Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Bengals selected Alabama WR Jermaine Burton in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Here’s a tricky one. Burton, a highly touted recruit, began his college journey at Georgia (2020-2021). Right away, he showed value by finishing third on the Bulldogs in catches (27), yards (404) and TDs (3). His 497 yards beat Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell in 2021; he ranked a close third among the group in catches (26). Come 2022, Burton transferred to SEC rival Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide in receiving over the next two seasons, showing electric downfield ability. That surfaced most prominently in 2023 with 20.5 yards per catch on a 20.2-yard average depth of target. Despite the downfield usage, Burton didn’t register a single drop last fall. A plus athlete (9.09 RAS score) at 6’0, 196 pounds, there’s a lot to like in his profile. So why’d he last so long in the draft? NFL scouts say he had “up and down moments” with both coaching staffs, per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. Reporter Bob McGinn said pre-draft that Burton was removed from “at least two teams’ boards for various character-related issues.” Burton also lacks a standout production profile, one that includes a single-season career-high of only 40 catches (2022). That said – Cincinnati supples an excellent landing spot, particularly with Tee Higgins on the trade block. Consider Burton an upside target for dynasty rookie drafts.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins has requested a trade, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. This story has flipped back and forth this offseason, with Schefter reporting back in March that Higgins wanted out and then Higgins saying earlier this month that he expected to remain in Cincinnati. According to Schefter, there have been no contract talks between Higgins and the Bengals "in over a year." If a trade is gonna go down, it'll likely happen on night 1 or 2 of the draft. Stay tuned.

WR Tee Higgins said Monday that he expects to remain with the Bengals for the 2024 campaign. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported back in March that Higgins requested a trade after getting the franchise tag, but he's evidently backed off those demands. We'll see if there's any movement during the draft later this month, but the most likely scenario has Higgins playing in Cincinnati for at least one more year. He dealt with numerous injuries last season, playing more than two-thirds of the offensive snaps in just nine games. But he averaged 66 yards and 0.6 TDs across those nine games -- after finishing as a top-14 WR in PPR points per game in both 2021 and 2022. Higgins is an easy bounce-back candidate this season.

The Bengals are signing TE Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal worth "up to" $3.25 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It might feel like an exciting landing spot at first glance, but no Cincinnati TE has finished better than 19th in PPR points in four seasons since QB Joe Burrow arrived. Gesicki, of course, has been a non-factor in fantasy over the past two years, totaling 606 yards and seven TDs across 34 games for the Dolphins and then Patriots. Consider him just a TE3 in early best-ball drafts.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins has requested a trade, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Cincinnati used its franchise tag to keep Higgins for 2024, but Higgins is reportedly disappointed that the team hasn't made an effort to sign him to a long-term deal. We'll see how interested the Bengals are in meeting Higgins' demand. There'd be no shortage of trade interest in the 25-year-old if he becomes available. This could also result in a Higgins holdout if the Bengals choose not to trade him. We'll keep you updated on the situation, but Higgins carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts until it's resolved.

Alabama WR Jermaine Burton turned in a strong Combine showing on Saturday, highlighted by a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. He also registered a 38.5-inch vertical and 133-inch broad jump at 6'0 and 196 pounds. Burton's 9.55 Relative Athletic Score ranks 32nd out of 3,063 WRs from 1987 to 2024. We'd already been eyeing Burton as a potential sleeper in this WR class. After transferring from Georgia, Burton led the Crimson Tide in receiving yards in both of the past two years while averaging 18.7 yards per catch. We'll see when and where Burton goes in next month's NFL Draft.

