With the Bengals releasing Zack Moss following his neck fracture and pay-cut, Hayden Winks said rookie Tahj Brooks is now a viable Round-18 dart throw. Winks expects Samaje Perine to be the clear No. 2 because of trust on third downs, but Brooks could secure the RB3 job and become the direct contingency play behind Chase Brown if anything happens to either veteran. He grouped Brooks with late-round lottery tickets like Justice Hill and Jarquez Hunter—players unlikely to have standalone value but who would leap into every-down work if injuries strike ahead of them.

PPRTyler deliberately clicked Tahj Brooks at the current price and called it "a justifiable price to get him at," forecasting that Brooks will soon cost a full round earlier (around the 15–16 turn). He views Brooks as carrying the same ceiling bet as the other backs in that pocket, so locking him in before the impending ADP rise is, in Tyler's words, the smart way to secure a discount in Chihuahua 2 Best Ball rooms.

PPRTyler said Tahj Brooks is now the Cincinnati running back you want behind the starter after the Bengals released Zack Moss earlier in the day. With Moss gone and Samaje Perine written off as a threat (“definitely not … P-Rine”), Brooks has, in Tyler’s words, “a cleared-up job” as the primary contingency option in what he repeatedly called “such a good offense.” Tyler expects Underdog drafters to react fast, projecting Brooks’ ADP to rise into the same neighborhood as Braelon Allen, Austin Ekeler, and Tyler Allgeier—players he labels the “lower tier of guys we’re pretty sure are second options.” He already holds almost 6 percent Brooks exposure and plans to keep adding shares before the price spike.

Ian Hartitz singled out Mike Gesicki as his favorite late-round tight end after the veteran signed in Cincinnati. Gesicki actually out-scored Kyle Pitts last season despite managing only two touchdowns, suggesting positive regression if his red-zone usage normalizes. With Eric All lost for the year and Tanner Hudson/Drew Sample offering little, Gesicki has a clear runway to be Joe Burrow’s No. 3 target behind Ja’Marr Chase and (possibly) a hold-out Tee Higgins. Hartitz referenced Burrow’s 20.8 percent tight-end target share in games Higgins missed and the Bengals’ 63 percent red-zone pass rate to project 70-plus targets and 6–8 TDs for Gesicki—production that would smash his ADP outside the top-15 tight ends.

Bartel called Cincinnati running back Chase Brown a "tremendous value" when he lasted to pick 3.08 in his mock. Brown’s usual ADP is early third—often off the board by 3.03—so landing him four to five spots later delivers a full-round discount while still pairing him with two early wideouts. Bartel likes grabbing Brown anywhere after 3.04 because he projects for an every-down role in a Joe Burrow offense that ranked top-10 in red-zone appearances last season, giving drafters inexpensive access to 275-touch upside.

Best Ball Guy said to hammer Chase Brown in the third round of best-ball drafts because the pathway to a full breakout is staring drafters in the face. Brown is still going four picks after ADP even though he looked “very, very good” last season, is only entering year two, and faces no meaningful competition—Zach Moss was dismissed as “not a factor.” BBG loves the environment: the Bengals have a high-powered offense paired with a bad defense, so Brown should get plenty of red-zone touches and shoot-out scripts. He boiled the thesis down to its simplest form—“starting running back on a really good offense”—and cannot understand why the market lets that profile slide into Round 3.

Ben Gretch said he has “a pretty big tier break after the first four quarterbacks” and would rather grab Ja'Marr Chase than start a build with pure-pocket passers. He still likes Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes in the later part of Round 1, but only after Chase, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and other elite non-QBs are off the board. The logic is simple: early rushing QBs soak up the ceiling tier, whereas the pass-heavy duo of Burrow/Mahomes can often be taken a few picks later. By locking in Chase’s proven target share and spike-week profile first, drafters preserve elite wide-receiver scoring while still giving themselves access to high-end quarterbacks in Round 2. That structural edge, according to Gretch, is particularly valuable in Best Ball Mania where you must thread both ceiling and uniqueness.

