Who Should I Start? CeeDee Lamb or Ja'Marr Chase

Monday, April 15, 2:09 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb isn't expected to attend the start of the team's voluntary offseason program on Monday while he awaits a new contract to replace the one that is scheduled to pay him a fully guaranteed $17.199 million for his upcoming fifth-year option season. The 25-year-old All-Pro is seeking a new long-term deal after finishing as the WR1 in overall half-PPR points last year. Lamb caught 135 of his 181 targets for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. He expects to be playing for the Cowboys this fall, but a holdout into training camp this summer could be realistic if the two sides haven't worked anything out by then. Contract issues aside, fantasy managers should consider Lamb a high-end, elite WR1 in drafts this fall.

Wednesday, April 24, 2:05 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals exercised the fifth-year option for wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase on Wednesday, as expected. Chase is now officially locked up through the 2025 season. The 24-year-old former fifth overall pick in 2021 out of LSU has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL and set a career-high with 100 catches on 145 targets for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2023, despite the fact that quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) missed considerable time with a season-ending injury. Chase's seven touchdowns in 2023 were a career-low, but he should bounce back in that department in 2024 as long as Burrow can stay healthy all year. Chase's fantasy arrow continues to point up and he should be considered a top-tier WR1.