Ja'Marr Chase Receiving Yards: Why the Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

Ja'Marr Chase Receiving Yards: Why the Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

Ja'Marr Chase is basically a human highlight reel. Since he stepped onto an NFL field in 2021, the math behind his game has been breaking brains in front offices across the league. We aren't just talking about "good for a young guy" numbers. We’re talking about 6,837 career receiving yards through just five seasons.

He's fast. Like, dangerously fast.

But it’s not just the speed that kills; it's the sheer volume of production he puts up even when defenses know exactly where the ball is going. If you look at the Ja'Marr Chase receiving yards totals over the last few years, you see a trajectory that looks more like a Hall of Fame resume than a 25-year-old’s stat sheet. He just wrapped up the 2025 season with 1,412 yards, which—honestly—is a bit of a "down" year by his impossible standards.

Remember 2024? That was the year he went nuclear.

He grabbed the receiving Triple Crown, leading the league in catches (127), yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17). He joined names like Jerry Rice and Cooper Kupp. That’s the air he breathes now.

The Ridiculous Consistency of 1,000-Yard Seasons

Most receivers hope for one 1,000-yard season to prove they’ve arrived. Chase has four of them in a row to start his career. Actually, five if you count the 2025 campaign that just ended.

It’s kinda wild to think about. He’s one of only six players in the history of the sport to start a career with four consecutive 1000-yard seasons. In 2021, he put up 1,455 yards as a rookie. He followed that with 1,046 in a shortened 2022 season, 1,216 in 2023, and then that massive 1,708-yard explosion in 2024.

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The 2025 season was a weird one for the Bengals. Joe Burrow missed significant time with a toe injury, and Joe Flacco had to step in for a stretch. You’d think the Ja'Marr Chase receiving yards would crater without his college bestie throwing him the rock. Nope. Flacco fed him nearly 14 targets a game. Chase still managed to hit 1,412 yards on a career-high 185 targets.

He’s currently averaging 87.5 receiving yards per game. That is the second-highest mark in NFL history. The only guy ahead of him is Justin Jefferson.

Why the Ravens Can't Stop Him

There is something about the color purple that makes Ja'Marr go crazy. Specifically, the Baltimore Ravens.

In Week 13 of the 2025 season, he torched them for 110 yards. Earlier in his career, he dropped 264 yards and three scores on them in a single afternoon. If you’re a Ravens defensive back, Ja'Marr Chase is the monster under your bed. He has this uncanny ability to turn a simple five-yard slant into a 60-yard sprint.

He leads the NFL in touchdown catches of 40, 50, and 60 yards since he entered the league. That’s the "big play" factor that makes his yardage totals so volatile but so dangerous.

Breaking Down the 2025 Game Logs

If you’re a fantasy manager or just a stat nerd, the 2025 week-by-week is a rollercoaster.

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  • Week 2 vs. Jaguars: 14 catches, 165 yards. Pure dominance.
  • Week 7 vs. Steelers: 16 catches, 161 yards. He was the entire offense.
  • Week 15 vs. Ravens: 10 catches, 132 yards. (Even in a 24-0 loss, he got his).
  • Week 18 vs. Browns: 8 catches, 96 yards to close the year.

The "floor" for Chase has moved. In 2025, he had seven games with over 100 yards. When he’s "bad," he’s still giving you 50 or 60 yards. When he’s "on," he’s putting up numbers that look like Madden glitches.

The most interesting shift in 2025 was his Average Depth of Target (ADoT). It dropped to 8.49 yards. Compare that to his rookie year where he was a pure deep threat. Now, the Bengals are using him as a high-volume possession receiver who also happens to be the best deep threat in the league. He had 640 yards after the catch (YAC) this past season. He’s doing the dirty work now, too.

What Most People Get Wrong About His Yardage

People look at Ja'Marr Chase receiving yards and assume it's all just Burrow-to-Chase magic. It’s not.

Chase is a technician. He’s 6'0" and 205 pounds, but he plays like he’s 6'4". His ability to high-point a ball is what allows him to stack yards even when he's double-covered. Defenses are literally selling out to stop him—playing "bracket" coverage with a corner underneath and a safety over the top—and he’s still catching 125 passes.

There's a ceiling here we haven't hit yet. If Burrow stays healthy for a full 17-game slate in 2026, and the Bengals find a consistent No. 2 to replace some of the attention Tee Higgins used to draw, Chase could realistically push for the 2,000-yard mark.

He already holds the NFL record for receiving yards in a game by a rookie (266 yards against the Chiefs in 2021). He owns the Bengals' single-season yardage record. He’s 25 years old.

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Think about that.

He is statistically pacing to be one of the top three receivers to ever play the game. He's currently third all-time in receiving yards through a player's first four seasons, trailing only Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas.

Actionable Insights for 2026

If you're tracking these stats for the future, keep an eye on his target share. In 2025, it was a massive 32.23%. That is an elite, Davante Adams-level workload. As long as he is seeing 10+ targets a game, the yardage floor is going to remain around 80-90 yards per outing.

Keep a close eye on the Bengals' offensive line additions this offseason. The longer Burrow has to let deep routes develop, the more likely we see Chase's yards-per-reception (YPR) jump back up toward that 18.0 mark we saw in 2021, rather than the 11.3 we saw this past year.

The smartest move is to look at the "big play" matchups. Chase thrives against man-heavy teams like the Raiders or Dolphins. When he gets one-on-one coverage, the yardage totals usually skyrocket.