PFF: Ja'marr Chase ranked as 42nd best player in NFL

Ja’Marr Chase was a pivotal piece to the Cincinnati Bengals’ Super Bowl run during the 2021-2022 NFL season, shattering rookie records and creating a reputation as one of the most reliable wide receivers in the NFL in just one season.

For his incredible rookie year, Pro Football Focus has ranked the former LSU star as the No. 42 player in the NFL as the 2022-2023 season rears its head.

“Chase dominated the college football landscape in 2019 on LSU’s way to the national title before taking a year off and then doing the same thing in the NFL as the Bengals came up just short of a Super Bowl,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote. “He was one of the most dominant receivers in the league immediately, racking up 37 explosive plays and dragging Cincinnati to wins in a handful of games.”

In 2021, Chase set a Super Bowl-era rookie record for receiving yards last season with 1,455. In total, he finished fourth in both receiving yards and for the league’s longest reception with an 82-yard haul. He also finished second in yards per reception (18), third in receiving touchdowns, and fifth in reception yards per game (85.6).

On top of that, Chase ranked in the top-five of deep ball production with 34 targets (3rd), 15 receptions (T-3rd), 576 receiving yards (2nd), 141 yards after catch (2nd) and eight touchdowns (1st).

Chase’s college connection with Joe Burrow at LSU paid dividends for the pair last year, quickly becoming one of the most dynamic combinations in the entire league. That connection will only grow in their third overall season together (second in Cincinnati) and beyond. Pair that with an improved Chase and Bengals team around Burrow – and who’s to say Cincinnati can’t find its way back into the Super Bowl at the end of the year?

With more hype surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals heading into the upcoming season than ever before, it’s Chase and Burrow’s job and responsibility to capitalize on the excitement and solidify their place as a perennial playoff contender.