Who Should I Start? Ja'Marr Chase or Malik Nabers

Sunday, January 4, 9:49 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had a big game in his team's 20-18 Week 18 loss to the Cleveland Browns, recording eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. The 25-year-old had another excellent season in 2025, hauling in 125 receptions for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns on 185 targets across 16 games played. Across seven games started by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Chase averaged 106 receiving yards per contest and recorded four touchdown grabs. Chase has been named to the Pro Bowl in all five of his NFL seasons and could be on his way to a second consecutive All-Pro selection. As long as he makes it through the offseason healthy, Chase figures to be one of the first wide receivers off the board in fantasy drafts heading into the 2026 season.

Monday, January 5, 10:33 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) told reporters he is "not really sure" if he will be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season and that he had "a lot messed up" in his injured knee, per SNY's Connor Hughes. Nabers suffered a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his right knee in late September, ending his 2025 season. However, swelling in the knee was severe enough that he did not undergo surgery until late October. Hughes reports that Nabers was spotted walking with the assistance of a cane on Sunday. When healthy, Nabers has been one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. Across 19 career games played, he's hauled in 127 receptions for 1,475 yards and nine touchdowns on 205 targets. It's not a great sign that the first few months of Nabers' recovery appear to be limited, but he still obviously has time to get healthy before 2026 training camp begins. Nabers' health will be a storyline for fantasy managers to closely monitor over the course of the offseason.