In what has been one of the more active off-seasons involving wide receiver holdouts in some time, Ja’Marr Chase’s on-and-off hold-in at Bengals practice very well may qualify as more confusing than Brandon Aiyuk’s – and that’s saying a lot. Just days after returning to practice this past Monday in what appeared to be a move to resolve the holdout for this offseason, Chase reported to practice late in street clothes Wednesday and Thursday. The Bengals star receiver notably still has two years remaining on his current rookie deal signed when he was drafted in 2021, but appears to be intent on an early payday with numerous other notable receivers (Justin Jefferson, Ceedee Lamb) signing mega deals of their own this offseason. Bengals HC Zac Taylor says that the situation is ‘day-to-day’ regarding Chase’s participation in practice and potential status for Week 1, but those are hardly comforting words for fantasy managers given that kickoff is less than a week away. It should be noted that holdouts rarely extend into the regular season and haven’t exactly been effective for those who do, so the expectation should still be that Chase finds his way onto the field for Week 1 barring a dramatic deterioration between Chase and the team. Take advantage of a falling ADP in the coming days as the situation continues, and don’t be afraid to draft him even if he could miss a game or two.
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