Ja'Marr Chase 2021 Outlook: Could He Have a Record-Breaking Rookie Season?
4 years agoJa'Marr Chase is the first unanimous top WR prospect since 2007's Calvin Johnson (according to Bob McGinn's poll of well-respected NFL scouts). If that doesn't get you excited for his potential, then think about his most recent college season (2019), where he had 84 receptions, for 1780 yards, and 20 touchdowns. His 20 touchdowns were exactly one-third of the total receiving touchdowns scored by the historic 2019 LSU national championship team. Unfortunately, to come back to reality for a second, college is a very different game than the NFL. Although experts believe Chase possesses all the traits to be successful in the NFL, it may take some time to adjust. Thankfully, reuniting with his college quarterback, Joe Burrow, in a pass-happy offense may speed up his learning curve. Prior to tearing up his knee last season, Burrow was on pace for over 640 pass attempts. It is rare for rookie WRs to be fantasy relevant in their first season, however, the last rookie to have elite fantasy production was Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is also the player who was out-produced and ultimately jumped on the depth chart by Chase in 2019. I am not saying that he will repeat what Jefferson did last year, but he is worth a pick in your redraft league if he falls a bit just to see if he can set the world on fire to start the season.