Odell Beckham Jr. Fantasy Outlook Rises Ahead of Week 3 Return From ACL Injury

Fantasy managers can finally breathe easy. According to reports, Odell Beckham Jr. will be cleared to play in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. Although, a tough question arises from his availability: is OBJ worth starting in his 2021 debut?

Odell Beckham Jr. Fantasy Outlook

The short answer is yes, if you need him to. But it's not as easy of a decision as you may think.

Jarvis Landry was recently placed on the IR list and will be missing at least the next three weeks, making OBJ even a clearer-cut No. 1 target.

In Week 1, Landry recorded 5 receptions on 5 targets for 71 receiving yards. That stat line earned him WR17 in PPR leagues, without OBJ in the lineup. If Beckham is able to put that sort of stat line, he's easily a No. 2 wideout on fantasy rosters.

Odell Beckham Fantasy

Beckham also faces an interesting matchup with the Bears' defense. Chicago is currently giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs through the first two weeks of the season.

However, this secondary is tough to gauge. The Bears did lose two-time Pro Bowl corner Kyle Fuller this offseason and essentially slotted everyone on the cornerback depth chart (Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor) up a spot. But, Chicago's secondary still touts Pro Bowl talents with safeties Eddie Jackson and Tashaun Gipson.

The Rams lit up Chicago's secondary in Week 1, but then this group forced Joe Burrow into 4 interceptions and just 248 passing yards in Week 2.

Cleveland's offense slots somewhere between those groups, clouding expectations for Beckham in his 2021 debut.

Beckham is also coming back from major ACL surgery. The Browns have been patient with his return, but that simply can't be ignored. It's hard to image we'll see a 100% healthy and non-limited Beckham in Week 3.

It'll be interesting to see what sort of volume OBJ receives in Week 3 against the Bears. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver should get back to his old self eventually, but he slots in as more of a FLEX option in his return. Don't unseat any of your starting wideouts if they've been healthy or have better matchups.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.