2024 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Cincinnati Bengals player outlooks, schedule, depth chart and more to know

Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd are no longer on the Bengals roster, which means others must step up to fill their shoes. The Bengals are banking on Zack Moss and Chase Brown to match Mixon's production (1,410 total yards, 12 total TDs), while third-round pick Jermaine Burton aims to pick up where Boyd (67 passes, 667 yards, two TDs) left off.  

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Bengals' entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Bengals players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

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Bengals 2024 lineup changes

Burning question: Will Joe Burrow be 100 percent healthy?

Burrow tore a wrist ligament in last year's Week 11 contest against the Baltimore Ravens. He underwent surgery to repair the ligament on November 27, 2023, and faced a six-month recovery process. Since then, there has been skepticism about his ability to return to form following such an injury. Burrow has reported having "good days and bad days" with the wrist, but all signs indicate he'll be ready by the 2024 season. He performed well in voluntary OTAs and has not encountered setbacks. With an improved offensive line and new weapons in tight end Mike Gesicki and rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton, Burrow could have his best season yet if healthy.  

2024 NFL Draft class

Bengals 2024 schedule

Bengals 2024 player outlooks

By Jamey Eisenberg and CBS Fantasy staff

QB Joe Burrow

Burrow is expected to be 100 percent to start the season after missing the final seven games in 2023 with a wrist injury that required surgery. When healthy, Burrow has top-five upside at his position, and he's worth drafting no later than Round 5 in the majority of one-quarterback leagues (he's a Round 1 pick in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues). Burrow has struggled to stay healthy at times in his NFL career, and last year started with a calf injury, followed by his injured wrist in Week 11. But he also can be among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and he scored at least 23.9 Fantasy points in each of the three games prior to his wrist injury. He also averaged 26.3 Fantasy points in 2022. Hopefully, Burrow will have his top two receivers all season in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and if he does, that's a huge advantage. But as long as Burrow is healthy, he should be among the best quarterbacks in the NFL and Fantasy.

QB Jake Browning

Browning is back with the Bengals in 2024, and he will once again be the backup to Joe Burrow. Browning is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues, but he proved himself in 2023 when pressed into action. After Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Week 11, Browning took over as the starter in Cincinnati, and he scored at least 22.9 Fantasy points in five of seven outings. He's someone to remember in case Burrow gets hurt again, but hopefully we never see Browning play because we want Burrow to stay healthy all season.  

RB Zack Moss

Moss joins a Bengals backfield that leaned on Joe Mixon (he had the fifth-highest snap percentage among all running backs) in 2023. With Chase Brown as the main competition behind Moss, the veteran who came over from the Colts should have an excellent opportunity to carve out a lead role for himself. Brown is an explosive talent, but he's 5-foot-9, 200 pounds and unlikely to claim the lead role. Moss should see scoring opportunities and settle in as an RB2. He is worth drafting as early as the eighth round of your Fantasy drafts.

RB Chase Brown

Brown is expected to open the season as the No. 2 running back in Cincinnati behind new starter Zack Moss, but Brown should have a prominent role in his sophomore campaign. He has sleeper appeal in 2024, and Brown should be drafted as early as Round 9 in the majority of leagues. While Moss should open the season as the replacement for Joe Mixon, Moss has never been a full-time starter for a full season in stints with Buffalo and Indianapolis. Brown didn't have a ton of work as a rookie in 2023 (44 carries for 179 yards and 14 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets), but he showed off his explosiveness with three plays of at least 27 yards. And in the three games where he had at least 10 total touches, he averaged 11.3 PPR points. If Brown gets the chance for extended action he could prove to be the best running back for the Bengals, and he's someone to target in all formats this year.  

RB Trayveon Williams

Williams is expected to be the No. 3 running back in Cincinnati this season behind Zack Moss and Chase Brown, but Williams has minimal Fantasy value in this role. He's not worth drafting in the majority of leagues. In five seasons with the Bengals, Williams has never averaged more than 2.2 PPR points per game. Now, with Joe Mixon gone, there could be a bigger role for Williams, but we need to see it first. At best, Williams could be a waiver-wire addition during the season if something happens to Moss or Brown.

RB Chris Evans

Evans will compete for a role in Cincinnati's offense this season, but he has minimal Fantasy value coming into the year. He's not worth drafting in most formats. The Bengals have Zack Moss, Chase Brown and Trayveon Williams ahead of Evans on the depth chart, and it will likely take multiple injuries for Evans to get significant playing time. In three seasons in Cincinnati, Evans has never averaged more than 3.6 PPR points per game. Now, with Joe Mixon gone, there could be a bigger role for Evans, but we need to see it first. At best, Evans could be a waiver-wire addition during the season.

WR Ja'Marr Chase

Chase should once again be considered among the best Fantasy receivers, and he's worth drafting with a first-round pick in all leagues. Chase is coming off the worst season of his career in 2023, but he still averaged 16.4 PPR points per game. Part of that was Joe Burrow missing the final seven games of the season with a wrist injury, but Burrow is healthy heading into training camp. Chase still managed a career-best season in targets (145) and receptions (100), and he also added 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. Chase averaged 20.2 PPR points per game in 2022, and that's the kind of upside he has once again in 2024 with Burrow healthy. After Christian McCaffrey comes off the board at No. 1 overall, you can argue Chase could be the first receiver drafted in the group of CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Most likely, Chase will be selected fourth of that group (ahead of St. Brown), but that could still make him a top-five overall pick in all formats.  