The Bengals have told WR Tee Higgins they'll be applying the franchise tag ahead of free agency, according to multiple reports. This confirms the general expectation and means Higgins will be in Cincinnati for at least one more season. We're betting the Bengals hope to work out a longer-term deal ahead of the July deadline to do so, but we'll see how that plays out. Higgins has been a strong value in early best ball drafts, including his WR28 Underdog Fantasy ADP. QB Joe Burrow's modest QB7 ADP (early Round 7) enhances the value on that stack. We'll see whether Higgins' ADP moves earlier now that his situation is clearer.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner writes that "all expectations" are that the Bengals will use the franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins. Higgins is scheduled to hit free agency in March, but the tag would keep him in Cincinnati for 2024 on a one-year, $20.7 million deal. The deadline for franchise tags is March 5. Our current fantasy football rankings have Higgins projected to remain with the Bengals this year.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Browns. He’ll be replaced by some combination of WRs Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas. Neither is a reliable fantasy option.

Colts RB Zack Moss (forearm) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Texans. It’ll be his first action since Week 15. Moss is just a DFS flier but figures to eat into RB Jonathan Taylor’s workload at least a bit.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s finale vs. the Browns. He’ll wind up missing five games and parts of a few others in a disappointing 2023 campaign. We’ll see if Cincinnati lets Higgins hit the free-agent market this offseason. He’ll be replaced by some combination of WRs Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas this weekend.

Colts RB Zack Moss (forearm) is listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game vs. the Texans. He put in full practices on Wednesday and Thursday, so we’re expecting him to play. Moss isn’t much of a fantasy option but figures to siphon at least a few touches from RB Jonathan Taylor.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He returned to last week's game after hurting the hammy, but it's no lock that he plays against the Browns this weekend with Cincinnati eliminated from playoff contention. Stay tuned.

Bengals OC Brian Callahan said he believes RB Chase Brown “has a chance to be a heavy contributor” in 2024. Callahan praised Brown’s hard running and explosiveness. Despite only 46 touches, the rookie’s tallied a pair of 30+ yard gains. Joe Mixon isn’t a lock to return in 2024, so Brown's a candidate to play a rotaitonal role next fall. He sits at RB47 in our current RB dynasty rankings.

Bengals RB Chase Brown had just three rushes for 5 yards and 2 catches for 23 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Those 5 touches marked a slight dip vs. last week but a bigger decrease from Brown's previous three games. Joe Mixon, meanwhile, rebounded from two straight 13-touch games to dominate Brown 25-5 in that category. Brown hadn't reached the point of being usable in lineups in most fantasy formats, and that should continue for Week 18. We'll see whether Cincinnati decides to cut Mixon for cap savings ahead of next season. If so, Brown could get a shot at competing for the top job in 2024. But don't treat him as the likely 2024 starter for dynasty purposes or early best-ball drafting. Keep in mind we're talking about a fifth-round pick who had just 5 total touches before December.

Bengals QB Jake Browning completed 19 of 33 passes for 197 yards and a TD in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. He also ran for 32 yards a TD, which helped power a QB7 fantasy finish for the week. He gets an even tougher matchup in Week 18 against the Browns, who entered Week 17 as the third-toughest QB-scoring matchup by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Expect Browning to remain outside the top 12 in our Week 18 QB rankings. Longer-term, Browning has likely established himself as a solid backup to Joe Burrow. He'll be an exclusive-rights free agent after the season, meaning he'll have to stick with Cincinnati unless then Bengals don't want him anymore.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins hurt his hamstring in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs. He's officially questionable to return, but we'd be surprised to see him back out there today. We'll keep you updated on Higgins' status going forward.

Update: Higgins, miraculously, returned for the second half.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. It’s unclear how big a factor that shoulder will be, but Chase obviously comes with more risk than usual in Week 17 fantasy lineups. See where he lands in the Week 17 WR Rankings.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that there's "optimism" that Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) will play vs. the Chiefs today. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls Chase "likely" to play. He'll go through a pregame workout before a final decision is made. We won't get Cincinnati's inactives until a little before 3 pm ET, so fantasy owners hoping to start Chase should have a replacement from the late games rostered as insurance.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Chiefs. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. “We’ll see,” HC Zac Taylor said on Friday when asked about Chase’s availability. We won’t get Cincinnati’s inactives until a little before 3 pm ET on Sunday, but there will likely be updates on Chase between now and then.