Playing fantasy football is a double-edged sword. It can give managers all the fun in the world, just as it can cause them extreme stress. Those who have invested a high pick to take Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase are definitely not on cloud nine through four weeks of action in the 2025 NFL regular season.
With Joe Burrow out long-term with a foot injury, the Bengals are left with an offense run from under center by backup quarterback Jake Browning, whose play has been a big dropoff compared to that of the former Heisman Trophy winner. The shift from Burrow to Browning has also seemingly greatly impacted the potential of Chase to have productive Sundays on the field.
At this point, there is enough sample size to back up the claim that Chase and Browning just don't have the chemistry to make Bengals fans excited and the wide receiver's fantasy football owners sleep comfortably at night.
Dating back to the 2023 NFL season, Chase has finished 33rd or worse eight times in wide receiver fantasy football rankings in weeks where Browning either started or had the majority of the snaps under center for the Bengals, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
Chase had a poor start to the season, even with Burrow playing in Week 1's 17-16 win on the road over the Cleveland Browns, as he only had 26 receiving yards with zero touchdowns on two catches and five targets. But he finally took off in Week 2's 31-27 victory at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the former LSU Tigers star wideout erupted for 165 receiving yards and a touchdown on 14 receptions and 16 targets.
Chase was not able to carry the momentum from the Jaguars game into Week 3's meeting with the Minnesota Vikings in the Twin Cities. With Browning making his first start of the season, Chase only had 50 receiving yards on five receptions and six targets, which translated to just eight PPR points.
It did not get much better against the Denver Broncos on Monday, with Chase held to only 23 receiving yards on five catches for seven PPR points, as Cincinnati mustered just a field goal in a 28-3 loss at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
For now, Chase owners will just have to hope he can turn things around in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions at home.