Peter Overzet encouraged grabbing Andrei ‘Yoshi’ Iosivas in the final round as a cheap leverage play against fellow rookie Jermaine Burton. Pete noted that if Burton fails to lock down the WR3 job, Iosivas would be the next man up for a Bengals offense that ranked first in neutral-situation pass rate after Week 10 last year. He reminded listeners that Iosivas already flashed red-zone chemistry with Joe Burrow—3 TDs on just 18 targets—and that Cincinnati called pass inside the 10-yard line at the league’s fourth-highest rate. Because Yoshi’s ADP still sits outside the top 210 while Burton hovers in the 160s, Overzet views the big-bodied Princeton product as "free spike-week equity" for anyone building Bengals or Week 17 Chiefs stacks.

Jon Warner acknowledged Zach Moss leaving is "huge for Chase Brown’s floor" but warned drafters not to assume Brown keeps last year’s 90-percent snap, four-catch per-game workloads. Warner pointed out that Cincinnati specifically signed Samaje Perine to reprise the trusty third-down role he thrived in before the Brown era, and history shows the staff trusts Perine in two-minute and trailing scripts. That change, Warner argued, removes Brown’s easiest path to week-winning receptions while still preserving Perine’s red-zone snaps if the Bengals fall behind. He’s still willing to draft Brown as an RB2, just not counting on the spike-week reception totals that boosted Brown’s 2023 best-ball advance rate.

Peter Overzet said the Bengals backfield finally "got so much cleaner" for Chase Brown once Zach Moss was shipped out of town. Without Moss siphoning early-down and goal-line carries, Overzet expects Brown to open the year as the uncontested 1A and views his current late-6th/early-7th-round ADP as a steal. He also likes pairing Brown with rookie Taj Brooks in the 18th as insurance, arguing that Brooks now slots into a true handcuff role instead of being part of a three-man mess. Overzet’s bottom line: the only real threat to Brown’s weekly ceiling is Samaje Perine on obvious passing downs, but Perine was already baked into price; Moss’s departure was not. That delta makes Brown one of his favorite upside RB2 bets in Best Ball streets right now.

Chris Raybon is passing on Joe Burrow at QB5, citing a lower safety net than the dual-threat elites. Burrow’s prior best seasons topped out around 4,600 yards and 34–35 TDs; 2024’s 4,918-43 line looks like an outlier that required league-leading volume and a bottom-tier defense. Raybon doubts the Bengals defense will be as bad two years in a row and flags Burrow’s chronic wrist issues plus zero rushing upside as reasons his floor sits well below Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, and Jalen Hurts. He prefers to bypass Burrow in the late third and pivot to waiting on cheaper quarterbacks with both passing and rushing paths to points.

Sean Koerner argued Joe Burrow remains a high-floor, high-ceiling option despite lacking rushing juice. Cincinnati led the NFL with a 12% pass rate over expected—nearly double Kansas City—so Burrow’s volume is bankable. The Bengals defense surrendered the seventh-most points last year and could be even worse if Trey Hendrickson’s contract standoff lingers, guaranteeing shoot-outs. With both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins healthy (Higgins missed time in 2024), Burrow averaged 24.1 fantasy points, which would have ranked second. Koerner slots Burrow as his QB5 and is willing to draft him at current 39.0 ADP before heading into what he calls the quarterback dead zone.

Shawn Siegele said he feels "more comfort and confidence" drafting Chase Brown at the 2.12 turn than any of the similarly priced backs. Brown’s combination of long-speed and friendly Bengals game scripts gives him both a solid weekly floor and the wiggle room to smash ADP if he repeats—or builds on—his 2024 zero-RB breakout. Siegele acknowledged the historical danger of blindly chasing last year’s waiver-wire heroes but noted Brown’s situation differs from typical one-year wonders: Joe Burrow’s offense sustains red-zone visits, Brown is the unquestioned early-down hammer after Joe Mixon’s departure, and his 4.3 yards after contact clip ranks top-five among returning starters. With a workload projection hovering near 270 touches and a proven explosive-play profile, Siegele views Brown as a rare “safe yet still ceiling” play at the Round-2/3 turn.

