By the time the 1.03 rolls around, the two backs everyone wanted are usually gone. Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson come off the board first in most drafts, and that leaves you at the first real fork in the road: do you take the best receiver in fantasy football, or do you keep hammering running back? This is the pick where the draft stops being automatic and starts being a decision.
The Pick: Ja’Marr Chase
Take Ja’Marr Chase. With Gibbs and Robinson gone, this is where the receiver conversation begins, and Chase is the name at the top of it.
4for4 has Chase as the overall No. 3 in standard scoring and the WR1 off the board. The market agrees, slotting him third across basically every platform’s ADP. He’s the highest-ranked non-running-back in the pool, which makes the 1.03 the spot where taking a wideout finally becomes the right move instead of a reach.
Here’s the case for the Bengals star:
He’s been the best receiver in football. Chase was the overall WR1 in 2024 at nearly 20 points per game. Even in 2025, with Joe Burrow missing significant time, he still finished WR5 overall and WR4 on a per-game basis. His floor when things go wrong is other people’s ceiling. The separation and route-running are elite. His route grade sits in the 98th percentile and his yards per route run in the 91st. He gets open against anybody, which is the trait that ages best at the position. He’s dangerous after the catch. A 94th-percentile ESPN YAC score means a short throw can turn into a long score. That run-after-catch ability is a big part of why his ceiling is untouchable. The one real question is his quarterback. The entire bet here is Joe Burrow’s health. A functional Burrow makes Chase arguably the best receiver in fantasy football. That’s the risk you’re weighing at 1.03, and for most drafters it’s worth it.Put simply: elite production, elite metrics, and the highest weekly ceiling of any receiver. If you want to build around a wideout, this is the one to build around.
Ja’Marr Chase (1) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Charlie Jones (15) during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesIf You Want to Zag: The Alternatives at 1.03
The Chase pick comes down to one question: are you comfortable making a receiver the centerpiece of your draft, and are you comfortable with the Burrow variable? If either answer is no, here’s where you look instead.
Jonathan Taylor (RB, Indianapolis)
The pick if you want to keep the running-back run going, and the best value on the board. 4for4 ranks Taylor No. 4 overall, but his average draft position drifts several spots later, the widest gap of anyone in the top tier. That means you can often grab a locked-in workhorse at a discount. He reclaimed a full workload and finished as a top-tier back in half-PPR last season, and his after-contact running (88th-percentile YAC per attempt) is what carries the profile. If you’d rather not bet on a quarterback’s health, Taylor is the safe pivot.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, Seattle)
The receiver to take if you love the position but want to sidestep the Burrow risk. JSN posted monster metrics last season, leading all receivers in ESPN’s OPEN score and pairing it with a top-of-the-sample route grade and yards per route run. The one flag is Sam Darnold at quarterback, whose accuracy comes with turnovers, but JSN’s separation is good enough to produce through shaky quarterback play. A cleaner floor than Chase, with a slightly lower ceiling.
Puka Nacua (WR, LA Rams)
Another way to get elite receiver production without the Cincinnati question marks. Nacua led all receivers in ESPN’s OVERALL score last season and finished as a top-of-the-position producer when healthy. The two flags are his own durability history and Matthew Stafford’s age, but Stafford was excellent last season and Nacua doesn’t need perfect quarterback play to eat. If you want a wideout with a sky-high floor, he belongs in the conversation right here.
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Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesThe Bigger Takeaway: The RB-or-WR Decision Starts Here
The 1.03 is the first pick where the draft asks you a real question, and how you answer it shapes the rest of your roster.
4for4’s rankings run on Value Over Replacement, which measures how much better a player is than the replacement-level option at his position. In standard scoring, without PPR padding receiver totals, elite running backs carry a steep scarcity premium, which is why two of them usually go before Chase. But by the third pick, the gap between the best receiver and the next-best back narrows enough that a wideout like Chase becomes fair game. Take him, and you’re betting that a top-tier receiver’s ceiling outweighs another back’s floor.
That’s the whole decision at 1.03. There’s no wrong answer between Chase and Taylor here, only the roster you want to build. If you want the best receiver in the game and can stomach the quarterback risk, Chase is your pick.
Rankings and metrics via 4for4, standard scoring, as of August 10, 2026. Player finishes cited from 4for4’s notes reflect half-PPR where noted. ADP and player situations shift through the preseason, so double-check the board before your draft.
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