Ja'Marr

Chase

The first half of this game was played in some pretty intense snow, and the field remained slippery for much of the second half, but the Bengals had 338 yards of offense, so, surprisingly, Chase couldn’t get there. Part of it is that Tee Higgins had a good day, but the other aspect of it is that CB Christian Benford has played well for Buffalo since managing through an injury to start the season. Benford shadowed Chase all over the field on Sunday, and, according to Next Gen Stats, in the 16 matchups between the two, Chase had no catches on just two targets, so Joe Burrow just took easier throws elsewhere. Chase should be in for a much bigger day next week against the Ravens.

Joe Burrow returned to action this week and wasted no time rekindling his affinity for throwing Chase the football. Chase racked up a gaudy 30 percent target share. His 110 yards were 75 more than any other Bengal. Chase Brown also caught seven passes and no other player brought in more than two balls. Chase and Burrow weren’t on the same page for every throw, but Burrow still gave him looks at every level of the field, including a deep shot that netted the Bengals’ 43 yards. It was their longest play of the day. As you’d expect, Chase will contend for the WR1 overall spot in a likely shootout with the Bills next week.

Nelson, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, upheld Chase’s one-game suspension. Chase appealed his suspension for spitting on Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey during the Bengals’ Week 11 loss. He argued he would have aimed for Ramsey’s face and not the jersey or ground if he meant to spit on Ramsey. Chase’s argument did not appeal to Jordy Nelson and the one-game suspension is upheld. He will miss Week 12 against the Patriots, losing a game check of $507,156 as a result.

The league handed down a suspension after Chase was seen spitting at Steelers S Jalen Ramsey during the Bengals’ Week 11 loss to the Steelers. Chase will reportedly argue that if he meant to spit at Ramsey, he would have aimed for his face and not his jersey or the ground. It’s an interesting argument, one that likely won’t change the NFL’s calculus in suspending the star wideout. Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas would operate as the Bengals’ top two receivers if Chase misses Week 12 against the Patriots.

Tape don’t lie. Shortly after he denied spitting on Ramsey in Week 11’s loss to the Steelers, videos emerged that clearly showed Chase spitting on Ramsey during a scuffle between the two in the fourth quarter. Ramsey was ejected for punching Chase following the incident, but the league appears to have sided with him in this matter. Chase can and will appeal the league’s decision to suspend him if he chooses to do so, but the evidence is pretty convincing. Chase will miss Week 12’s game against the Patriots if the suspension is upheld.

When asked why he punched Chase in Week 11’s win over the Bengals, Steelers corner Ramsey accused Chase of spitting on him, which the star receiver denied. Videos have since surfaced showing Chase clearly spitting in the direction of Ramsey, but whether or not there was any intent to spit on Ramsey is up for interpretation. The league will presumably look to determine whether or not Chase intended to spit on Ramsey during their review of the matter, but it’s possible that a one-game suspension could be handed down, similar to what we saw with Jalen Carter in Week 1 when he spat on Dak Prescott after the opening kickoff.

It was a brutal day for Chase and his fantasy managers, as the WR1 was unable to replicate the 161 yards he had against the Steelers just a few weeks ago. The Steelers did a good job of blanketing both Bengals receivers throughout the day, holding the dynamic duo of Chase and Higgins to a combined 6-93-1 on 18 targets. Chase was involved with a scuffle in the fourth quarter with Jalen Ramsey, which led to Ramsey being ejected after he was seen punching Chase. It’s not often we see a dud like this out of Chase, who will remain on the WR1 radar in Week 12 against the Patriots.

The oft-injured Burrow, who suffered his toe injury in Week 2, said the Bengals’ record and postseason hopes could factor into whether he returns this season. “We’ll see how these next couple weeks go,” Burrow said in his first news conference since the injury. “There’s a lot that goes into it. There’s a lot of variables that you have to consider.” Burrow on Monday practiced for the first time since September, “throwing passes to receivers not facing any defenders,” according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. Burrow, Baby said, “sported a different pair of shoes during his limited practice and acknowledged there is additional hardware in his cleats.” Joe Flacco is set to start Week 11 against the Steelers. Burrow should be rostered in all fantasy formats in case he returns in the season’s final month.

Chase was almost entirely uninvolved in the first half as the Bears double and triple teamed him, leaving Tee Higgins open down the field. Chase was third among Bengals pass catchers in targets and saw a relatively meager 20 percent of the team’s air yards. It was quite the role change for Chase, who had seen 54 targets over the previous three games as the apple of Joe Flacco’s eye. The pass heavy nature of the Flacco-era Bengals should continue giving Chase as much upside as any player in fantasy football. He’ll face the Steelers in Week 11 following the team’s Week 10 bye.

Chase now has at least a dozen targets in every Joe Flacco start this year. His 23 targets in Week 7 were the most for a player since 2015. His 19 targets today were the most for any receiver this year outside of his performance last week. As counterintuitive as it sounds, Flacco may be better for Chase’s fantasy outlook than Joe Burrow. What Flacco lacks in physical talents he makes up for via an inability to see players other than Chase. Facing a porous Chicago defense in Week 9, Chase will remain the WR1 overall.