Injuries continue to mount throughout the NFL.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase had his breakout performance last week against the Washington Commanders. Possibly delaying Chase’s return to elite WR1 status is a shoulder injury. What do we know about Chase so far?
Should fantasy football managers worried?
Will Ja’Marr Chase Play in Week 4 vs. the Panthers?
Having just played on Monday night, the Bengals did not hold a full practice to open the week. Instead, they merely had a walk-through session.
Chase, however, sat out of Wednesday’s walk-through with a shoulder injury.
As a reminder, Wednesday practices are largely meaningless. By this point in the season, plenty of veterans rest on Wednesday even if they’re not hurt. Every player is dealing with nicks and bruises. Most of them are not serious enough to prevent them from playing.
Chase has missed games due to injuries in the past. However, this one doesn’t sound particularly serious.
Even though the injury report was just an estimation, it’s a great sign that Chase would have been limited, as opposed to a full DNP.
Fantasy managers also received an encouraging update when Chase was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice.
Chase told reporters after practice that his shoulder feels great as well. Chase remained a full participant in Friday’s practice and, since he did not receive an injury designation, he will be ready to go on Sunday.
Should You Start Chase in Fantasy Lineups?
From the moment Chase entered the NFL, he’s been an every-week must-start player. Last week, Chase popped off for six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He has another favorable matchup against the Panthers this week. Of course, the WR1 belongs in fantasy lineups.
The Bengals scored just 3 first quarter points through two games.
Their opening drive tonight ended in 7. 🐅pic.twitter.com/4bYwcC6XFu
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 24, 2024
Who Are the Other Fantasy Options To Consider on the Bengals?
Regardless of Chase’s status, the Bengals have two other wide receivers worth consideration for fantasy lineups.
With Tee Higgins having missed the first two games of the season, Andrei Iosivas has quietly been very productive. Iosivas scored twice in Week 2, and he caught five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 with Higgins back in the lineup.
Surprisingly, Iosivas didn’t really see much of a role reduction despite falling from WR2 to WR3. He still ran 31 routes, just four fewer than he did in each of the first two games.
Given how pass-heavy the Bengals are, there is enough volume to go around for Iosivas to remain a viable WR4/desperation Flex play, especially with bye weeks coming up.
Then, we have Higgins. The Bengals’ WR2 returned last week and was right back in his usual role opposite Chase. Higgins ran 39 routes and caught three of his six targets for 39 yards.
It obviously wasn’t a particularly useful game for fantasy managers, but it was more important to see Higgins healthy and playing a full complement of snaps. Better days will be ahead.
If you want to take a wait-and-see approach with Higgins, that’s perfectly fine. I am more than willing to treat him like an every-week WR3, at worst. Feel free to fire up Higgins for what should be a better outing in Week 4.