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

Thursday, January 29, 6:46 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin signed a three-year, $96 million contract just before the start of the 2025 season and then had the worst season of his career in his seventh year in the NFL. McLaurin missed valuable time with injuries and played in a career-low 10 games, catching 38 of his 60 targets for 582 yards and three touchdowns. It broke a string of five straight 1,000-yard seasons from McLaurin, who was a third-round pick by Washington in 2019 out of Ohio State. It was indeed a scary year for McLaurin's fantasy managers. The 30-year-old veteran never had a 100-yard performance. It didn't help that starting quarterback Jayden Daniels only started seven games due to various injuries. With better health, McLaurin should be able to bounce back in 2026, but you shouldn't consider him a lock to return to 1,000 yards with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury no longer around.

Wednesday, January 28, 3:23 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase wasn't as dominant in 2025 as he was in 2024, when he led the NFL in catches (127), targets (175), receiving yards (1,708), touchdowns (17), and yards per game (100.5). Chase had a league-high 185 targets, 125 catches, 1,412 yards, and eight touchdowns in his 16 games played in his fifth year in the league in 2025. Despite the step back, the 25-year-old wideout remains one of the best all-around receivers in the game. Chase was the WR4 in half-PPR scoring, behind only Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He has been a Pro Bowler in all five of his NFL seasons, as well as being named a first-team All-Pro in the last two years. The former fifth overall pick out of LSU is showing no signs of slowing down and has excellent chemistry with quarterback Joe Burrow. Chase already has a staggering 6,837 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns in his 78 games played for the Bengals.