Kendall Valenzuela recommended scooping up rookie Tahj Brooks at his current bargain ADP, pointing out that Chase Brown is locked in as the Bengals’ starter but the depth chart behind him is wide open. Brooks only has to beat out veterans Zack Moss and Samaje Perine—both signed to modest deals—to secure the RB2 role, and Valenzuela believes his size/speed combo gives him better three-down insurance upside. With Cincinnati running the 11th-most plays per game in 2024 and no clear goal-line hammer, she thinks Brooks could rocket up draft boards once preseason reps confirm his spot, making now the cheapest fantasy managers will be able to acquire him.

The author of the Fantasy Life Newsletter said Tahj Brooks is now a priority final-round target. With Zack Moss landing on the active/NFI list while recovering from a broken neck and reportedly fighting for his roster spot, Cincinnati’s sixth-round rookie has a clear runway to the No. 2 job behind Chase Brown. Camp reports highlight Brooks’ pass-catching flashes, giving him a three-down profile if Brown were to miss time; Samaje Perine would mix in but is viewed as a complementary veteran. The tout likes clicking Brooks at the end of Best Ball drafts because he offers immediate injury contingency value and could carve out a weekly role in obvious passing situations.

While acknowledging Chase Brown as the clear Bengals lead back, Valenzuela revealed she is buying as much Tahj Brooks stock as possible before prices rise. The rookie’s competition consists of veterans Zack Moss and Samaje Perine, and Brooks has the three-down build (5-foot-10, 220 lbs) that could secure a sizeable share if Brown falters. Cincinnati finished 8th in red-zone plays last season, so a back who carves out the No. 2 job has weekly flex appeal. Valenzuela views Brooks as a low-cost pick who could rocket up the depth chart during August.

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.

Wilson cautioned that Bengals rookie edge rusher Shamar Stewart logged only about 10 snaps in his first camp practice after a protracted contract dispute and shouldn’t be expected to play full-time until October—maybe November—to avoid the soft-tissue injuries that often plague holdouts. With Trey Hendrickson also away, Cincinnati can’t afford to lose another edge, so Wilson advised the team (and fantasy IDP managers) to "take it easy" and temper early-season expectations. In short, Stewart is a stash, not an immediate starter.

Jason Moore said he just downgraded Joe Burrow in his season-long rankings because the Bengals quarterback is being drafted in the late-2nd/early-3rd round yet offers almost no rushing equity. Moore reminded listeners that fantasy’s elite signal-callers generate a weekly floor with their legs—Allen, Jackson, Daniels and Hurts all project for 600+ rushing yards—while Burrow has averaged only 189 rush yards and 2.3 rushing TDs across his four healthy seasons. At that price drafters must pass on Alvin Kamara, Deebo Samuel and other every-week starters, and Moore argued you need 35-plus passing touchdowns for Burrow to pay off. With Tee Higgins’ contract dispute unresolved and Brian Callahan no longer calling plays, Moore said that touchdown total is far from guaranteed. He advised fading Burrow at current ADP and targeting cheaper dual-threat options instead.

Sam Monson endorsed betting the Bengals to clear FanDuel’s 9.5-win total, yet added a hedge that keepers and bettors alike should temper expectations for the offense. He cited three tailwinds—Al Golden’s fresh defensive scheme, healthier cornerback room, and natural improvement from a veteran offensive line running it back—arguing those edges should flip several of last year’s one-score losses. However, Monson warned that even a "slight downtick" from Joe Burrow and the Chase-Higgins duo could cancel out those gains through simple variance. In his view, the over is still the right side, but portfolio managers should avoid parlaying it with overs on Burrow’s MVP odds or pushing team totals too aggressively until the offense proves it can replicate 2024 efficiency.

