Ja'Marr Chase vs Tetairoa McMillan: Who Should You Start?
Ja'Marr Chase and Tetairoa McMillan are both viable fantasy wide receivers heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Ja'Marr Chase averaged 15.7 PPG across 16 games with the Cincinnati Bengals, while Tetairoa McMillan posted 10.4 PPG in 17 appearances for the Carolina Panthers.
A 5.3-PPG gap gives Ja'Marr Chase the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Target volume is the story here. Ja'Marr Chase saw 185 targets in 2025, while Tetairoa McMillan drew 122. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Ja'Marr Chase, even in weeks where Tetairoa McMillan posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
Bye weeks matter for roster construction: Ja'Marr Chase sits Week 12 while Tetairoa McMillan is off Week 11. If you are deciding between the two as a season-long roster hold, the staggered byes actually work in your favor.
