Bengals continue honing under-center PA, run game

It was a big pass-catching day for Brown, who saw 11-of-54 total Bengals targets on the day. After Ja’Marr Chase (concussion) exited, Brown and Tee Higgins saw massive upticks in usage. Brown saw 57 backfield snaps, catching a series of checkdowns and wheel routes despite just 10 rushing yards on the day. He worked ahead of Samaje Perine on passing downs, a good sign for his fantasy production moving forward. We don’t expect Brown to consistently see this many targets but a high backfield share gives him a consistent fantasy floor. Brown is a fringe RB1 for Week 5 against the Dolphins.

The Bengals offense struggled to finish drives for much of this game, with Burrow throwing his first touchdown to Mike Gesicki in the third quarter. He also added a rushing touchdown on a fourth-quarter quarterback sneak. Ja’Marr Chase (concussion) leaving early didn’t help as Burrow threw two interceptions and nearly had a third. He threw one to Travis Hunter in the first quarter, though it was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty. He later threw one with under two minutes left in the first half, leading to a Jaguars score the other way. The final interception came in the fourth quarter in the red zone, ending a promising drive. Burrow made great plays under pressure, often finding Tee Higgins downfield. However, the interceptions proved to be back-breaking and the Bengals’ comeback attempt ultimately fell short. Burrow is a low-end fantasy QB1 for Week 5 against a soft Dolphins defense.

Brown was effective with the opportunities he received, but the Bengals did all of their damage through the air in this one, as Joe Burrow and the company aimed to keep pace with a surprisingly explosive Steelers offense. As far as the Bengals’ backfield is concerned, Brown continues to be the only game in town. He handled 71.4 percent of the Bengals’ running back opportunities in this one but has only one touchdown to show for his efforts this season. He’ll be a fringe RB1/RB2 in next week’s game against the Jaguars.

Burrow came out hot in this one, completing his first 14 passes while throwing a three-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase on the Bengals’ opening drive. Burrow would throw his second touchdown of the day late in the second half when he connected with Tee Higgins for a 28-yard score and found Mike Gesicki 25 yards downfield on a fourth-and-two for his third touchdown of the day. Burrow led his offense on multiple long drives in this one, but with his team trailing 30-27 and driving late in the fourth quarter, he would cough up the ball on a strip-sack, which was recovered by Pittsburgh to seal the win for the Steelers. Burrow has attempted 30-plus passes in every game this season while throwing for six touchdowns to just one interception. He’ll be on the QB1 radar for next week’s game against the Jaguars.

He “added” three catches for two yards on five targets, getting absolutely exploded by Kamari Lassiter on one of them. He also had a 20-ish yard run called back for holding. Brown looked quick and able, but the Bengals ran just two plays inside the Texans red zone all game. He played on 42-of-60 snaps per PFF. Brown will be in the low-end RB1 ranks against the Steelers in Week 3.

Burrow was under pressure quite a bit in this one, as he took five sacks, but the Bengals were able to establish enough of a lead on a few incredible out-of-structure plays by Burrow that they took the air out of the ball in the middle of the third quarter. Both touchdown passes were to Ja’Marr Chase, the second as Burrow drifted out of his pocket to the right. It’s full-steam ahead in the QB1 tiers as Burrow heads to Pittsburgh in Week 3.

It never seemed like there was a real chance Burrow would miss this game, even after Josh Johnson was elevated from the practice squad yesterday. Burrow will be on the QB1 line against a Texans defense looking to rebound. Inactive for the Bengals are: Johnson, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, CB Josh Newton, C Connor Lew, OL Myles Hinton, DT B.J. Hill (Achilles), and DT Landon Robinson.

The Bengals called up Josh Johnson from the practice squad over the weekend, raising some eyebrows regarding Burrow’s health. The move, however, was purely a precaution. Burrow has already said he is playing this week. He remains near the top of the QB1 ranks despite a tough matchup with the Houston defense.

This listing is effectively a formality. Burrow laughed off the idea of missing the Bengals’ game against the Texans earlier this week, and today, coach Zac Taylor said Burrow is “good to go” after practicing in full. Burrow’s status is, of course, worth following, but we do expect him to play. Treat him as a QB1, per usual.

Burrow was upgraded to a full participant in Friday’s practice and is good to go for Sunday’s game, per head coach Zac Taylor. Burrow was limited in the first two practices of the week due to back tightness, but that was likely more out of precaution than it was due to anything serious. Burrow profiles as a high-end QB1 against the Texans.