Sam Monson flagged Amarius Mims as the swing piece that could make or break Cincinnati’s 2025 offensive line. Monson reminded listeners that the former Georgia tackle logged very few college snaps and is already stacking lower-body injuries in the pros, calling that a "pretty scary profile for a guy they need right away." Because the Bengals filled the rest of the line with mid-tier veterans instead of blue-chip talent, Monson believes pass-protection quality will hinge on whether Mims stays healthy and develops quickly. If he busts or misses time, Monson expects the unit to resemble last year’s bottom-ten group in pressure rate, forcing Joe Burrow back into scramble-and-quick-throw mode and capping the ceiling for the passing game. He advised best-ball drafters to moderate exposure to full Bengals stacks and be mindful of weekly matchup risk in DFS until Mims proves durable.

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.

Steve Palazzolo said Tahj Brooks is a sneaky late-round fantasy pick because he can immediately fix the Bengals’ biggest offensive flaw: short-yardage futility. Cincinnati repeatedly had to let Joe Burrow heave deep on 3rd- or 4th-and-1 last season because the line failed to get a push and no back could grind out a yard. Palazzolo likes Brooks’ compact build, surprising footwork, and history of hammering between the tackles at Texas Tech, calling him "the exact stylistic opposite of Chase Brown." He expects Brooks to earn the primary goal-line and power packages by mid-camp, projecting the rookie to siphon touchdowns while leaving the open-field snaps to Brown. The end result, Palazzolo believes, is a free-square TD vulture in double-digit rounds of season-long and best-ball drafts whose spike-week upside far exceeds current ADP.

Steve Palazzolo labeled Joe Burrow a locked-in top-3 fantasy QB again in 2025. He highlighted that the offense "was cooking" down the stretch and the front office went against expectations by keeping the entire Burrow-Chase-Higgins trio together. With both star wideouts now under contract, Burrow retains the league’s highest combined WR target-earning rate from 2023 (51% team targets to Chase/Higgins). Palazzolo also pointed out that even in a season where the offensive line ceded a 29th-ranked pass-block win rate, Burrow still produced MVP chatter. With continuity at OC and another year of cohesion, Palazzolo expects 4,700-plus passing yards and 35-40 TDs, making Burrow worth an early-round investment in season-long drafts and a weekly DFS ceiling play.

Sam Monson forecasted the Bengals defense to rebound from 29th in EPA per play to at least middle-of-the-pack, making them a legitimate streaming DST in season-long leagues. His optimism hinges on three pillars: (1) a schematic refresh under new coordinator Al Golden after Lou Anarumo’s message "got stale"; (2) healthier corners—DJ Turner and Dax Hill return after missing a combined 17 games; and (3) the likely re-signing of Trey Hendrickson, whose 91.1 PFF pass-rush grade covered up a pass-rush unit that finished bottom three in pressure rate when he was off the field. Monson cautioned that if the holdout lingers the upside caps, but with Hendrickson aboard he expects the unit to push 40-plus sacks and finish as a weekly top-12 fantasy defense in favorable matchups.

Steve Palazzolo said the Bengals are a strong bet to clear the 9.5-win total on FanDuel. He argued Cincinnati were only "a kick here and a play there" from finishing 12-5 instead of 9-8 last season despite fielding a bottom-five pass rush for long stretches. With Joe Burrow fully healthy, both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins extended, and Al Golden replacing Lou Anarumo to push the defense back toward league average, Palazzolo expects an elite offense paired with a merely competent defense—the same formula that powered their 2021 Super Bowl run. He added that if Trey Hendrickson’s contract standoff gets resolved the defense could swing two extra wins on its own, making the over even safer.

