ClutchPoints
It’s time to jump into Week 5 if you’re looking for fantasy football advice at running back. Or maybe you need help at the quarterback position. However, there are things to worry about outside of Week 5, including concerning fantasy football bad beats from Ja’Marr Chase, Ladd McConkey, and more.
You can’t stick your head in the fantasy sand unless you want to tank it for 2025 and look for a higher draft pick next season. The main problem on this list is the Bengals’ wide receiver. And it’s not Chase’s fault.
Let’s take a look at the biggest issues for fantasy managers through four weeks.
It’s not like an injury where you can replace Chase. You have to keep playing him because, well, he’s Ja’Marr Chase. But the consensus No. 1 receiver entering the season has plummeted to No. 10 on the rest-of-season rankings, according to Fantasy Pros.
“Fading production and dismal quarterbacking have pushed Ja’Marr Chase into unfamiliar fantasy territory, with his explosive ceiling feeling out of reach,” FP wrote.
Even with a favorable matchup this week, it’s tough, according to Fantasy Football Today, via Fantasy Pros.
“Some, like Heath Cummings, contend that Chase “is not the type of studly receiver” in this current setup, and “the numbers are not going to match what we were expecting or even like 60% of what we were expecting.”
Still, ride with Chase as long as he’s healthy. He can still have that outlier game against a clueless defense. But in the long term, he likely won’t finish any better than WR12.
You have to be worried. When a guy finishes 54, 49, and 99, that’s panic territory. He has dropped all the way to No. 21 on the rest-of-season rankings. And McConkey supporters are dropping like flies, according to Fantasy Pros.
“I’d like to think that he will turn things around because he’s super talented,” Andrew Erickson wrote. “But with those other two guys healthy, it’s hard to see after what has transpired over the first four weeks.”
But everybody needs to understand that McConkey didn’t suddenly become less talented. And Keenan Allen isn’t the monster he was years ago. These four games hurt from a fantasy perspective. But don’t give up on McConkey yet. And this should be the week he breaks loose.
Still, there are scoffers, according to Forbes.com.
“While many are going to argue that McConkey is going to be better as the year goes on, his fantasy points have actually dropped every game this year,” Steve Bradshaw wrote. “Keenan Allen has 16.3 PPG this year, and last week he had seven targets compared to McConkey at six.”
But those numbers at the end show the Chargers are equally interested in getting McConkey the ball. When defenses start rolling away from him, he can shine.
This has as much to do with Trevor Lawrence...
