Who Should I Start? Ja'Marr Chase or Nico Collins


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
19.7 1.1 0.0 6.7 86.5 0.7

Ja'Marr Chase News

Ja'Marr Chase Not Practicing on Wednesday With Knee Injury

Wednesday, August 26, 8:10 AM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (knee) is not taking part in Wednesday's training camp practice after he banged up his left knee on Tuesday, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Chase was not sporting any protective equipment on his knee, though, and the 26-year-old All-Pro wideout downplayed the injury after getting hurt on Tuesday. For now, it appears that Chase has dodged a potentially significant knee injury, but we will obviously keep close tabs on his progress with the 2026 regular season quickly approaching in early September. Chase has had 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first five seasons in the NFL with the Bengals and has added 54 touchdown receptions, including a league-high 17 scores in 2024, when he also led the league in catches (127), targets (175), and yards (1,708). He led the league with 185 targets last year as well and finished with 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 starts. Chase's knee injury in camp should not dissuade fantasy managers from making him the first WR off the draft board.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.8 1.0 0.0 5.3 79.8 0.4

Nico Collins News

Nico Collins' Target Outlook Cools After Monday's Trade

Monday, August 24, 11:09 AM

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins got a little more competition Monday, which matters after Jayden Higgins' season-ending ACL tear had opened the door to a huge target load. Houston is reportedly acquiring Kayshon Boutte from New England for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick. Boutte caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns last season, and he gives C.J. Stroud another outside target who can win downfield. The Texans had already signed Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard after Higgins went down. None of those moves knocks Collins off the top line. He has topped 1,000 yards three years in a row and finished 2025 with 71 catches for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. It does change the volume math a bit. Collins looked set to absorb a huge share of the passing game once Higgins was lost, and Houston has now spent several days adding veteran help plus Boutte. RotoBaller has Collins 23rd overall in its latest PPR rankings. He's still a WR1, just with a little less room for the monster target spike fantasy managers could have pictured last week.


Ja'Marr Chase vs. Nico Collins

Still trying to decide between Chase and Collins? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ja'Marr Chase is projected to score 19.7 points this week while Nico Collins is projected to score 15.8 points.