Jason Moore sided with Tee Higgins in the listener’s dynasty dilemma, arguing the newly-inked wideout is the more reliable long-term chip than Bucky Irving. Higgins just secured a four-year, $115-million extension that locks him to Joe Burrow through his age-29 season, guaranteeing stable quarterback play and a multi-year target share in an offense that has already produced three straight top-20 fantasy campaigns for him. Moore acknowledged Higgins’ recurring soft-tissue issues but called those "manageable" compared with the structural cliff running backs face after a 300-touch season. Irving, while only 22, still has to prove he can shoulder a three-down workload and, like most backs, faces an uphill battle to earn a second contract. Moore reminded listeners that replacement-level receivers rarely carry multi-year upside, whereas established top-20 WRs provide a production floor dynasty rosters can build around. Net takeaway: if you can only keep one, bank the long runway and attach yourself to the Burrow aerial attack with Higgins.

PPRTyler urged drafters to reach past ADP for Tahj Brooks and grab at least 15 percent exposure. He framed Cincinnati as "one of the best offenses in football" and highlighted a muddled backfield: Zach Moss is on the NFI list with a broken neck, Samaje Perine is little more than veteran depth, and any serious injury to Chase Brown would catapult Brooks into lead-back territory. Tyler likened the contingent upside to 2023 Kyren Williams or a discounted Bucky Irving—players who were afterthoughts until opportunity struck. Because Brooks is still going undrafted in many Best Ball rooms, Tyler considers him a cheap ticket to 18-plus-carry games if the depth chart breaks his way.

Sean Koerner said Ja'Marr Chase should be the first overall pick in 2025 drafts, even ahead of Bijan Robinson. Chase just logged another monster season at age 25, is tethered to Joe Burrow, and benefits from a Bengals defense that hemorrhaged points last year and might be even worse if Trey Hendrickson’s contract dispute lingers. Koerner expects Cincinnati to remain among the league leaders in pass rate, giving Chase an elite floor and a week-winning ceiling that, in his view, eclipses Robinson’s projected workload as the top running back.

Andy Holloway urged fantasy managers to buy Chase Brown before his price spikes. Cincinnati’s new offensive coordinator compared Brown directly to Austin Ekeler, saying the sophomore "can do everything Ekeler did" and hinting at triple-digit target upside. Holloway highlighted Brown’s second-half usage last year—heavy two-minute work and 30 receptions over the final seven games—as evidence the Bengals already trust him in the passing game. Despite that profile, Brown is being drafted behind veterans like Josh Jacobs, Kyren Williams and Bucky Irving. Holloway said he would happily flip a name-brand back (Gibbs, Henry or even Jacobs) plus a sweetener in keeper or dynasty formats to secure Brown and ride the coming tier jump.

Shawn Siegele said drafters should gladly lock in Ja'Marr Chase at the very top of FFPC best-ball boards because he supplies a massive weekly and seasonal edge. Chase just delivered a 400-point campaign and is the only player with that ceiling who never lasts past the first three picks. Even though Siegele personally ranks rookie tight end Brock Bowers first in TE-premium formats, he still takes Chase at 1.01 because Bowers can be obtained later while Chase rarely slides. Beginning your roster with a proven 400-point wideout frees you to attack softer portions of the draft without sacrificing upside.

Davis Mattek said that pairing Ja'Marr Chase with Tee Higgins—or tacking on any of the usual Cardinals run-backs—is a leak in Best Ball Mania drafts. He cited DraftKings data showing roughly 25 percent of Chase teams also roster Higgins and about 20–22 percent include at least one Arizona Cardinal. In a 900K-entry tournament that level of duplication crushes expected value, because advancing with a chalky correlation gives very little leverage in Weeks 15-17 when prizes spike. Mattek argued you simply cannot be "so insanely confident" any particular construction is right that you willingly accept quarter-of-the-field overlap, especially when there are countless alternative ways to build around an overall-WR1 profile like Chase’s. His advice: take the generational receiver, but zig elsewhere for secondary stacks to maximize uniqueness and final-round ceiling.

