FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Ja'Marr Chase Returns to Field

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Sun, Aug 25 2024 6:05 PM UTC

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase joined his team for practice Sunday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. It marks the first time this summer that Chase has participated in more than individual work or walk-throughs. And Chase's return came despite no contract extension. He has been holding in throughout training camp in search of a new deal.

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

Sunday's practice followed the end of the preseason and unofficial shift from training camp to regular-season prep.

Bengals HC Zac Taylor has consistently called Chase's situation "day to day." This return -- two weeks ahead of the opener -- shows Chase wants to make sure he's ready for the season.

We're gonna go ahead and guess that neither Andrei Iosivas or Trenton Irwin passed Chase on the depth chart while he was out.

Other Winners & Losers

Irwin had been playing in Chase's spot but obviously slips to no better than fourth on the WR depth chart.

Iosivas likely benefited from some extra attention with no Chase in camp and looks poised to enter the season as the No. 3 WR. He's a solid end-of-draft stash.

QB Joe Burrow clearly benefits from getting his lead WR back on the field.

Rankings Movement

We never moved Chase in the rankings. He might have slipped a little in Round 1 at times, but we also never saw a meaningful shift in ADP.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.