There is less than a week left for teams to round up their rosters before the second half of the season. One common discussion around these days is which NFL teams should be buyers and which other should be sellers. In this case, one Super Bowl contender may be joining the wide receiver market based on what’s been reported.
Injuries are something very common in such a violent sport. The ‘next man up’ motto is something that is brought up very often. But this phrase will not apply in this scenario. Receivers prices went up dramatically last offseason. If you want to know how valuable an elite player in this position can be, you just have to look at the Green Bay Packers.
A four-time and back-to-back MVP like Aaron Rodgers is struggling without his favorite weapon. Davante Adams, now playing for the Las Vegas Raiders with his college teammate Derek Carr, is clearly missed by the Packers’ stalled offense. Unlike Rodgers’ situation, the options for this franchise quarterback are still promising, though not of the same talent.
Who is the All-Pro WR and when will he be back?
The team that took a massive hit this Thursday is no other than the reigning AFC Champions. Although they started the season 0-2, the Cincinnati Bengals were starting to get hot at the right time thanks to four wins in their last five games. However, that growth may take a pause since Joe Burrow will be without his best target.
Unfortunately, Ja’Marr Chase won’t be suiting up at least on Monday against the Cleveland Browns because of a hip injury. The severity of the issue is still unknown as the recovery time also is. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, he won’t need surgery, but he could be out for a while. It’s believed that the WR could miss between four and six weeks, so a stint on IR is not discarded yet. The Bengals will play the Carolina Panthers on Week 9 and then they are scheduled for a bye week.
Chase has been a star since he got to the league last year as the 5th overall pick. He dominated defenses in route to an outstanding rookie campaign that included 81 receptions for 1455 yards and 13 touchdowns. That incredible connection he has with Burrow from their days at LSU replicated also in the playoffs. This season Chase has 47 receptions for 605 yards and six touchdowns. This loss will result in more targets going to star wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
