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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been one of the best players at his position since the moment he stepped into the league in 2021. Joe Burrow's college teammate at LSU has racked up 268 receptions for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns through his first 45 NFL games.
Given the exploding wide receiver market that currently has nine players making at least $25 million per year, Chase is looking to be the next man up to sign an extension. He has a legitimate argument to be paid at least close to what Justin Jefferson signed for this offseason ($35 million per year), and he is "holding in" at Bengals camp as we inch toward the regular season campaign.
Will Chase play in Week 1? Does his "hold-in" affect his fantasy football outlook in 2024? Let's dive in.
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Will Ja'Marr Chase Sign A New Contract?
Despite Chase having two years remaining on his rookie contract (unlike Brandon Aiyuk and CeeDee Lamb), he is seeking a new contract. Bengals President Mike Brown said he would prefer to wait until after the season to get the deal done, but the two sides are still undergoing negotiations. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, there hasn't been much progress.
This is a wait-and-see situation, and it could affect Chase's early-season status.
Will Ja'Marr Chase Play In Week 1?
Former Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (Johnson), who is close to Chase, said he believes the two sides will get a deal done, but he also thinks Chase will not step on the field for a game until he reaches a new contract extension. Needless to say, this is not what fantasy managers want to hear.
.@AdamSchefter has found Ja'Marr Chase's contract situation to be a bit mysterious 👀 pic.twitter.com/SbIJrlObpl
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) August 20, 2024
Ja'Marr Chase 2024 Fantasy Outlook
While it is possible that Chase could sit out games early in the season, it would be surprising if the Bengals, who have their eyes on a Super Bowl, let that happen. Surely, they'll have a newfound urgency to get him on the field. Every offseason, there are a few players who threaten to sit out, and the situation usually gets cleared up by Week 1.
That said, these developments make Chase a riskier fantasy football pick. The three-time Pro Bowler has an average draft position around the No. 7 overall slot, so missing his production early in the season could cause fantasy managers a few matchups.
Managers who are drafting soon might want to roll with Justin Jefferson or Amon-Ra St. Brown instead, but if Chase's contract situation is worked in a timely fashion, he still has every opportunity to outproduce those stud wideouts.
Chase bobbled it but still made the catch 😳
📺: #CINvsJAX on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/JZL7uE8ZOm pic.twitter.com/vSnmTzvPt6— NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2023
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