Donnie Rightside applauded Zac Taylor’s plan to let Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ first-string offense log "a quarter to a quarter-and-a-half" in all three preseason games, arguing it finally sets Cincinnati up to avoid its annual 0-2 hole. Burrow is fully healthy for the first summer since entering the league—no ACL rehab, no calf strain, no pitch counts during camp—and Taylor confirmed the team will "play him more in games than we ever have." Rightside stressed that real game-day scripts, full warm-ups, and live snaps at 85-degree field temps matter for conditioning and tempo in a way joint practices never can. He expects the extra reps to sharpen timing with Ja’Marr Chase & company, giving bettors confidence to back Cincy in Week 1 lines and making Burrow a stronger early-season DFS and best-ball asset than in past years when he started slowly (0-2 in 2022 and 2023, 0-3 in 2020).

Whalen likes Tee Higgins’ talent but thinks his current ADP assumes the Bengals can support two top-15 fantasy wideouts— a heavy lift. Higgins’ lengthy injury history ("you can pencil him in for at least two or three missed games") amplifies the risk. Whalen expects to draft Higgins sparingly unless his price falls.

Nick Whalen said Ja'Marr Chase is the clear 1.01 among wideouts even if his historic 2024 numbers dip. Chase led all PPR receivers by 90 points and averaged four more fantasy points per game than anyone else. Whalen argued the only paths to failure are a major Bengals offensive collapse or an injury, adding that Chase has already shown a top-three floor in any realistic scenario.

McFarland projects Joe Burrow as a strong bet for another top-six QB season yet warns drafters they must bypass premium WR/RB talent in Round 4 (ADP 45.6). In his two healthy campaigns Burrow averaged 284 passing yards, 2.35 TDs and added 14 rushing yards per game. Zac Taylor’s offense ranked 1st in 2024 DBOE (+8.0%) and 3rd in 2022, assuring volume while a shaky defense (25.5 PPG allowed) forces shoot-outs. Supporting cast remains elite with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Model: 17.0 floor, 20.5 median, 25.1 ceiling. Viable anchor in home leagues, but McFarland prefers cheaper upside swings later in sharper rooms.

Hayden Winks elevated Joe Burrow into his top MVP tier after noticing a new rushing element in 2024 film study. Burrow led the NFL in EPA and success rate on plays where he was moving or shuffling, and he ranked 12th in EPA added as a rusher—numbers that surprised Winks given Burrow’s pocket-passer label. Pair that with elite pre-snap processing and feather-touch accuracy on sideline and deep throws to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Yosivas, and Winks projects Cincinnati’s offense to start fast now that Burrow finally gets a full, healthy training camp. Fantasy managers should draft him as a locked-in top-four QB, and bettors should treat his current MVP odds as discounted.

Sam Monson said fantasy managers and bettors should brace for track-meet scripts in Cincinnati games this season. The Bengals kept Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, but Monson argued they "undermined" those wins by letting the Trey Hendrickson contract dispute linger, drafting only six players, and doing nothing meaningful to fix an offensive line and pass rush that already ranked 28th in pressure rate and allowed the sixth-most yards per play in 2023. First-round edge Shamar Stewart is still unsigned, leaving a real chance the defense starts slow again. Monson expects that to push Joe Burrow’s weekly attempts back into the 40-plus range, propping up Chase/Higgins in all formats and creating early value on game-total overs, Bengals shootout stacks in DFS, and long-shot Burrow MVP tickets before sportsbooks adjust.

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.

