Ja’Marr Chase's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is still not practicing. He has not practiced to start training camp, and the Bengals have not publicly justified his lack of participation. The Bengals star wideout is conducting his own "hold-in." Chase is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal, and the Bengals have already picked up his fifth-year option. Generally, players in his position will receive an extension after their fourth season. For now, there does not appear to be any animosity between Chase and the Bengals, but this situation will be essential to monitor. Chase caught a career-high 100 passes for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2023. The mid-season wrist injury to quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) derailed Chase's fantasy season. He will look to bounce back in 2024, and you should feel comfortable with him as your WR1.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has missed his fourth consecutive practice and has yet to participate in 2024 training camp. Instead of a traditional "hold out," Chase is engaging in a "hold in," as he needed to report to camp on time to complete an entire season under his rookie contract. Although he is present at camp, he is not participating in drills while negotiating a new deal following this offseason's surge in receiver salaries, highlighted by Justin Jefferson's record-setting $35 million per year contract. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has stated that the situation aligns with their plan and that he and Chase are on the same page. Chase will earn under $5 million this season and approximately $21 million on his fifth-year option next year. As long as Chase stays in shape, maintains his conditioning, and has sufficient time to prepare for the regular season, his current absence from practice should not significantly impact his performance or the team. Despite the hold-in, Chase remains a surefire first-round pick and is currently going around the sixth pick in recent NFFC drafts.

Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is not practicing on Thursday for the second consecutive day. He was seen standing on the sidelines in uniform but with no helmet. It appears to be a "hold in" for Chase, who is seeking a new contract as he enters his fourth season with the Bengals. He's scheduled to make $1 million in base salary this season and $4.86 million overall, but general manager Mike Brown didn't make it sound imminent that an agreement on an extension would be reached this week. The 24-year-old superstar wideout remains a consensus top-five pick in fantasy drafts this summer, and it's not time to adjust his ADP for this development quite yet. Last year, Chase closed as the WR11 overall in full-PPR fantasy points per game (16.4) over 16 appearances for Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been one of the best players at his position since entering the NFL as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The LSU product has the seventh-most receiving yards (3,717) in a player's first three seasons of all time and is part of one of the best QB-WR pairings in the league. With Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jaylen Waddle, among others receiving lucrative contract extensions this offseason, Chase was thought to be next in line. However, Bengals president Mike Brown suggested Chase is unlikely to be re-signed before the start of the regular season. "It's not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate," Brown said. "The offseason is a better time for that and we're going to try to keep focused on the football part. I'm not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast." However, Brown said the team has every intention to keep him in Cincinnati long-term. "He's a key player next to Joe [Burrow]," Brown said. "He's our next one. He knows that. We know it. This may take a while. We are going to bend over backward to get it done. I can't tell you when." Either way, Chase has overall WR1 upside in fantasy football as long as Burrow remains healthy.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. expects the Cincinnati Bengals to eventually give star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase a lucrative long-term contract extension, but it more than likely won't come until the summer of 2025. The Bengals can begin negotiations with Chase now that the Vikings locked up star wideout Justin Jefferson. Chase is extension-eligible entering his fourth NFL season in 2024. The Bengals exercised his fifth-year option for 2025, and their organizational approach with big contracts has been to wait out the negotiations. However, locking Chase in now could ease tension in a receiver room that already felt plenty of it with Tee Higgins. Contract aside, Chase is Cincy's clear No. 1 wideout and is a no-doubt top-five fantasy wideout.