Could 2026 be a make-or-break season for Burrow and the Bengals?
It sure feels like it. After another major injury limited him
to only eight games, it's now been three seasons since Burrow
has led Cinci to the playoffs. They've spent heavily on the defense
this offseason, and Coach Zach Taylor is firmly on the hot seat.
With Burrow, it all comes down to protection, and health. When
he's upright, Burrow has top-3 upside. He leads a pass heavy attack,
has the best tandem of receivers in the league, and even provides
a little juice on the ground. Sure, an improved defense limits
shootouts, but it also gives the offense more short fields, and
scoring opportunities. Taylor has talked about tweaking the offense
to give Burrow more time under center to better hide tendencies,
and improve the effectiveness of the play action. One of a few
QBs with 45 touchdown potential, Burrow is squarely in the league
winner or league loser category depending on the pick you invest.
Any questions about the ability to handle a full workload were
fully squashed after Brown's top-10 season last year. Once Joe
Flacco solidified the passing game in Week 7, and Burrow returned
in Week 13, Brown was one of the highest floor backs in the NFL.
He was a marvel in all formats, as he rushed for over 1,000 yards,
and gobbled up 69 receptions. He scored double-digit touchdowns
for the 2nd straight year, and even better, he was in on almost
70% of the snaps last season, a number that should go up this
season with Cinci having only a 31-year-old journeyman, and former
6th round pick behind him on the depth chart. The efficiency and
explosiveness of the offense is going to depend on the health
of Burrow, but if that happens, Brown has the scheme, skills,
and opportunity to be a top tier RB1.
There was always going to be some regression after his historic
2024 season (127-1708-17), but Chase remained one of fantasy's
safest bets last year. He saw a career-high 185 targets, piled
up over 1,400 yards, and still hauled in eight touchdowns -- even
with Joe Burrow sidelined for a significant portion of the season.
That production shows Chase is clearly insulated from shaky quarterback
play.
One trend worth monitoring is the major shift in how Chase has
been utilized. His average depth of target has steadily decreased
from earlier in his career, as the Bengals have deployed him more
frequently on screens, slants, and hitch routes. This may be a
necessity due to poor pass protection, but the fact that he can
still produce 1,400-yard seasons is a testament to his elite open-field
skills. Burrow remains the cheat code needed to fully unlock this
offense's massive potential. Even so, wherever you draft Chase,
you're still getting a locked-in top-5 wide receiver.
As unlikely as it seemed, the Bengals re-signed Higgins to a
big contract last offseason, and while it didn't quite pan out
in the win column, Higgins proved his tremendous value on the
field with a strong statistical season. His 11 touchdowns were
a career high, and while he still missed a few games, they were
fluky head injuries, and not the typical soft tissue injuries
we are used to. With Burrow back, and Chase on the other side
to soak up the defensive attention, Higgins is set up for a career
year. He's got a double-digit scoring floor, and 1,000-yard upside
if things line up. He's the rare WR2 that can win you a week all
by himself, just be prepared to be without him a few games, as
he hasn't played a full season since his rookie year in 2020.
It's best to look elsewhere for a tight end. In his time as head
coach of the Bengals, Zach Taylor has yet to have a tight end
finish as a realistic fantasy option, as the position is an afterthought
in the offensive scheme. Gesicki is the team's most reliable pass
catching tight end, but at best he's fourth in the pecking order
in an offense that has elite options. With Burrow healthy he maybe
sneaks into low end TE2 territory, but at that point he becomes
a desperate bye week fill-in and not someone you want to pin your
hopes on as a long-term starter.
