2025 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview

Cincinnati Bengals No team embodies the Tecmo Bowl spirit of ‘all offense, no defense, no punting’ mentality quite like the Cincinnati Bengals. By signing QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase, and WR Tee Higgins to expensive long-term deals, the Bengals should field a potent offense for years to come, with little salary cap space to fortify a defense that ranked 25th in 2024. That makes Bengals players highly desirable fantasy targets. Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. He finished as fantasy’s QB2 after missing seven games in 2023. Playing behind a suspect offensive line, Burrow engineered an offense that ranked 6th in scoring (27.8), 8th in yards per play (5.8), and 10th in EPA per play (0.07). Burrow/Chase stacks won countless fantasy titles last season and will be one of the most sought-after stacks again in 2025. Defacto GM Duke Tobin evenly split Cincinnati’s six 2025 NFL Draft picks on defense and offense, targeting the trenches. Tobin did not address the RB position until he selected Tahj Brooks in the 6th round, cementing Chase Brown as a legitimate RB1 target. Brown produced 1,350 scrimmage yards and 11 scores despite not starting until Week 4. Brown scored 13-plus fantasy points in 12 of his 13 starts and will see plenty of touches in his third season. Ja’Marr Chase was fantasy football’s No. 1 wideout who commanded a league-high 175 targets. Those ample looks resulted in Chase pulling the receiving Triple Crown. Duplicating last year’s production will be difficult, but Chase warrants 1.01 attention in all leagues. Now locked into Cincinnati for four years, Tee Higgins ranked 5th with 18.7 PPR points per game, giving the Bengals the top duo in football. Higgins missed five games with hamstring and quad injuries but scored 12-plus fantasy points in nine of the 10 full games he played. Andrei Iosivas returns as the WR3 after the Bengals ignored the position in free agency and the draft. Iosivas will need to improve his consistency, but he is worth late-round consideration in deeper leagues. And just because the QB and wideouts got extensions didn’t exempt the tight ends. Mike Gesicki re-signed for three years and returns to lead Cincinnati’s TE rotation. Gesicki finished just outside TE1 range last season and ranked 12th with 83 targets. He’s a solid TE2 fantasy option but will continue to split playing time with Drew Sample and Erick All, who missed most of his rookie campaign. The Bengals should once again be able to score and surrender plenty of points. That makes targeting Cincinnati skill position players a solid investment on draft day. Fantasy Grade: A QB Burrow, Joe, CIN [QB1] Joe Burrow delivered a stellar 2024 fantasy season, leading the NFL in passing yards (4,918), touchdowns (43), and completions (460), while maintaining a 70.6 percent completion rate. He averaged 22-plus fantasy points per game, ranking as the QB3 overall. Burrow’s advanced metrics underscore his elite performance: he topped the league in pass attempts (652), red zone throws (126), and air yards (4,609). His 6.6 percent touchdown rate and 1.7 percent turnover-worthy play rate highlight his efficiency and decision-making. Paired with an elite supporting cast and a defense that will lead to fantasy-friendly game scripts, Burrow remains a top fantasy option in an expanding QB class. ADVICE: Still elite, but likely to be overdrafted. RB Brown, Chase, CIN [RB1] Chase Brown was one of last year’s biggest breakouts. After Zack Moss went down with a Week 8 neck injury, Brown became Cincinnati’s feature back. Starting in Week 9, Brown averaged 23.6 touches, 116.2 scrimmage yards, and housed six touchdowns. Moss is slated to return in a backup role, and the Bengals reunited with Samaje Perine, but Brown is expected to have a prominent role as the team’s three-down starter. Brown will see favorable game scripts in a Cincinnati offense projected to be among the highest-scoring NFL offenses. ADVICE: Finished as the RB10 last season and is poised to have a more prominent role in 2025. RB Moss, Zack, CIN [RB2] Moss opened the season as Cincinnati’s lead back, scoring 12-plus PPR points in three of the club’s first four games. But Moss’s lack of explosive plays resulted in him losing snaps to Chase Brown before a neck injury ended Moss’s season after Week 8. Now, Moss is clearly behind Brown on the depth chart. But the Bengals may hesitate to keep giving Brown over 23 touches per game, freeing up Moss to see early-down work. Even if Brown remains the bellcow, Moss is one of the top handcuffs to target in a Bengals’ offense that averaged 27.8 points per game last season. ADVICE: Handcuff to Chase Brown, who could factor in as a short-yardage option. WR Chase, Ja’Marr, CIN [WR1] Fresh off a historic Triple Crown season, Chase remains the premier fantasy wideout. With Joe Burrow healthy and Tee Higgins re-signed, defenses can’t focus solely on him. The Bengals had one of the most explosive passing games in the league, and they made no changes to the staff or players involved in the passing game. Expect elite volume, red-zone dominance, and explosive plays. He’s the consensus WR1 and a strong candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in PPR formats. ADVICE: Elite WR1 with league-winning upside—worthy of the top overall pick. WR Higgins, Tee, CIN [WR2] Tee Higgins quietly delivered an elite 2024 season when on the field, finishing sixth among wide receivers in fantasy points per game (18.5) despite missing five contests due to injury. He set career highs in touchdowns (10) and was a top-20 fantasy scorer in seven of his 12 games. Cincinnati once again leaned heavily on the pass, especially near the goal line, where Higgins thrived—his eight end-zone targets from inside the 3-yard line ranked second in the league, producing four scores. The Bengals return the same offensive core, and Higgins remains locked in as a starting outside receiver opposite Ja’Marr Chase. His touchdown upside and target share remain strong as
Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 10

