Chase

Brown

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.

This is a new injury for Brown. The fact that he is practicing fully is a good sign, but it is worth keeping an eye on his practice participation tomorrow. The Bengals’ lead back has totaled 100-plus scrimmage yards in six straight games. He can be expected to produce fantasy-friendly results against the Bills’ lacking run defense this weekend.

After a slow start to the year, Brown has quietly turned into one of the league’s most efficient runners over the past two months. He has averaged over five yards per carry in five of his past six games. Burrow’s return kept that momentum rolling as he posted 5.2 yards per carry. With Tee Higgins out this week, Brown also stepped up through the air, tying Ja’Marr Chase for a team high in catches. Brown has at least six catches in three of his past four appearances. The only downside of his Week 13 performance is that Samaje Perine mixed in for 14 carries. Perine was far less effective, averaging a measly 2.8 YPC, but the Bengals’ coaching staff didn’t seem to care. He will continue to be a thorn in Brown’s side heading into Week 14. A phenomenal matchup versus the Bills’ run defense will keep Brown in the RB1 mix next week.

It’s an estimation, but it’s a rapid recovery from Perine after being doubtful for Week 12. Perine left Week 9 against the Bears with a high-ankle sprain and has not played since. His return would prevent Chase Brown from hogging the whole workload pie against the Ravens, much to the chagrin of Brown-reliant managers.