Cincinnati

Bengals

Burrow said after the Bengals’ Monday night win over the Cowboys that he would do what it takes to retain Higgins, who is slated to be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. Higgins is sure to draw top dollar from a handful of wideout-needy teams intrigued by his (often untapped) upside. Higgins had been on a heater headed into Week 14, with 377 yards and three touchdowns over his previous four games. He cooled off Monday night with just two grabs for 23 scoreless yards. That Burrow is apparently willing to adjust how own contract to keep Higgins in Cincinnati could mean Burrow, Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase get another few seasons together as the centerpiece of the Bengals’ high-octane offense.

Higgins was locked down by a healthy Dallas secondary, running many empty routes while teammate Ja’Marr Chase erupted for a wild 14-177-2 receiving line. Higgins had been targeted fairly heavily the precious six games, wracking up 62 targets while seeing double-digit looks in four of his previous six games. He’ll find a difficult matchup in Week 15 when the Bengals travel to face a Titans defense allowing the fewest pass yards per game.

Gesicki played a muted role against the Cowboys as alpha wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went absolutely ham to the tune of a 14-177-2 receiving line. Both Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample saw increased offensive snaps in this one, which is going to limit Gesicki’s upside for the remainder of the season.

Iosivas’ only failed reception almost resulted in a fumble and turnover in the fourth quarter, only for the play to be ruled incomplete following further review. Iosivas continues to play a limited complementary role for a Bengals team largely reliant on the exploits of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown.

Chase saw 18 targets on 44 Joe Burrow pass attempts, making his mark felt throughout. He would send his fantasy score into the stratosphere with under two minutes left to play as he took a simple out route 40 yards to the house to send the Bengals to a 5-8 record. The circumstances of the final possession were even more wild after the Cowboys blocked a punt with under two minutes to play, only for a Dallas player to touch the football beyond the line of scrimmage and for the Bengals to recover it, tilting the trajectory of the game in the process. Next up for Chase are a Titans team allowing the fewest pass yards per game in 2024.

Browns’s 22 running back opportunities vastly paced the backfield, with backup option Khalil Herbert managing just two carries and one target. Brown certainly has the look of a true league-winner down the stretch having seen 22 or more opportunities in four his previous five games without Zack Moss. Brown gets a more difficult matchup in Week 15 when the Bengals travel to Tennessee to face the Titans.

The Cowboys put up a significant fight in this one, taking a 20-20 tie into the two-minute warning. They would then force a punt, which was blocked, touched by the Cowboys, then recovered beyond the line of scrimmage by the Bengals, giving the ball right back to Burrow. A few plays later, Burrow hit a quick out to Ja’Marr Chase who would pivot and leave his defender in the dust on his way to a 40-yard touchdown. The Bengals continue to pass the football with little regard, with Burrow’s 44 pass attempts the third time in the previous four games that he has thrown 44 times or more. Up next for the 5-8 Bengals are the Titans on the road in Week 15.

Both Brown and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins had already been ruled out over the weekend, with each a massive hit to the lines on both sides of the ball. The Bengals are likely to continue passing their way towards the end of the season, with these absences only boosting the chances we see immense pass volume in Week 14.

The Patriots and Higgins do seem a perfect match with how Drake Maye has been playing of late, perhaps only to be complicated by the fact that other teams will also bring their entire checkbooks to Higgins in free agency. Higgins is on the franchise tag and franchising him a second time is expected to be too onerous for Cincinnati’s coffers. The widespread belief in the industry is that Higgins will leave in free agency. The Patriots are an obvious starting point.

Chase popped on the injury report Thursday with an ankle injury but upgraded to a full participant on Friday and Saturday, ultimately entering Week 14 with no injury status. The Cowboys could have all three starting cornerbacks on the field together for the first time this season, but Chase and the vaunted Cincinnati pass offense continue to churn out usable fantasy scores with hefty pass rates. Treat Chase as a locked-in WR1 in Week 14.