Should I start DK Metcalf or Ja'Marr Chase in Week 6?

Updated Oct 19, 10:26 PM ET. Week 7 answers post Tuesday.

Start DK Metcalf: 95 percent of the snaps and 18 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Ja'Marr Chase's 66 percent of the snaps and 21 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.

Should I drop DK Metcalf for Ja'Marr Chase?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Ja'Marr Chase projects 189 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (17.2 a game over 11 games), DK Metcalf 115 (11.5 a game over 10 games).

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Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.

DK Metcalf

WR28 · PIT · bye 9

2026 vs anytime td line 1-5

Market-based projection: 11.0 pts a game Wk 6 price
Overall rank: 70

Ja'Marr Chase

WR · CIN · on bye this week

2026 vs anytime td line 3-2

Market-based projection: 18.4 pts a game Wk 5 price
Overall rank: 265

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The gap

Board size332 draftable players

Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on DK Metcalf, and the board ranks him 70th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Ja'Marr Chase, and the board ranks him 265th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 5.

The market-based projections

No season market is posted for DK Metcalf, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.

No season market is posted for Ja'Marr Chase, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.

Neither carries a posted market, so this page rests on the draft room and on what the two have already done.

This season so far

Through Week 6, DK Metcalf has been on the field for 95 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 24 percent of the targets and had 8 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 17 of the offence's 52 third down targets, had 1 of its 6 chances inside the five and seen 3 of its 34 two minute targets.

His 52 targets have averaged 12.1 air yards.

In Week 4 against CLE he caught 5 of 9 targets for 115 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against IND he carried 1 time for 11 yards, caught 3 of 4 targets for 12 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against TB he caught 11 of 15 targets for 93 yards and did not score.

Through Week 5, Ja'Marr Chase has been on the field for 75 percent of CIN snaps, drawn 20 percent of the targets and had 14 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 9 of the offence's 46 third down targets, had 2 of its 12 chances inside the five and seen 3 of its 33 two minute targets.

His 38 targets have averaged 9.2 air yards.

In Week 3 against PIT he caught 9 of 12 targets for 98 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 4 against JAX he caught 3 of 3 targets for 27 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against MIA he caught 6 of 10 targets for 77 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 DK Metcalf played 15 games and scored 187.2 PPR points, 12.5 a game, finishing WR26.

He caught 59 of 99 targets for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 13 red zone targets.

That came to 6.6 targets a game, a 60 percent catch rate and 14.4 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 87 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Ja'Marr Chase played 16 games and scored 313.6 PPR points, 19.6 a game, finishing WR4.

He caught 125 of 185 targets for 1412 yards and 8 touchdowns, with 21 red zone targets.

That came to 11.6 targets a game, a 68 percent catch rate and 11.3 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 94 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Ja'Marr Chase was available for 1 game more.

Head to head

In 2025 Ja'Marr Chase scored 19.6 PPR points a game and DK Metcalf 12.5, 7.1 a game between them.

DK Metcalf finished WR26 that year and Ja'Marr Chase WR4.

Ja'Marr Chase had 86 more targets than DK Metcalf, 185 to 99.

Ja'Marr Chase had 562 more receiving yards than DK Metcalf, 1412 to 850.

This season DK Metcalf holds the bigger snap share, 95 percent against 75 percent.

This season DK Metcalf holds the bigger target share, 24 percent against 20 percent.

Byes and availability

DK Metcalf is off in Week 9 and Ja'Marr Chase in Week 6, so either can cover the other's bye.

Drop or keep

Should I drop DK Metcalf for Ja'Marr Chase?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Ja'Marr Chase projects 189 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (17.2 a game over 11 games), DK Metcalf 115 (11.5 a game over 10 games).
Should I drop Ja'Marr Chase for DK Metcalf?
No. Keep Ja'Marr Chase: he projects 189 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (17.2 a game over 11 games), DK Metcalf 115 (11.5 a game over 10 games).