Latest news with #Ja'MarrChase
The Herald Scotland
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Why not all NFL players are hyped for Olympic flag football
And that's how it's been portrayed throughout much of the media since it was decided NFL players will take part in the 2028 Olympics in flag football. This is a great thing. Players are jacked. Let's go kick some flag football butt, America! But what if players aren't actually all that excited to be flag football Olympians? There was a recent extremely under-reported remark from Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase. He was asked about flag football and maybe spoke for more players than people want to acknowledge. "I don't know how I feel about it, if I'm being completely honest," Chase said, via WPCO's Marshall Kramsky. "I want to know the timing for us, offseason, in-season. I want to know if we're getting paid. I want to know where we traveling every other week or every day, like all that plays a part, because we have an offseason, we have a life. Also, how long would that be? I don't know. There's a lot of questions to it." Ja'Marr Chase has mixed feelings on if he would or wouldn't want to play in the Olympics. Chase has questions he wants answers to. Also Ja'Marr spoke about the respect he has for people who play and love flag football as opposed to the pro-NFL players. #Bengals @WCPO — Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) May 27, 2025 The key part of that quote: We have an offseason, we have a life. This doesn't mean that there are players who aren't excited about participating in the Olympics. There are and will be. It does mean there will be players who don't see the same level of excitement about it the league office and fans have. When Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked about Olympic flag football, he went all Roger Murtaugh from "Lethal Weapon:" "I'll probably leave that to the younger guys. I'll be a little older by the time that thing comes around." Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford just openly cracked up when asked about the Olympics. "You talking about coaching, or what?" he joked. Speaking of coaches, Denver's Sean Payton has been talked about as someone who could lead the team. On June 6 he asked about the possibility of coaching the flag team and he was, well, noncommittal. For now. "I don't want to answer questions in 2028 when I'm focused on Friday," Payton said, laughing. In part, what you're seeing, I believe, is that some players (and others) don't see flag football as a vital thing to do. Or at least not on the level of, say, Olympic basketball. The world had caught up to us in hoops (and even surpassed America) mandating the arrival of the Dream Team. Basketball was our game, not the world's, and we had to retake the sport from the clutches of others. Jalen Ramsey showing no mercy to Tyreek Hill at the Pro Bowl ???? ????: @NFL — NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) February 5, 2023 That's not the case with flag football. There's no nationwide call to beat everyone in flag football. There's also no need for people to dive into this now. It's three years away. You also hear in Chase's remarks the union and labor part of this. Players know the NFL will find a way to make tons of cash off of this, and Chase, understandably, wants to make sure players get their share. I respect him for that. Again, others will get into the flag football groove. There's no question about that. "I feel like it's always an honor to play for your country," Falcons running back Bijon Robinson told Cory Muse of KVUE. "Like, you always want to play for your country. I would love to show my skillset on that type of stage. "So, I think it's going to come down to our schedule and where it lies, and if the teams even let us go. But I would love to play if given the opportunity. We'll see. I don't want it to affect my team and what we've got going here." "Yeah, I think it's great," Rams coach Sean McVay recently told reporters. "I think that is so far away from me. Coaching years are dog years, you know that. You hear Justin Jefferson come out and talk about, 'Man, that would be really cool.' That's