Joe Burrow Injury: Fantasy Fallout

Several years ago, Joe Burrow was asked about the Bengals Super Bowl window. He replied by saying the window was open as long as he’s around. If that is indeed the case, the window has just been slammed shut on the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow suffered a toe injury during the Bengals week 2 victory over Jacksonville, and the injury is expected to sideline Burrow for at least 3 months. That means Burrow’s best case scenario is a return in mid December if, and only if, the Bengals are still in the playoff hunt. But what does this injury mean for elite fantasy players such as Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown? Let’s dive right into that.

For Chase and Higgins, the reality is simple in the sense that they are both downgraded. Chase was the consensus first overall pick in fantasy this year, and if we were to do a post week 2 redraft, he would slide closer to the middle of the first round. Higgins, typically selected late in round 2 or early in round 3 would likely drop a full round later to late round 3 or early round 4. However, if you are a Chase or Higgins owner, the last thing you should do is panic. Burrow’s backup QB, Jake Browning, is one of the better backups in the league. That, coupled with the fact that the Bengals defense is still very poor, means that Browning will have to pass the ball 30+ times per game. While he might not be able to push the ball downfield the same way as Burrow can, 30+ passing attempts per game will lead to more than enough volume for both Chase and Higgins to remain not only startable, but very relevant fantasy wise. In 2023, Browning started 7 games for Cincinnati, leading them to a 4-3 record in those games, throwing for over 1900 yards and 12 TDs on over 70% completion percentage. If he’s able to replicate those numbers, Chase and Higgins owners will be very pleased with their investments. 

When it comes to Chase Brown, there are two schools of thought. The first is that Chase Brown should be upgraded as the Bengals will have to rely more heavily on their run game as well as check down game to get the ball out of Browning’s hands quickly. The opposing thought is that Chase Brown should be downgraded due to the fact that defenses will be focusing primarily on stopping the run game now that the passing attack is limited compared to when Burrow was the quarterback. So what’s actually the truth? The reality is that it’ll end up being somewhere right in the middle. Brown now becomes a more volatile option with great boom potential on a weekly basis, but also with a lower floor. When drafting Brown, one of the biggest draws was the expectation of a high floor given his usage in an elite offense. Now that the Bengals’ offense isn’t nearly as elite anymore, Brown becomes a riskier option, especially for managers that drafted him in the middle of the second round. So overall, don’t bench Chase Brown, that would be a severe overreaction, but proceed with caution moving forward, and don’t be afraid to acquire more RB depth via trade or on the waiver wire.