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 10 The fantasy playoff stretch drive starts with an excellent AFC North battle. This rematch of a Week 5 shootout won by the Baltimore Ravens 41-38 over the Cincinnati Bengals should be one of the
2024 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview

2024 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview A year after winning the AFC North, Zac Taylor’s squad struggled out of the gate before a winning October put them back in contention. Then they lost Joe Burrow before another unlikely win streak had the Cardiac Cats on the verge of the AFC playoffs. Nearly overcoming that adversity was a testament to Taylor’s coaching. With Burrow back, the Bengals project to be contenders in 2024. Burrow’s poor play was largely to blame for Cincinnati’s 1-3 start. However, things clicked in Week 5. During the team’s four-game win streak, he topped 22 fantasy points three times. Ultimately, Burrow’s campaign ended in Baltimore with a right scapholunate ligament tear. Last season stands out as an anomaly on Burrow’s resume. He was an elite fantasy signal-caller in each of his previous two campaigns and the 2024 Bengals should rely on the pass even more. Expect Burrow to contend for overall top-5 numbers this season. Ja’Marr Chase saw a dip in production but it wasn’t due to lack of volume. Chase absorbed a career-high 145 targets in 16 games. Chase’s 24.5% target share was also the highest of his career. Considering the uncertainty in Cincinnati’s receiving corps and assuming we get a fully healthy Joe Burrow under center makes Chase one of the safest picks in fantasy and every bit worthy of a top-3 overall selection. Tee Higgins was franchise-tagged but has been at an impasse with the team. Higgins is one of the better WR2s in the league but wants the chance to shine as the top dog. Assuming he returns to the Bengals, Higgins will be plenty motivated to play for a lucrative long-term contract. The Bengals also used the 80th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Alabama WR Jermaine Burton. Burton has good size and speed and is more of a downfield playmaker than Tyler Boyd. The rookie is an intriguing late-round fantasy sleeper, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Higgins. Taylor employed a committee approach to the tight end position. No TE exceeded 50 targets last season or ranked inside the top 30 fantasy scorers. The club signed Mike Gesicki to presumably take over as the starter. However, fourth-round Iowa rookie Erick All is a dark horse to win the starting role and emerge as a waiver-wire asset. With Joe Mixon traded to Houston, Zack Moss takes over as the team’s lead back. Moss filled in admirably for Jonathan Taylor last year, averaging a career-high 10.0 PPR points per game (23rd). Taylor likes to include his backs in the passing game, so Moss is a sneaky bet to be a solid RB3/flex option. Second-year rusher Chase Brown got a chance to contribute late last season and could play his way into the mix. Quarterbacks QB JOE BURROW – SOLID/SAFE PICK A pair of injuries bookended an erratic 2023 campaign for Joe Burrow. A July calf ailment resulted in a rusty start. Then, Burrow got healthy and averaged 21.4 fantasy points per contest during the team’s 4-1 stretch through Week 10. Ultimately, a wrist injury ended Burrow’s season in Week 11. He’s expected to be fine for 2024 but that mid-season stretch of a healthy Burrow is what piques our interest. With the addition of Jermaine Burton and Mike Gesicki plus the loss of Joe Mixon, the Bengals will rely on Burrow more than ever. He’s firmly in the conversation to be a top-5 fantasy option and the discounted price makes him a solid mid-round value. ADVICE: Safe