Ryan Heath argued Chase Brown is the final true difference-making running back available in early round three and should be treated as an A-plus pick. From Week 9 on last season, Brown averaged 22.4 expected fantasy points per game—higher than any year-long workload Fantasy Points Data has tracked for a back. He drew four targets per game even on first and second down, signaling built-in PPR insulation if the Bengals follow Mike Clay’s projection of being the league’s pass-heaviest team. Heath dismissed Zach Moss as a possible cut candidate and labeled Samaje Perine a "meat-shield" who will soak up low-value snaps without jeopardizing Brown’s money touches. With Cincinnati’s offense expected to be "insane," Heath put a top-10 seasonal finish firmly in Brown’s range of outcomes and prefers him over the fading wide-receiver tier or Trey McBride at the 3-4 turn in both Season-Long and Best Ball formats.

Whalen highlighted Chase Brown’s 2024 breakout – by Week 4 he seized the job permanently and ranked as PPR RB7 the rest of the way. Brown caught 54 passes and was the third-most targeted RB in the red zone behind only Aaron Jones and Devon Achane. That passing-game role plus every-down snaps keep Brown squarely inside Tier 3.

Joe Reedy highlighted Cincinnati’s 2025 schedule as a hidden advantage in the AFC North futures market. Baltimore’s first-place slate forces the Ravens to face Kansas City, Houston and the L.A. Rams, while the Bengals’ third-place draw swaps in Jacksonville and Denver instead. Reedy said a simple split in the head-to-head series plus that cross-division disparity could narrow—or even reverse—the standings. He views those schedule quirks as enough to justify an early wager on the Bengals to win the division at plus money before oddsmakers fully price in the differential.

Joe Reedy warned fantasy managers and prop bettors to steer clear of Evan McPherson until further notice. Reedy called McPherson’s 2024 campaign "an awful year," a sharp contrast to the kicker’s first three pro seasons. He pointed out that Cincinnati went just 1-3 in field-goal-decided games and stressed that special-teams coordinator Darren Simmons "is not a patient individual." According to Reedy, if McPherson shows the same early-season inconsistency, Simmons will not hesitate to replace him, undoing any draft capital or preseason wagering tied to McPherson. Reedy expects Cincinnati’s return and coverage units to remain strengths but believes the place-kicking job could be in flux by October, making McPherson a risky season-long selection and an avoid in weekly kicker props.

Joe Reedy leaned toward the under on Cincinnati’s 9.5-win total, pointing to a confluence of red flags. After opening at Cleveland and home versus Jacksonville, he called the next five games—a gauntlet of Minnesota, Denver, Green Bay, a short-week trip to Pittsburgh and Detroit—"brutal," saying a 3-4 start would immediately pressure any over tickets. Reedy also flagged two defensive line holdouts (sack leader Trey Hendrickson and 1st-rounder Shemar Stewart), Zach Taylor’s historical September stumbles, and lingering offensive-line uncertainty that has already cost Joe Burrow two injury-shortened seasons. With those concerns, he views 9-8 as a realistic ceiling and the under as the sharper side.

Adam Kaufman said bettors should look to back the Bengals in August exhibition games because Zach Taylor has publicly vowed to play his veterans more than usual this preseason. Cincinnati traditionally sits its stars, but Taylor wants a sharper Week-1 start after years of slow Septembers, so Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and other first-teamers are expected to log meaningful snaps. Kaufman believes that talent edge versus opponents still running second- and third-stringers makes Cincinnati an attractive side on preseason point-spreads and moneylines.

Ben Gretch questioned Tee Higgins’ Round-3 price tag, noting that even after projecting the Bengals for the highest raw pass rate in the NFL—slightly above the Chiefs and supported by three straight seasons of +6 % or better pass rate over expected—Higgins may still fall short on volume behind Ja’Marr Chase. Gretch acknowledged Higgins’ strong per-route efficiency but emphasized that missed games and a subordinate target share (roughly 19-20 %) make it "hard to project him for enough volume" to pay off pick 3.06. He believes current ADP is buoyed more by projection models and last year’s counting stats than by a clear path to alpha usage. Gretch advised treating Higgins as a correlated bet in Bengals stacks rather than a standalone anchor and would pass on him in drafts where other receivers with cleaner workloads are available.