Dehner jr.: Chase Brown could get tagged in ’27

Dehner reports that the Bengals have rigorously practiced lining up under center in spring practices. He believes they will remain a shotgun-first team, but thinks they could improve on their 31st under-center ranking by more than 10 spots. Among the top-40 qualifiers from 2024-25, Brown averages 5.1 yards per carry (fourth) and a 12.3 percent explosive run play rate (third) on runs when QB Joe Burrow lines up under center. From shotgun formation, Brown averages 4.5 (24th) and 7.3 percent (22nd), respectively. Even a minimal increase in under-center snaps would benefit Brown. The Bengals believe TE Erick All’s (knee) return gives them the needed flexibility to do so. He is capable of motioning into the backfield as a fullback, and “setting the edge with vicious crack blocks and overall serving as a hammer in front of Brown in the run game.” Brown finished as the RB7 last year and is being drafted as the consensus RB10 in best ball. Beating that ADP seems plausible.

Baby’s practice notes indicate that incumbent No. 3 WR Andrei Iosivas and No. 1 TE Mike Gesicki are the other two competitors for the role, and both players “had productive springs.” Pitcher also said RB Chase Brown “can sometimes be viewed as a slot receiver,” but those types of comments are common in the summer and rarely pan out in the fall. Iosivas and Gesicki have been helpful contributors, but the fact that the team is searching for an answer at the No. 3 receiving role is indicative of their ceilings. Pitcher believes Young is “going to fight and battle” this summer, and thinks there are things Young “can do quickly and help us.” If he can actually become the team’s third-most voluminous target earner, he could pay off as a late-round best ball pick.

Brown had an uneven fantasy season as he was disastrous pre-Joe Flacco and the Bengals simply couldn’t get the ground game going, but came on strong in the second half of the season and wound up with a 69/437/5 receiving line. Entering his age-26 season and the final year of his rookie contract, an extension would seem to make sense given the Bengals don’t exactly have anyone waiting in the wings. 2025 sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks is the closest thing Cincinnati has to a prospect at the position, and he only managed 47 offensive snaps in his rookie season.

Brown began the season in truly horrific fashion. Through five games, Brown had 160 yards on 65 carries, putting him at a pathetic 2.5 yards per attempt. Joe Burrow was hurt and Jake Browning was doing nothing to prevent defenses from stacking the box against Brown. Joe Flacco then took over and saved the fantasy seasons of every Bengal. From Week 6 onward, Brown averaged 71 yards per game at over five yards per carry. His receiving output also went through the roof. He caught six or more passes four times in his final nine outings, propelling him to a career-best receiving line of 69/437/5. A solid Week 18 on the ground also got him over 1,000 rushing yards on the year. Brown did lose some work to Samaje Perine in the second half of the season, but that rarely prevented him from getting home for fantasy purposes. While Brown ultimately needs to be in a good offensive environment to post usable fantasy numbers, he thrives when Joe Burrow (or even Joe Flacco) is under center. Brown enters the offseason as a clear RB1 fantasy option heading into a contract year.

Brown is back at practice Friday after missing time earlier in the week with an illness. The 25-year-old running back is good to go for the matchup in Week 18 against the Browns. He needs just 53 yards rushing to have his first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. Brown is an RB1 for managers playing their fantasy championship in Week 18.

Brown missed yesterday’s practice as well. Were he to sit out in Week 18 against the Browns, it would likely mean RB Samaje Perine handles a sizable, fantasy-friendly workload. Bengals rookie RB Tahj Brooks could also take on some rushing work. Players typically play through illness, but we have seen a few sickness-related game-day absences as of late. Brown still has a chance to play. Stay tuned.

Brown’s third 100-yard rushing effort of the season included his first multi-score day on the ground. Rather amazingly, Brown entered the proceedings with just four rushing touchdowns, though he had supplemented them with four aerial strikes. He also lost another score to Samaje Perine, but this was an exclamation point on a monster stretch run and fantasy playoff performance from the early-season disappointment. Brown will remain in the low-end RB1 mix heading into 2026.

Fantasy managers felt a shiver go down their spine when Samaje Perine contributed the first Bengals backfield touchdown in Miami, but then Brown supplied the next three in a 45-21 blowout victory. The multi-score effort was his second in three weeks and third of the season. It featured some excellent route-running and after-the-catch ability, with Brown putting stalwart Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks on skates twice. Perine has gotten much more involved over the past month, but it has somehow dented neither Brown’s usage floor nor overall ceiling. He’s been looking like the player fantasy managers thought they were drafting since Joe Burrow’s return. Brown has a Week 17 smash spot in the Cardinals, keeping him locked in as a top 10-15 fantasy back.

Brown PPR-scammed his way to a decent fantasy day, as his seven targets were second only to Ja’Marr Chase. Brown found himself in a near 50/50 rush split with Samaje Perine in this one, as Perine wound up handling 14 carries, but saw only one target. Brown remains the only fantasy viable running back in the Bengals’ backfield and will be on the RB2 range next week against the Dolphins.

In fact, Brown could have had a third touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter. The pass hit him in the hands, but the ball was ripped away at the last second by a Bills’ defensive back. Buffalo has actually defended the run relatively well since the bye week, especially when Shaq Thompson has been healthy, but Samaje Perine ran much harder and more physically in the snow than Brown did. Brown tried to set up too many cuts and jukes on a day when footing was hard to come by. Perine will continue to sap some of his upside, but Brown remains an RB2 heading into next week against the Ravens.