How to Draft Around Ja’Marr Chase

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Congrats! You drafted the current consensus 1.01 this summer by snagging Ja’Marr Chase! But now what? Today I’m drafting a theoretical team around Chase based on current ADP. Read on to find out how to win your draft.

Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

• How to draft a team around Ja’Marr Chase 🐯 

• Access to to 2025 Fantasy Football Draft Kit 🏆 

• The latest news from around the NFL 🏈

Round 1: Ja’Marr Chase

Chase might be the safest pick on the board this year, and for good reason. He dominated last season, finishing first in all of the following categories:

• TDs (17)

• Targets (175)

• Receptions (127)

• Yards After the Catch (787)

• Fantasy Points Per Game (23.7)

With the Bengals’ offense returning largely in tact, and Joe Burrow entering the season healthy, Chase will form a terrific foundation for your squad.

Round 2: Draft your RB1

By the time the draft snakes around again, it’s likely you’ll find yourself at the tail end of Round 2. While you could opt for another big time receiver like Drake London or A.J. Brown if one of them is still available, I think this is a good time to draft your anchor RB before you get to what I see as a drop off in quality. There are two targets I like in Bucky Irving and Josh Jacobs.

Irving was super efficient last season, ranking 6th in true yards per carry, 2nd in yards created per touch, and 3rd in juke rate. He may cede some work to Rachaad White, though.

Jacobs had huge ground volume, ranking 6th in carries in 2024, and was very efficient with his targets, ranking second in yards per route run.

Either of these guys is a suitable RB1.

Round 3: Draft a Second Pass-Catcher

Assuming your home league plays PPR (which most do), you’ll want another big name pass-catcher early in the 3rd. Tyreek Hill will still be available here. He still has something left in the tank, but 2024 was so disappointing, there’s still some residual risk that he doesn’t bounce back.

I really like Jaxon Smith-Njigba in this spot. He’s in line to take over as the top option for Sam Darnold, because I really don’t think Cooper Kupp has much left to give. JSN should see as many or more than his 137 targets from last year.

A sneaky reach here would be to grab Trey McBride. He led all tight ends in target share and air yard share. And, he could be in line for positive touchdown regression after scoring just twice last year.

Round 4: High-Upside Plays

It will be late Round 4 by the time you pick again. In this area of the draft, the WR plays seem stronger than the RBs, so I’m still sticking with that approach for now. You may be able to snag Rashee Rice here. It looks like the league isn’t going to suspend him, and he’s coming into the year healthy as a likely top wideout for Patrick Mahomes. The upside here is massive.

Alternatively, you could decide to grab DeVonta Smith who enjoyed the 7th-highest target share in 2024, and cracked the Top-25 in yards per route run. He’s still an explosive play, especially late in Round 4.

Round 5: A QB with a Rushing Floor

By this time, 4 or 5 QBs will be off the board and you can bet your league mates will grab a few more before the end of Round 6 comes around. Unless you’re completely neglecting the position, you may want to grab one of the guys now. If you just got Smith, you can pray that Jalen Hurts is available here, but it’s likely he’ll be gone. In that case, I don’t have an issue drafting Patrick Mahomes. There’s a bit of a drop off in upside after him, and if Rashee Rice was your 4th-rounder, Mahomes will make an absolute killer stack.

Round 6: One More WR

A good rule of thumb should be to have 3 WRs by Round 6, so grab one more to ensure you are stacked at the position. The good news is you’ll have options. Travis Hunter is an intriguing rookie after being named PFF’s best player in college football and winning the Heisman Trophy. George Pickens is now with Dallas and slots in nicely as the WR2 for Dak Prescott and a powerful attack. But my favorite is Chris Olave, who is being massively undervalued due to the Saints’ QB situation. He’s part of one of the thinnest target trees in the NFL, and will get tons of looks all year long.

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🏈 Steelers RB Situation Gets More Clarity

🚨 Shedeur Sanders Shows off Speed…

🚀 Tampa Bay’s RB Wants to be Even Better

🍾 Mosley Retires After Strong NFL Career

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🐈‍⬛ Carolina WRs will Compete for Touches

✍️ Texans Sign Former UFL CB to Deal

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