Pat Kerrane said he is warming up to taking Jermaine Burton in the final round because Burton has, in Kerrane’s words, “the cleanest ‘just take the job’ scenario of any second-year receiver.” Kerrane compared Burton’s situation to two other late darts he likes—A.D. Mitchell and Troy Franklin—and argued Burton’s competition is far softer. Mitchell must unseat Alec Pierce, whom the Colts value for his down-field gravity, while Franklin is stuck in a messy relay with Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims and 30-year-old Devon Vele. Burton, by contrast, only has to leapfrog Andrei Iosivas, a boundary-only deep threat who “ran a million routes and did nothing” last year. If Burton simply shows up on time and practices well, Kerrane expects him to be a full-time three-wide starter opposite Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Cincinnati’s defense looks dreadful—Trey Hendrickson remains a hold-out—so Joe Burrow should lead one of the league’s highest pass rates. That sets up Burton for immediate spike-week potential on a top-five passing offense and the kind of contingent upside that can swing Best Ball advance rates if either star outside receiver misses time. Kerrane is not fully past Burton’s rookie-year red flags but now sees the risk/reward calculus tilting positive and is mixing him in whenever late-round options dry up.

Pat Kerrane advised passing on Jermaine Burton until beat writers say he will "actually play significant snaps" for the Bengals. Kerrane detailed how Burton’s rookie year was an unprecedented train wreck—showing up late to meetings for a game plan built around him, attending walkthroughs in pajamas, and even hitting a casino the night before kickoff. Although the coaching staff now frames his camp behavior as "positive," Kerrane believes that praise is relative: it simply means Burton is no longer on the verge of being cut. Given how badly he torched trust last December, Kerrane thinks Burton has "a really long way to go" before Zac Taylor will hand him the WR3 role. Until local media report that Burton is locked into the rotation, Kerrane is putting his late-round chips on cleaner prospects like Troy Franklin and A.D. Mitchell who only have to outplay competent but limited veterans such as Alec Pierce, rather than dig out of a self-inflicted hole. His bottom line: leave Burton on waivers for now.

Erik Beimfohr said Jermaine Burton is an auto-draft in the final rounds because the WR3 job in Cincinnati is wide-open and Burton is the only high-ceiling option left standing. Beimfohr reminded listeners that Andre Yosivas logged "a million routes and did nothing" last year, while safety-blanket Trenton Irwin was allowed to walk and Charlie Jones has yet to flash. Early-camp reports cite Burton’s improved work ethic and smoother relationship with coaches, a 180° turn from the tardiness, casino trips, and missed meetings that tanked his rookie season. With Joe Burrow healthy, the Bengals project as the league’s most pass-heavy attack—Lou Anarumo’s gutted defense (Trey Hendrickson still absent, first-rounder Shemar Stewart rumored to bolt for Texas A&M) all but guarantees weekly shoot-outs. Burton brings the vertical element Yosivas lacks, fits the Pickens-style boundary X role, and costs nothing in Best Ball drafts where one late-season spike week can make advance rates pop. Beimfohr is scooping Burton whenever he goes undrafted, viewing him as a free bet on a top-five passing offense.

Pat Kerrane pushed back on the Burton enthusiasm, reminding listeners that the rookie season was a ‘George Costanza trying to get fired’ level of self-sabotage—late to meetings, casino trips the night before games, even showing up in pajamas to position-group installs. Kerrane said the current praise coming out of Bengals camp is merely that Burton has repaired relationships enough to avoid being cut, not that coaches are ready to trust him with real snaps. Until beat writers report Burton is in line for meaningful playing time—or that Cincinnati has scrapped the Yosivas/Charlie Jones rotation entirely—Kerrane refuses to burn an 18-round Best Ball slot on a player whose path to the field remains speculative and whose off-field volatility could resurface at any time.

Erik Beimfohr called Jermaine Burton his boldest late-round swing, arguing the second-year wideout could seize the Bengals’ WR3 job and become a weekly spike-week generator at an undrafted ADP. Beimfohr noted that Andre Yosivas ran “a million routes” last year yet finished woefully inefficient, while safety-blanket veteran Trenton Irwin is no longer on the roster. That leaves only Burton, Charlie Jones, Kendrick Pryor and practice-squad types behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Early camp reports say Burton has ‘his head on straight’ after last season’s off-field fiascos, giving coaches reason to revisit the talent that once earned Day-2 hype and drew George Pickens comparisons. With Mike Gesicki functioning as a slot receiver and Drew Sample primarily blocking, Cincinnati still needs an outside vertical threat—exactly Burton’s skill set. Beimfohr expects Lou Anarumo’s gutted defense to force shoot-outs, keeping Joe Burrow among the league leaders in pass attempts. That combination of open depth chart, pass-heavy script, and free draft cost makes Burton a priority final-round click in Best Ball tournaments where a single late-season eruption can decide $1 million.

