Fantasy Football Player Notes

Ja'Marr Chase broke Justin Jefferson's record for most receiving yards by a rookie, finishing 2021 as the WR5 in fantasy points per game and the WR22 in expected fantasy points per game. Only Deebo Samuel scored more fantasy points above expectation (+74.3) than Chase - a testament to his home-run hitting ability. Chase's 18.0 yards per reception ranked second-best in the NFL behind only Samuel.

The Bengals wide receivers' dominance continued in the postseason with back-to-back 100-yard games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Chase commanded a 27% target share when it mattered most during postseason play, a 5% increase from his regular season target share.

Tee Higgins' 23% target rate per route run was higher than Ja'Marr Chase's 21% during the 2021 regular season as was his 25% target share in the games they played together when healthy.

There's no denying that WR1 overall upside exists with Chase in 2022, but Higgins' constant command of targets in a loaded Cincinnati offense will make him a screaming value in 2022 fantasy drafts.

Tyler Boyd was a victim of circumstances more than anything else in 2021, with two alpha wide receivers in the Bengals offense leaving him nothing but scraps. The Bengals slot receiver commanded just a 15% target share and target rate per route run.

The target rate per route ranked dead-last among 73 qualifying players last season that commanded at least 100 targets.

It's clear that Boyd can't be viewed as much working as a clear ancillary piece of the Cincinnati passing attack. Tight end C.J. Uzomah's departure does open up the potential that Boyd could shoulder a larger target workload, but his upside remains extremely limited while Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are healthy.