We all remember when then-rookie Chase Claypool scored four touchdowns in his fourth-ever game, and the fantasy football world started naming him the next Jerry Rice or at least Odell Beckham Jr. Brace yourselves; that was in October of 2020. Can Claypool do enough with the Chicago Bears to warrant a spot on your fantasy team in 2023?
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Should Chase Claypool Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 3?
Claypool plays for the Bears, who have a run-first approach with a developing, albeit electric, young quarterback. Claypool could make this work if he had a DeAndre Hopkins with the Texans’ level of target share; remember the good old days. Alas, that is not the case.
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Claypool goose egged us in Week 1 on two targets. His 36 yards and a touchdown in Eeek 2 are not enough to change my opinion of the situation enough to claim him this week.
I don’t see the upside; let’s script a scenario where Claypool is worthy of a start on your roster. Fields has to throw 40+ times because the Bears are down, DJ Moore and Darrell Mooney get injured, and Claypool takes over as the primary target for his QB. In that pie-in-the-sky scenario, I see Claypool with 7-8 targets and 50-75 yards with a chance at a touchdown.
So, even if that is worth a spot in your Flex, is it repeatable? This scenario would have to happen multiple times per season to justify a valuable roster spot. The hardest part is we would also have to be able to predict when they do occur so we can plug the tall Canadian into our lineup to reap the rewards for such a situation.
I would not pick Claypool up this week and would only put him into consideration if he has multiple weeks of starting-level performances. Anything is possible, but it does not mean we have to pay for that possibility now.