2023 Team Previews: Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview 2023

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Top 120

Ja’Marr Chase, WR (ADP: 3): Every point made about the case for Justin Jefferson as the No. 1 pick can be made about Chase, his former LSU teammate. Chase is the total package. He can get open, run precise routes, draws elite target share, operates in an awesome offense and has a high-level QB. If you had to nitpick, you can say Jefferson doesn’t have anyone as good as teammate Tee Higgins also demanding opportunity, but that’s truly splitting hairs. The question isn’t whether or not Chase warrants a Top 3 pick, it’s about roster construction. Are you comfortable locking in your WR1, and perhaps assuming more risk with an RB1 a little further back? If so, Chase is a justifiable No. 1 overall choice, so getting him at No. 3 presents no issues.

Tee Higgins, WR (ADP: 27): Higgins occupies a similar lane that guys such as Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith travel in as elite real-life WR2s and borderline fantasy WR1s. Higgins, however, is probably a notch below those two because he’s not peppered with as many short targets, and therefore won’t rack up quite as many receptions. In terms of yardage, that won’t be a problem; Higgins averaged 13.9 yards per catch last season and 14.1 for his career. He’s an efficient, big play monster and he’s never scored fewer than six touchdowns in a season. However, he is not one for separation, and that means he’s getting those downfield looks and fighting DBs for them. While he saw similar targets to Waddle, Waddle came away with  many more receptions despite a deeper Average Depth of Target (ADOT) because he’s making those throws easier on his QB. He’s also not as versatile as players like Smith or Waddle, who can line up in the slot and work against weaker DBs or be schemed open more. Still, the Bengals figure to be one of the NFL’s highest-scoring units, and Higgins will be a major part of that. Securing him as your WR2 is good business, and this ADP is right were he belongs.

Joe Burrow, QB (ADP: 35): Burrow is one of the best QBs in the NFL, and among the most consistent players in fantasy after back-to-back 4,400+-yard seasons with 34 and 35 touchdown passes, respectively. They kept his elite receiving corps intact as well, so 2023 should be business as usual. The question is, at an ADP inside the Top 35, whether or not locking in this level of production at QB is worth bypassing upside like Jahmyr Gibbs at RB or Keenan Allen at WR. Even Lamar Jackson two picks later offers a higher ceiling than Burrow due to being the best rushing QB of all time, even if the floor is considerably lower. Couldn’t Justin Herbert at No. 48 overall deliver similar results to Burrow? There’s no doubt that Burrow is going to be sick, but you’re basically drafting him at his ceiling, and he doesn’t offer additional growth as a rusher. You probably won’t be disappointed with him at this ADP, but it’s not the best route to maximizing your draft.

**Joe Mixon, RB (ADP: 45): Mixon’s future in Cincy is a little murky, but as of now he’s the lead back and there’s not much depth behind him to worry fantasy managers. Mixon is one of the most well-rounded guys in fantasy, and he’s delivered 1,200+ yards from scrimmage in four of the past five seasons. Touchdowns are a bit of a roller coaster for him, and he’s no longer the central figure of the Bengals’ offense, so the days of him having Top 5 RB potential are probably past. But this ADP places him at RB 16, which might actually be a little low considering the touch share he’s in for without meaningful additions to the roster. His up-and-down games are much easier to withstand at this ADP than last year, when he was the No. 10 overall pick. He’s officially a value.

Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)

Tyler Boyd, WR (ADP: 128): Boyd is a player whose production has suffered due to the arrival of Chase and the emergence of Higgins. Boyd is a good receiver, but he’s not on their level, and his targets have dropped in each of the seasons that Chase has been a Bengal. Boyd is now an important part of their real passing game, but not a player who can be counted on for fantasy purposes. He does have upside in the event of a multi-week injury to Chase or Higgins, and he’ll be on the field a lot so he can be deployed in injury-induced emergencies or as a deep-league FLEX play, but he’s not a very exciting or interesting receiver on Draft Day.

Irv Smith, TE (ADP: 155): We are entering Year 4 of Smith hype, even though he’s never scored more than five touchdowns in a season nor caught 40 passes. This offense does make use of the TE position, but we have not seen previous options like Hayden Hurst or C.J. Uzomah become real fantasy assets. Sure, Smith has a higher ceiling in theory, but it’s unnecessarily risky to rely on him as a Week 1 play and expect him to be your regular TE. He could potentially be a worthwhile investment as a bench stash, but I wouldn’t recommend rostering two TEs. The ADP won’t penalize you, but I am much less interested than others.

Chase Brown, RB (ADP: 190): Brown, a fifth-year senior out of Illinois taken in the fifth round of the draft, is an intriguing player in the event the Bengals cut bait on Mixon at some point. He posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Fighting Illini, and increased his passing game involvement in his final two collegiate seasons. He carried the rock 328 times last season, so he has shown he’s capable of a full workload, so he makes sense as a late pick for Mixon managers if handcuffing starters is your bag.

Deep Cuts (200 & later)

Trayveon Williams, RB (ADP: 277): Williams has been with the team for four years now, and in that time he’s logged 47 carries. If he was going to be a thing, it probably would’ve happened to some degree by now, but if it boils down to Williams vs. Brown, it’s conceivable that his institutional familiarity gives him the edge early.