NFL Fantasy Preview: Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow (Google Images)

In a 32-part series leading up to the start of the 2021 National Football League season, we will take a look at each NFL franchise from a fantasy perspective. The sixth team we will review is the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the first pick in the 2020 National Football League Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Joe Burrow out of Louisiana State. After an outstanding collegiate career at LSU where he won the Heisman Trophy and College Football National Championship, Burrow joined the Bengals with significant expectations.

Despite the fact Cincy posted a record of only 2-7-1 in 10 games with Burrow at quarterback, Burrow’s statistics were pretty good for a rookie until he suffered a knee injury in a 20-9 loss to the Washington Football Team on November 22. He completed 264 passes in 404 attempts for 2688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. The fact Burrow averaged 268.8 passing yards per game, had eight more touchdowns than interceptions, a quarterback rating of 89.8, and 142 rushing yards, was very respectable for a first year player in a 10-game time period.

Burrow is currently 18th among the 32 starting quarterbacks in my fantasy rankings. He is involved with a Bengals squad that is still in the rebuilding stages in the AFC and will take time for him to develop, especially in a tough AFC North Division, which features the Steelers, Ravens and Browns. It goes without saying that all three division foes for the Bengals have tough defenses.

When it comes to running back, Joe Mixon is the clear number one option, which makes things easier from a fantasy perspective. However, the 25-year-old from Oakley, California, has battled injuries throughout his career, which have included a season-ending foot injury in week six in 2020, an ankle injury and concussion in 2017, and a knee injury in 2018. Still, the fact Mixon averages 4.1 yards per carry, puts him in the legitimate conversation in the RB2 mix in fantasy purposes.

Meanwhile, there are three wide receivers with the Bengals worth considering in the later rounds. Tee Higgins had a solid rookie season in 2020, as the Bengals second-round pick in 2020 out of Clemson. The 22-year-old had 67 catches for 908 yards and six touchdowns, and had progressive chemistry with Burrow despite the fact they were collegiate rivals at elite NCAA schools. Tyler Boyd is a dependable second option in the Bengals’ passing attack. Last season, Boyd had 79 catches for 841 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, you may also want to consider Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati’s first round pick, fifth overall, in the 2021 NFL Draft. When it comes to chemistry, Burrow and Chase have a lot of it, as Chase one great season at LSU in 2019. In fact, Chase won the 2019 Biletnikoff Award as College Football’s top receiver in 2019. That season he caught 84 passes for 1780 yards and 20 touchdowns.

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