Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Ja'Marr Chase

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.

Sunday, September 14, 6:37 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase bounced back in a major way during Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chase was quiet in the season opener with only two receptions for 26 yards. He looked much more like himself during Sunday's Week 2 contest. Chase hauled in 14 of his 16 targets for 165 yards and a touchdown in the win. Surprisingly, a majority of Chase's production came after Joe Burrow (toe) exited the game. Jake Browning was able to find Chase with ease throughout the second half. The expectation is that Burrow is going to miss multiple weeks due to a turf toe issue. His absence should decrease the value of Chase, but clearly Browning and Chase do have good chemistry. Even without Burrow, Chase is a locked-in WR1 for Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.