Steve Palazzolo advised listeners to steer clear of Jermaine Burton, predicting the rookie will be cut before Week 1. Asked to choose between Burton becoming a reliable WR3 or being off the roster entirely, Palazzolo said "off the roster" would be his bet. His reasoning: Tee Higgins’ extension means the starting spots are locked, and Andre Yosivas has already proven he can handle depth and red-zone duties. Without special-teams value, Burton offers little roster utility, so Palazzolo doubts Cincinnati will keep a developmental wideout over linemen or defensive backs on the 53. The upshot: fade Burton in best-ball dart throws and dynasty stash spots until he actually makes the team.

Pat Kerrane flagged Jermaine Burton as the only ‘totally random’ late-round Bengal he would actually click. Beat reports say Burton has begun mending fences with Cincinnati’s coaching staff, and Jamar Chase recently praised him as the most active participant in the team group chat—evidence, in Kerrane’s eyes, that the rookie is engaged and intent on carving out a role. Burton needs to leapfrog only Andrei Iosivas to become the WR4/occasional deep threat behind Chase and Tee Higgins, a path Kerrane called ‘entirely possible’ if Burton’s talent flashes in camp. At a no-cost ADP, Kerrane thinks the explosive rookie is the type of optionality that can pay off huge in Best Ball Mania finals without clogging rosters all season.

Rich Rebar said Jermaine Burton is one of the easiest clicks in the final two rounds of Best Ball drafts. Rebar likes stacking cheap Bengals exposure because Burton has multiple outs to real playing time: (1) third-round draft capital that virtually guarantees he makes the 53, (2) Joe Burrow already praising his work in OTAs, and (3) a wide-receiver room in flux behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Burton’s Year-2 leap is coming at Alabama-style efficiency—he posted a 3.15 yards-per-route rate on deep targets last season—so even 3-4 routes per game could spike a best-ball week. Rebar expects Burton’s ADP to climb two rounds once training-camp beat writers start tweeting out highlight clips, so he’s scooping every Round-19/20 share he can get now.

Ian Hartitz said he keeps scooping up Jermaine Burton with his very last pick on Burrow builds because the rookie checks every late-round breakout box. Cincinnati will again lean pass-heavy—especially if the Trey Hendrickson contract dispute weakens an already shaky defense—so the WR3 role behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins carries real spike-week potential. Burton comes with third-round draft capital, has generated nothing but positive offseason reports, and costs literally nothing in best-ball rooms. Hartitz framed him as the cheapest way to buy exposure to a consensus top-five offense and noted that any Higgins injury or 2026 departure could turn Burton into an every-week starter.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said Jermaine Burton is worth scooping at the very end of Underdog’s fast-filling Sprint, Pug, and similar time-boxed drafts. Burton’s off-field concerns and uncertain practice participation are suppressing his ADP, but that uncertainty is precisely what creates leverage in contests that will be finished long before camp reports clear things up. Pat framed Burton as a “one-million-percent 18th-round guy” who can deliver a unique ceiling if his talent wins out once the Bengals hit training camp. Because only two of twelve advance in these rooms, Pat likes Burton’s spike-week profile as a cheap correlation-agnostic swing that most drafters skip.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound warned viewers not to overreact to the first wave of coach speak praising Bengals rookie Jermaine Burton for ‘staying after practice.’ He reminded drafters that similar puff pieces pushed Burton into the 160s of last year’s big-board before Andrei Iosivas leap-frogged him once Cincinnati recognized Burton’s character concerns. The result was essentially a season-long zero for anyone who chased the hype. Pat expects history to repeat—predicting Iosivas will again settle ahead of Burton in summer ADP—and he will only click Burton in the 18th round as a pure talent swing. Anything earlier, he says, is dead money that can be allocated to safer late darts.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound cautioned drafters against clicking rookie wide-out Jermaine Burton right now. While Burton’s vertical skill set gives him a higher ceiling than Andrei Iosivas, Pat reminded listeners that the former Alabama star bounced between three schools, has a documented off-field incident, and already drew ‘character concern’ comments from Bengals coaches. Until Burton stacks multiple weeks of positive camp reports, Pat fears he could be a flat zero that clogs the back of your roster. His plan is to monitor beat writers (and even Burton’s Instagram) and only begin adding shares once the narrative flips and the market moves him ahead of Iosivas. Waiting, in Pat’s view, captures the same upside at a cheaper ADP and avoids burning a final-round pick on a player who might not dress on game days.