Reece James
26-Year-Old
Chelsea
Premier
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Injuries continue to define James's young career, limiting him to just 19 appearances last season, still his highest total since the 2021/22 campaign. His production was a little hit or miss, mostly due to inconsistent minutes because of injury concern. He returned from injuries in January and slowly ramped up his minutes on the pitch, but he rarely started or played extended minutes in back-to-back games. His upside is evident as a defender who gets forward and takes a random set or two, but injury concern and minutes remain a big problem in season-long fantasy.
Remains option for Sunday
James is still set to be an option for Sunday's match against Sunderland, according to manager Callum McFarlane. "Reece trained today, and we'll play it day by day with him. He's fit and in good condition, but we know that we've had to manage Reece correctly over the last few games. He obviously played a lot of minutes in the [FA Cup] final, which was a tough game against a really good side, so it was going to take a lot out of him, so we didn't want to risk him on Tuesday. We felt like we had enough to see the game out, which proved to be correct, and we're hoping to have Reece available on Sunday."
ANALYSIS
James was a bit of a concern after he missed the club's midweek match due to some rest, but continues to trend in the right direction and is seemingly set to return Sunday. This is huge news for the club's skipper, as he will end the season on the field and in good health ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He has been a consistent starter around the midfield and defense all season and should return to that role to end the campaign, looking to potentially add to his two goals and four assists in the finale.
James was a bit of a concern after he missed the club's midweek match due to some rest, but continues to trend in the right direction and is seemingly set to return Sunday. This is huge news for the club's skipper, as he will end the season on the field and in good health ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He has been a consistent starter around the midfield and defense all season and should return to that role to end the campaign, looking to potentially add to his two goals and four assists in the finale.
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More Fantasy News
Should start finale
James is expected to be fine for Sunday's finale against Sunderland. According to interim coach Calum McFarlane, "We had Reece on the bench tonight but, again, coming off the back of an injury, the turnaround from the City game, the type of game that the City game was, we didn't really want to risk him in that moment."
ANALYSIS
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Hopeful to start season finale
James (hamstring) was on the bench for Tuesday's clash against Tottenham but was not risked given the quick turnaround from the FA Cup final, with coach Calum McFarlane hopeful of having him available to start Sunday's season finale against Sunderland. "Reece is the same. We had Reece on the bench tonight but, again, coming off the back of an injury, the turnaround from the City game, the type of game that the City game was, we didn't really want to risk him in that moment. It's definitely a wait and see. We've got a little bit of time from now until then, so we're hopeful, but we won't know that until we see how the next couple of days unfold."
ANALYSIS
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Could start against Liverpool
James (hamstring) has completed a full week of training and could start Saturday's clash against Liverpool, according to coach Calum McFarlane. "Levi has trained a full week with us, and so has Reece, so it's really positive with those two. We've still got another session before facing Liverpool, but both trained fully today and we're hopeful."
ANALYSIS
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Returns to bench
James (hamstring) is on the bench for Monday's clash against Nottingham.
ANALYSIS
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Could return Monday
James (hamstring) could return to the squad for Monday's game against Nottingham Forest, according to interim manager Calum McFarlane. "Reece is back in training, and Levi [Colwill] is back in training also," McFarlane stated at his pre-Forest press conference. Both are looking good, which is really positive. We're still a little way out from the game [on Monday], so we'll see how they do in the next few training sessions but are looking promising."
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Interested in joining Benfica?
James is exploring his possibility once his Chelsea contract expires and Benfica is one of the teams he'd be interested in playing for, according to Football Transfers.
ANALYSIS
James has struggled with injuries for the better part of the last two seasons, and even if he remains an important player in the Chelsea hierarchy, don't be surprised if he decides to leave the club in the future. The 24-year-old defender is exploring through his representatives the possibility of joining Barcelona or Benfica.
James has struggled with injuries for the better part of the last two seasons, and even if he remains an important player in the Chelsea hierarchy, don't be surprised if he decides to leave the club in the future. The 24-year-old defender is exploring through his representatives the possibility of joining Barcelona or Benfica.