WR Tee Higgins

Higgins will be a polarizing Fantasy option this season given his contract situation, his injury-plagued 2023 campaign and concerns over Joe Burrow's injury status. But as long as he's ready for Week 1, Higgins should be considered a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 3. At the time of publication, Higgins had still not signed the franchise tag placed on him in February, and that could mean Higgins might not report to training camp on time. Any missed practices will impact Higgins' Fantasy stock. But hopefully when he does show up he's ready to prove he deserves a big contract and put 2023 behind him when he played just 12 games and averaged a career-low 11.5 PPR points per game. It didn't help that Burrow missed the final seven games of the season with a wrist injury, but Higgins still had four games with at least 19 PPR points. Higgins also scored at least 13.8 PPR points per game in each of the previous two seasons, and he's capable of reaching that level of production again. Keep an eye on Higgins heading into training camp, and hopefully he's ready to go for Week 1 when it matters.  

WR Jermaine Burton

The Bengals selected Burton in the third round of the NFL Draft from Alabama, and he could play a prominent role right away. He's worth drafting with a late-round pick in all redraft leagues, and he's a second-round pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. Burton should be the No. 3 receiver in his rookie campaign behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but if Higgins misses any time in training camp due to his contract situation then Burton's stock will rise. With Tyler Boyd gone, Burton has the chance for 98 vacated targets, which is ideal. At Alabama, Burton had 39 catches for 798 yards and eight touchdowns, and he could be among the better rookie receivers this season. As long as Joe Burrow is healthy, Burton has sleeper appeal in 2024.  

WR Andre Iosivas

Iosivas will compete with rookie Jermaine Burton to be the No. 3 receiver for the Bengals this season, and Iosivas could be worth a late-round pick in all leagues. Most likely, Iosivas will be No. 4 on the depth chart behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Burton, but Iosivas might surprise Fantasy managers this season if given a big role. In 2023, Iosivas didn't do much until Week 18 when he had five catches for 36 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. There are 98 targets vacated with Tyler Boyd gone, and that could help Iosivas. However, the addition of Burton is a negative, and if Higgins shows up for Week 1, then targets might be hard to come by. At best, Iosivas could be someone to add off the waiver wire during the season if he starts off playing well right away.

WR Trenton Irwin

Irwin is back with the Bengals this season, and he'll likely be the No. 5 receiver in Cincinnati behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jermaine Burton and Andrei Iosivas. Charlie Jones might also be ahead of Irwin on the depth chart, and he's not worth drafting in most Fantasy leagues. Irwin had some productive moments in 2023 with 14 PPR points in Week 5 at Arizona and 13.4 PPR points in Week 10 against Houston, but Irwin struggles for targets when everyone is healthy. At best, you can add Irwin off the waiver wire during the season if he earns a bigger role, but don't expect much from him without an injury to any of the other receivers in Cincinnati.

TE Mike Gesicki

Gesicki joined the Bengals in the offseason and simply being Joe Burrow-adjacent is going to drive up his ADP to some degree. We aren't drafting Gesicki unless it's a tight end premium league and even then we aren't sure Gesicki is going to matter. He hasn't missed a game over the past two seasons and he's earned 97 targets in those 34 games combined. He's also only topped seven yards per target once in his career and fell to a career-low 5.4 last season. The one glimmer of hope for Gesicki is that his arrival coincides with the departure of Tyler Boyd. If Gesicki can play Boyd's role with tight end eligibility, we will be more interested in adding him.

TE Erick All

The Bengals selected All in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and he could be their tight end of the future. For this season, All isn't expected to produce much, if at all, coming back from a torn ACL in October. He's not worth drafting in redraft leagues, and he's a third-round pick at best in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. Cincinnati also has Mike Gesicki as its starter this season, so All could have a minimal role even when healthy. Prior to getting hurt in 2023, All appeared in seven games for Iowa and caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. By 2025, All could be a significant contributor, but this season you can just add him off waivers if he starts out the season playing well and getting more production than Gesicki.

TE Tanner McLachlan

The Bengals selected McLachlan in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, and he will compete for a role behind Mike Gesicki this season. McLachlan is not worth drafting in redraft leagues, and he's only a late-round flier in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. Cincinnati has a glut of tight ends this season with Gesicki, Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson and fellow rookie Erick All, who is coming back from a torn ACL in October. All projects to have a higher ceiling than McLachlan, so All is the rookie to target in Dynasty leagues. For McLachlan, he could be a surprise player for the Bengals if he gets playing time, and he just had 45 catches for 528 yards and four touchdowns at Arizona in 2023. Keep an eye on him early in the season, and if he starts off the year playing well then just add him off waivers.    

K Evan McPherson

McPherson should be considered a No. 1 Fantasy kicker coming into the season, and he's worth drafting with a last-round selection in all leagues. He's averaged at least 8.2 Fantasy points per game in every season of his career, and the Bengals offense should once again put him in situations to succeed, especially if everyone is healthy. McPherson also has one of the strongest legs in the NFL with 21 made field goals of 50-plus yards in three seasons.

Bengals DST

The Bengals DST should be considered a sneaky Fantasy option to open the season with a Week 1 matchup against the Patriots, who could be starting a rookie quarterback in Drake Maye. After that, Cincinnati faces Washington in Week 3 and Carolina in Week 4, which could also be favorable matchups. However, the Week 2 game at Kansas City could be tough for the Bengals defense, so keep that in mind. For the season, the Bengals DST will likely be more of a No. 2 Fantasy option in most leagues. While Cincinnati has a solid pass rush with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, the Bengals DST finished No. 20 in Fantasy points in 2023. Sheldon Rankins was added to the defensive line, and Geno Stone is the new addition to the secondary, so hopefully both can help the Bengals DST improve. Keep an eye on this unit early in the season, especially with some favorable matchups, and the Bengals DST could be a waiver-wire addition during the year.