Ja'Marr Chase vs Zay Flowers: Who Should You Start?
Ja'Marr Chase and Zay Flowers 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 Zay Flowers posted 11.8 PPG in 17 appearances for the Baltimore Ravens.
A 3.9-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 Zay Flowers drew 118. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Ja'Marr Chase, even in weeks where Zay Flowers posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
One scheduling note: Ja'Marr Chase is off Week 12 and Zay Flowers Week 14. If these two are on your roster, you will need a fill-in wide receiver for both weeks. DraftCall flags bye conflicts so you can plan ahead rather than panic on waivers.