awesome. Like I think you give guys the opportunity to say, 'Alright, well what's your preference on it?' And I think whatever our guys going to be the availability for maybe one guy on each team to be able to do that. Matthew Stafford had a hilarious response about playing flag football in the 2028 Olympics ???? (via @RamsNFL) — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 29, 2025 "And if that's something that players say they want to be able to do, then I think it's a really cool experience for them to be able to be a part of while also acknowledging that man, there are some other guys that have been doing it. I'm not going to pretend to understand the nuances tactically and what that game entails, but I think it's good. I think it's great." There's definitely that sentiment out there. Still, there could be a lot more complexity to this flag football story than we know.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Buccaneers duo listed as 'underrated' in fantasy football for the 2025 season
Fantasy football is the ultimate game of chess for football fans. There are numerous strategies that a team owner can implement, especially on draft day. For example, some will draft going for value on bye week coverage; this is a sound strategy, but the best—and usually most expensive—move to make is the quarterback-wide receiver combination. Stacking a quarterback who throws a lot of touchdowns, with a wide receiver who catches a good chunk of them, is a deadly combination. That combination is precisely what the Buccaneers possess, as the dynamic duo of Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans no longer fly under the radar, as Bleacher Report gives them the "underrated stack" title. At some point every season, you'll hear, "death, taxes, and Mike Evans eclipsing 1000 receiving yards are the only things certain in this life," and that's for good reason, because he's going to get there every year. What makes Evans even more dangerous is his goalline fade route that has seemingly been unstoppable for his entire career, as the 11-year vet sits ninth all-time with 105 receiving touchdowns. You might not get the 40+ point breakouts from Evans that you would get from a Ja'Marr Chase, but you will get consistency every week. Mayfield is well-known as a gunslinger, and after leading the NFC in touchdowns with 41 last season (plus an additional three on the ground), you'd think that he would be talked about more leading into many fantasy drafts. However, he's still never a sexy name when fantasy football comes around. But, are you drafting based on name or production? In their two seasons playing together, Evans has logged 153 receptions for 2259 yards and 24 touchdowns, all from Mayfield, and missed three games along the way. The Buccaneers quarterback also finished last season with the third-best completion percentage (71.4%) and the fourth-highest QB Rating (106.8). Not to mention the Buccaneers have an incredible array of weapons for Mayfield to pass the ball to, so not only do you get the stack of Mayfield and Evans, you reap the benefits of the loaded pass-catching corps. Per FantasyPros, ADP projections in PPR leagues for Evans are 42nd overall (WR20) and Mayfield 61st overall (QB7), meaning that you could be the owner of one of the higher reward stacks, with a reasonably mitigated risk that wouldn't sacrifice the quality of your team by having to stretch and draft either player much earlier than you want.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Athlon Sports 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings
