Cincinnati

Bengals

Higgins got in some limited practices last week but was ultimately ruled out on Friday. He will need to get upgraded to a full participant before being cleared from the league’s concussion protocol. No Bengal outside of Ja’Marr Chase and Chase Brown topped 20 receiving yards with Higgins sidelined for Week 15. If he isn’t cleared for Week 16, there isn’t a fantasy option worth adding for Cincinnati’s matchup with the Dolphins.

Reporters questioned Burrow about his future with the team. He offered multiple answers of varying length. While addressing a question about lessons learned by watching Peyton Manning and Tom Brady switch teams, Burrow compared those situations to the Packers trading away Micah Parsons earlier this year, saying, “crazy things happen.” As things currently stand, we expect Burrow to remain a Bengal next season. If the organization continues to struggle, Burrow’s displeasure will ostensibly grow. It’s anyone’s guess as to how things go in that scenario, though he is under contract through 2029.

Williams has only played nine offensive snaps this year and was signed as a UDFA out of Indiana earlier this offseason. He’ll work on special teams for the Bengals and likely has no fantasy value barring further injuries to the Cincinnati wideout corps.

In news that will surprise nobody who is familiar with the Bengals organization, Dehner also writes that there “is zero thought” that GM Duke Tobin’s job is in jeopardy and that “the most likely scenario” is that DC Al Golden gets another year as well while the Bengals retool their defensive personnel. Perhaps you think that firing the main architects after a disappointing year is warranted. The Bengals reject your reality and substitute their own.

When asked why Burrow will remain the starter, Taylor, whose Bengals sit at 4-10, said, “Because we want to win.” Big if true. Burrow didn’t look too interested in winning during parts of Sunday’s shutout loss at home to the Ravens, but fantasy managers hoping the Bengals show some fight for at least two more weeks will be happy to hear this news. Burrow and the Bengals draw the Dolphins in Week 16.

Perine saw one more carry than Chase Brown, but averaged just three yards per carry on the day with his longest gain coming on an eight-yard pickup. Perine briefly left the game in the fourth quarter due to a knee injury, and was carted to the locker room at one point. Despite all of this, he returned to finish out the day and should be good to go for Week 16 against the Dolphins. Even if he is active, fantasy managers can avoid him next week.

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.

Tinsley saw a season-high nine targets in Week 12 when playing in place of Tee Higgins. With Higgins sidelined again due to another brain injury this week, Tinsley was unable to replicate his target volume, with only two looks coming his way in the shutout loss. Tinsley hauled in a 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter, and just missed hauling in a pass in the end zone on that same drive a few plays later. Assuming Higgins is able to return in Week 16 against the Dolphins, Tinsley will go back into his backup role.

Chase saw a whopping 41 percent target share in this one, and was aided by a negative game script in the Bengals’ shutout loss. Chase played a role in Joe Burrow’s first interception of the afternoon when a high-thrown ball tipped off his hands and landed in the arms of Marlon Humphrey, but he returned on the following drive and immediately made a 34-yard reception. He was pivotal late in the game, hauling in three passes on an 80-yard drive that stalled with a pick-six near the Ravens end zone. Chase did about all he could for the Bengals and his fantasy managers. Now sitting on a 101-1,147-5 line, Chase will look to continue his WR1 ways next week against the Dolphins.

Burrow and the Bengals’ offense showed little fight in a must-win game and are now eliminated from playoff contention. Burrow lost 15 yards on a sack on the Bengals’ opening drive to knock them out of field goal range, only to throw an interception on his next drive. On the Bengals’ best offensive drive of the day, Burrow drove the team 80 yards on 15 plays only to toss an easy pick to Kyle Van Noy while facing pressure, which was handed off to safety Alohi Gilman and returned for an 85-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach. It was about as bad a day as Burrow and the Bengals could have had, as they will now look to play out the final three games of their season before calling it a year. Burrow will be a fringe QB1 in Week 16 when the Bengals travel to Miami to play the Dolphins.