QB1. Running Backs RB ZACK MOSS – SLEEPER (UNDERVALUED) Zack Moss filled in admirably for Jonathan Taylor last season. He was so effective that he continued to have a weekly role in Indy’s offense. Now, it appears that Moss will open the season atop Cincinnati’s depth chart after the Bengals shipped Joe Mixon to Houston. Mixon was used as a workhorse, inviting some optimism that Moss could potentially see 250-plus touches in a solid Bengals attack. Chase Brown will also work into the mix, but Moss’s tackle-breaking ability and solid receiving skills make him the favorite for early-down work and short-yardage opportunities. ADVICE: Excellent sleeper candidate in the middle rounds. RB CHASE BROWN – QUALITY BACKUP Joe Mixon and his 78.9% opportunity share are gone. In his place, the Bengals signed Zack Moss to a relatively modest contract. The expectations are that Cincinnati will move to a committee backfield. Moss has always shared time and we saw snippets of what Brown could do in the second half of 2023. Brown averaged 5.8 yards touch and 4.2 yards after contact. He’s got that breakaway ability that will make him a nice change-of-pace option from Moss. The split could be closer than many think, with Brown acting more as an RB1B than RB2. That makes Brown an appealing ‘dead zone’ target. ADVICE: Dead zone sleeper extraordinaire. Wide Receivers WR JA’MARR CHASE – STUD (LOW RISK) Touchdowns matter and no wide receiver has drawn more weekly red-zone targets than Ja’Marr Chase, who earns 1.64 per game. And part of that came in a trying 2023 season that saw the Bengals hobbled by injuries to QB Joe Burrow. The combination of Burrow and Chase is one of the top duos in football, with league-winning upside. Even with Jake Browning playing 469 snaps, Chase still ranked top 30 in yards per route run (2.2), contested catches (11), and missed tackles forced (17). He’s an elite option primed to make a run at the overall WR1 if Burrow stays healthy for 17 starts. ADVICE: Locked-in first-round WR with No. 1 overall upside WR TEE HIGGINS – SOLID/SAFE PICK Rib and hamstring injuries cost Tee Higgins five games last season. Joe Burrow’s health-related struggles also played a factor in Higgins having his worst fantasy performance in 2023. However, he’s now healthy and entering a contract year fully intent on grabbing that bag. Even in a down year, Higgins still had four top 10 weeks and was top 20 in air yards share (35.9%) and yards per reception (15.6).
Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 11
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Week 10 DFS: Wide Receiver Report

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2023 Cincinnati Bengals Outlook
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Jody Smith’s Updated Dynasty Rankings (July)

Freshly updated 2020 Dynasty football rankings after the NFL Draft! Remember, these are based on perceived trade value, meaning the rankings are primarily based on what it would take to move the player.
Jody Smith’s Updated Dynasty Rankings

Freshly updated 2020 Dynasty football rankings after the NFL Draft! Remember, these are based on perceived trade value, meaning the rankings are primarily based on what it would take to move the player.
Jody Smith’s Dynasty Rankings

Freshly updated 2020 Dynasty football rankings after the NFL Draft! Remember, these are based on perceived trade value, meaning the rankings are primarily based on what it would take to move the player.
Superflex Dynasty Rookie Rankings – Round One

SuperFlex leagues are becoming more popular each year with the glut of the position of quarterback becomes more prevalent across the fantasy landscape. Seems every team even in 12 team leagues has 2 quality options to choose from on most

