Yards (+1000) Saquon Barkley is my value candidate who may be underpriced despite his clear path to volume.”

“Saquon Barkley had a down season in 2025, but he is still a dynamic workhorse who could easily have a bounce-back season with coordinator Sean Mannion at the helm of the offense.”

“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) Yes, last season was pretty awful for Saquon Barkley and those who drafted him, but the warning signs were there. Barkley had an absurd number of touches in 2024.”

“In a standard scoring league, Saquon Barkley was the smart move, especially since six running backs went in the first nine picks. 2.”

“I think Barkley could have a bounce-back year, and he is being underrated. After he was going 1.01 in drafts, most fantasy owners will rightfully feel burned by him this year.”

“After an insane 2024 season, Saquon Barkley was poised to come back down to earth some in 2025.”

“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) After running laps around the position in 2024, Saquon Barkley’s finish of RB14 was a shock. Despite only missing one game, he scored 214 fantasy points compared to the 339 points he scored in 2024.”

“Given the season he had in 2024 and the expectations created for gamers, Barkley may have produced the most disappointing 1,413-yard, 9-touchdown season in history. Regression was certainly expected coming off his historic run the year before, and a lot went wrong for this offense.”

“The underlying story is a game of contrasting approaches: Cincinnati leaned on a clean, mistake-free connection between Burrow and his two clear top targets (Chase and Higgins combined for 19 of Burrow’s 31 attempts with Chase scoring both touchdowns). Burrow himself turned in a mistake-free day (0 INT, 105.2 rating) despite 5 sacks. Burrow went 20-of-31 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns.”

“Early in the game, Chase made a highlight-reel touchdown catch, pinpointing the ball over his shoulder, then spinning around to catch it next to the pylon and tap his feet in the process. Social media rightfully went insane, oogling over the play. Chase added another touchdown reception later in the third quarter, and he led Cincinnati with seven receptions.”

“Cincy’s offensive line held up well, too, and Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will have better days ahead, make no mistake about that. 9 — Chicago Bears (1-0, UP 3) Last week: W 59-37 vs. Carolina Panthers I don’t care what the defense looked like — put up 59 points in an NFL game and I’ll talk about you glowingly.”

“Even with that accounted for, Chase is averaging 19.9 PPG in his last 49 regular-season games. Relax, Chase will be fine. If his manager in your league is panicking, this may be your only chance to buy (somewhat) low.”

“Ja’Marr Chase is projected as the WR1 this week, with the WR1 value score at both DFS sites. In 34 games with Burrow playing at least 20 snaps since 2024, Chase has tallied 7.2 receptions per game, 91.7 receiving yards per game, 26 receiving touchdowns, 22.15 DraftKings points per game, 20.12 expected DraftKings points per game, 17.48 FanDuel points per game and 16.48 expected FanDuel points per game.”

“Mike takes the layup with Chase at the 1.03. If you are not getting one of the top RBs in Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson, how can you go wrong with a player who has finished as WR1 and WR4 the last two seasons? Chase should be operating as the top target for a fully healthy Joe Burrow, at least to start the season, and that has always been a recipe for success.”

“To start, I went with Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have (at least on paper) one of the easiest schedules in the NFL this season, and Chase should have a target share of 30% or higher.”

“Chase is the WR1 in my rankings. Last year, he finished as the WR4, averaging 19.6 PPR fantasy points per game despite missing one contest with an injury and playing without Joe Burrow for half the season.”

“For two consecutive years, Chase has led the league in targets with 175 and 185, respectively. Chase also has two years with 1400 or more receiving yards, and his consistency is worth paying for.”