Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Ja'Marr Chase

Wednesday, January 14, 1:25 PM

Wide receiver Adam Thielen announced his retirement from professional football on social media on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Thielen played 13 years in the NFL and was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings. The 35-year-old originally went undrafted before latching on with the Vikings in 2014. He played 10 years in Minnesota before two years with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and 2024. Thielen began the 2025 campaign with the Vikings before latching on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had 19 receptions for 186 yards and no touchdowns during the regular season in 16 games with Minnesota and Pittsburgh. Thielen will wrap up his NFL career with 704 catches for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns in 178 regular-season games played. His two Pro Bowl seasons came in back-to-back years with the Vikings in 2017 and 2018.

Sunday, February 22, 4:21 AM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had another strong season in 2025. While he wasn't able to replicate his WR1 finish from 2024, he still had a big year with 125 catches, 1,412 yards, and eight touchdowns across 16 games. He was the WR4 in PPR leagues, extending his streak to five consecutive finishes within the top 12. It was impressive to see Chase thrive even without Joe Burrow throwing him passes for the whole season. He spent plenty of games with Joe Flacco and Jake Browning, which limited his upside on a week-by-week basis. That partial-season quarterback downgrade is likely why Chase only scored eight touchdowns, relative to his 17 from the year before. Burrow's health is never a guarantee, but if the quarterback can stay healthy for most of 2026, Chase and fellow receiver Tee Higgins should both benefit. He's still a top-three receiver with overall WR1 upside in both redraft and dynasty leagues. If there's ever a time to get him at a slight discount in dynasty trades, it might be now.