Athlon Sports 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. [Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 Fantasy Football Guide. Order your copy today online or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.] Advertisement These rankings will change after training camps open in late July. Injuries, surprise performances and other factors will impact all 32 team depth charts and affect the decisions you need to make when drafting your fantasy squad. For now, here's what the Athlon Sports big board looks like: 1. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL 2. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN 3. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR 4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF 5. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI 6. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL 7. Malik Nabers, WR, NYG 8. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN 9. Nico Collins, WR, HOU 10. Ashton Jeanty, RB, LV 11. Derrick Henry, RB, BAL 12. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND 13. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI 14. Drake London, WR, ATL 15. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, JAC 16. Trey McBride, TE, ARI 17. Brock Bowers, TE, LV 18. Tee Higgins, WR, CIN 19. Rashee Rice, WR, KC 20. Joe Mixon, RB, HOU 21. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET 22. De'Von Achane, RB, MIA 23. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ 24. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR 25. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA Tyreek Hill Kirby Lee-Imagn Images 26. Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA 27. Davante Adams, WR, LAR 28. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET 29. Mike Evans, WR, TB 30. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ 31. Josh Allen, QB, BUF 32. Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI 33. DJ Moore, WR, CHI 34. DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI 35. Ladd McConkey, WR, LAC 36. Kenneth Walker III, RB, SEA 37. James Cook, RB, BUF 38. Jayden Daniels, QB, WAS 39. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL 40. Jayden Reed, WR, GB 41 Chris Olave, WR, NO 42 Zay Flowers, WR, BAL 43. Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS 44. Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA 45. Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR 46. James Conner, RB, ARI 47. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB 48. Alvin Kamara, RB, NO 49. Bucky Irving, RB, TB 50. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI Aaron Jones© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images 51. Aaron Jones Sr., RB, MIN 52. Chase Brown, RB, CIN 53. Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC 54. Joe Burrow, QB, CIN 55. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET 56. D'Andre Swift, RB, CHI 57. Tony Pollard, RB, TEN 58. David Montgomery, RB, DET 59. Jakobi Meyers, WR, LV 60. Calvin Ridley, WR, TEN 61. Josh Downs, WR, IND 62. Deebo Samuel, WR, WAS 63. DK Metcalf, WR, PIT 64. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, CAR 65. Jordan Addison, WR, MIN 66. Jameson Williams, WR, DET 67. George Pickens, WR, DAL 68. Xavier Worthy, WR, KC 69. Cooper Kupp, WR, SEA 70. Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN 71. David Njoku, TE, CLE 72. George Kittle, TE, SF 73. Jaylen Warren, RB, PIT 74. Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC 75. Quinshon Judkins, RB, CLE 76. Travis Kelce, TE, KC 77. Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN 78. Omarion Hampton, RB, LAC 79. RJ Harvey, RB, DEN 80. Brian Robinson, RB, WAS 81. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, NE 82. Khalil Shakir, WR, BUF 83. Jerry Jeudy, WR, CLE 84. Rome Odunze, WR, CHI 85. Jauan Jennings, WR, SF 86. Chris Godwin, WR, TB 87. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, IND 88. Justin Fields, QB, NYJ 89. Jordan Love, QB, GB 90. C.J. Stroud, QB, HOU 91. Darnell Mooney, WR, ATL 92. Rashid Shaheed, WR, NO 93. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF 94. Cam Skattebo, RB, NYG 95. Kaleb Johnson, RB, PIT 96. Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, NYG 97. Kyler Murray, QB, ARI 98. Drake Maye, QB, NE 99. Baker Mayfield, QB, TB 100. T.J. Hockenson, TE, MIN 101. Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF 102. Jonnu Smith, TE, MIA 103. Stefon Diggs, WR, NE 104. Christian Kirk, WR, HOU 105. Ricky Pearsall, WR, SF 106. Hollywood Brown, WR, KC 107. Najee Harris, RB, LAC 108. Mark Andrews, TE, BAL 109. Jaydon Blue, RB, DAL 110. Tank Bigsby, RB, JAC 111. Hunter Henry, TE, NE 112. Jake Ferguson, TE, DAL 113. Emeka Egbuka, WR, TB 114. Matthew Golden, WR, GB 115. Travis Hunter, WR, JAC 116. Keon Coleman, WR, BUF 117. Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, NYG 118. Dak Prescott, QB, DAL 119. Justin Herbert, QB, LAC 120. Jared Goff, QB, DET 121. Bo Nix, QB, DEN 122. Caleb Williams, QB, CHI 123. Brock Purdy, QB, SF 124. Jalen Coker, WR, CAR 125. Ray-Ray McCloud III, WR, ATL Quentin JohnstonJim Dedmon-Imagn Images 126. Quentin Johnston, WR, LAC 127. Evan Engram, TE, DEN 128. Pat Freiermuth, TE, PIT 129. Jordan Mason, RB, MIN 130. Austin Ekeler, RB, WAS 131. Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA 132. Rachaad White, RB, TB 133. Allen Lazard, WR, NYJ 134. Amari Cooper, WR, FA 135. Romeo Doubs, WR, GB 136. Michael Wilson, WR, ARI 137. Cedric Tillman, WR, CLE 138. Tre Harris, WR, LAC 139. Trey Benson, RB, ARI 140. Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, DEN 141. Jerome Ford, RB, CLE 142. Javonte Williams, RB, DAL 143. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE 144. Roschon Johnson, RB, CHI 145. Jaylen Wright, RB, MIA 146. J.K. Dobbins, RB, FA 147. Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL 148. Tyler Warren, TE, IND 149. Dontayvion Wicks, WR, GB 150. Trevor Etienne, RB, CAR 151. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, JAC 152. Kendre Miller, RB, NO 153. MarShawn Lloyd, RB, GB 154. Ray Davis, RB, BUF 155. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAC 156. Zach Ertz, TE, WAS 157. Tucker Kraft, TE, GB 158. Parker Washington, WR, JAC 159. Tutu Atwell, WR, LAR 160. Joshua Palmer, WR, BUF 161. Marvin Mims Jr., WR, DEN 162. Darius Slayton, WR, NYG 163. Keenan Allen, WR, FA 164. Buffalo, DST, BUF 165. Baltimore, DST, BAL 166. Houston, DST, HOU 167. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, MIA 168. Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAC 169. Matthew Stafford, QB, LAR 170. Jack Bech, WR, LV 171. Diontae Johnson, WR, CLE 172. Rashod Bateman, WR, BAL 173. Luther Burden III, WR, CHI 174. Will Shipley, RB, PHI 175. Justice Hill, RB, BAL 176. Miles Sanders, RB, DAL 177. Blake Corum, RB, LAR 178. Tyler Allgeier, RB, ATL 179. Tyler Lockett, WR, TEN 180. Elic Ayomanor, WR, TEN 181. Geno Smith, QB, LV 182. Bryce Young, QB, CAR 183. J.J. McCarthy, QB, MIN 184. Sam Darnold, QB, SEA 185. Dallas, DST, DAL 186. Green Bay, DST, GB 187. New York Jets, DST, NYJ 188. Denver, DST, DEN 189. Zack Moss, RB, CIN 190. Sean Tucker, RB, TB 191. Elijah Mitchell, RB, KC 192. Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF 193. Josh Reynolds, WR, NYJ 194. Alec Pierce, WR, IND 195. Xavier Legette, WR, CAR 196. Antonio Gibson, RB, NE 197. Ty Johnson, RB, BUF 198. Dylan Sampson, RB, CLE 199. Chig Okonkwo, TE, TEN 200. Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI Dallas GoedertEric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports 201. Audric Estime, RB, DEN 202. Raheem Mostert, RB, LV 203. Braelon Allen, RB, NYJ 204. Tim Patrick, WR, DET 205. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO 206. Pat Bryant, WR, DEN 207. Samaje Perine, RB, CIN 208. Woody Marks, RB, HOU 209. Isaiah Davis, RB, NYJ 210. Kareem Hunt, RB, KC 211. Devin Singletary, RB, NYG 212. Juwan Johnson, TE, NO 213. Dalton Schultz, TE, HOU 214. Mike Gesicki, TE, CIN 215. Rico Dowdle, RB, CAR 216. Alexander Mattison, RB, MIA 217. A.J. Dillon, RB, PHI 218. Keaton Mitchell, RB, BAL 219. Russell Wilson, QB, NYG 220. Michael Penix Jr., QB, ATL 221. Cam Ward, QB, TEN 222. Aaron Rodgers, QB, PIT 223. Tyler Higbee, TE, LAR 224. Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, CAR 225. Isaiah Likely, TE, BAL 226. Kansas City, DST, KC 227. Pittsburgh, DST, PIT 228. Minnesota, DST, MIN 229. Cleveland, DST, CLE 230. Philadelphia, DST, PHI 231. Brandon Aubrey, K, DAL 232. Jake Bates, K, DET 233. Wil Lutz, K, DEN 234. Cameron Dicker, K, LAC 235. Tyler Loop, K, BAL 236. Younghoe Koo, K, ATL 237. Will Reichard, K, MIN 238. Tyler Bass, K, BUF 239. Matt Gay, K, WAS 240. Harrison Butker, K, KC 241. Chris Boswell, K, PIT 242. Jake Elliott, K, PHI 243. KaVontae Turpin, WR, DAL 244. Tre Tucker, WR, LV 245. Greg Dortch, WR, ARI 246. Jayden Higgins, WR, HOU 247. Andrei Iosivas, WR, CIN 248. Kendrick Bourne, WR, NE 249. DeMario Douglas, WR, NE 250. Adam Thielen, WR, CAR 251. Ollie Gordon II, RB, MIA 252. DJ Giddens, RB, IND 253. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, PIT 254. Phil Mafah, RB, DAL 255. Emanuel Wilson, RB, GB 256. Brashard Smith, RB, KC 257. Jalin Hyatt, WR, NYG 258. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, BAL 259. Troy Franklin, WR, DEN 260. Adonai Mitchell, WR, IND 261. Roman Wilson, WR, PIT 262. Kyle Monangai, RB, CHI 263. Jarquez Hunter, RB, LAR 264. Khalil Herbert, RB, IND 265. Devin Neal, RB, NO 266. Jalen McMillan, WR, TB 267. Cade Otton, TE, TB 268. Theo Johnson, TE, NYG 269. Colston Loveland, TE, CHI 270. Noah Brown, WR, WAS 271. Mar. Valdes-Scantling, WR, SEA 272. Jordan James, RB, SF 273. Tyler Shough, QB, NO 274. Anthony Richardson, QB, IND 275. Joe Flacco, QB, CLE 276. Daniel Jones, QB, IND 277. Will Dissly, TE, LAC 278. Michael Mayer, TE, LV 279. Noah Gray, TE, KC 280. Brenton Strange, TE, JAC Advertisement Related: Athlon Sports 2025 Fantasy Football Preview Magazine Now Available Related: Athlon Sports 2025 NFL Preview Magazine Now Available This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'She is a creep': Ja'Marr Chase's awkward moment with unidentified woman sparks outrage and concern over the star player's safety
Ja'Marr Chase was confronted by an unknown woman.(Image via AP Photo/Jeff Dean) Cincinnati Bengals' star player, Ja'Marr Chase, has been in the news ever since he ignored an unidentified woman as she tried to get close to him outside a club in New York City. The video has quickly gone viral and has raised eyebrows among fans. While Ja'Marr Chase has not commented on the video yet, fans are calling out the woman. Ja'Marr Chase had an unidentified woman put her arms around him, sparking a major outrage among fans The video shows Ja'Marr Chase getting out of a club and walking towards his luxurious car when a woman tries to stop him by putting her arms around his neck. The Cincinnati Bengals' star player was seen walking unbothered as he focused on getting to his car. The unidentified woman was also seen making a face at Ja'Marr Chase as he ignored her and now, this has sparked major outrage among fans. A fan took to X and wrote, 'He doesn't owe her anything, and if the roles were reversed, they'd call him a creep. She's a creep', while another fan commented, 'Now don't tussle me in these comments but that's what she gets lol….idk what reaction she was expecting but clearly I bet she humble herself a lil bit next time….' A third fan posted, 'Not tryna go against the girls but truth is truth, they get these bbl's and think they're irresistible. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bangladesh: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (View Current Prices) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo Pretty sexy when a man isn't dehydrated for any and everything. That means you have to be more than what meets the eye and that's a sexy grown up energy to move with.' Another fan wrote, 'He was actually polite. He just didn't act like she was his girlfriend. Because she isn't! Girl, you should know your place. You see them cameras and all those people, you know you provide a service to him and are not meeting his mama and friends regularly. She likely had a few.' Ja'Marr Chase is looking forward to a successful NFL season Ja'Marr Chase has mostly tried to stay away from commenting on any controversies and he has not commented on this incident yet. As for his NFL career, the Cincinnati Bengals' star player is gearing up to play for the upcoming season after signing a massive deal of a whopping $161 million. Also Read: "She is deeply wounded": Taylor Swift is "furious" at Blake Lively amid Justin Baldoni drama as she finds support in Travis Kelce For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview: Is Chase Brown a locked-in RB1 in a healthy Bengals offense?
For the second straight season, the Bengals allowed a slow start to derail their season, finishing 9-8 and failing to make the playoffs. Despite having one of the best quarterback-wide receiver combinations in football and the 6th-highest scoring offense in the league, the Bengals simply couldn't find any answers on the defensive side of the ball. Heading into 2025, it may be now or never for Zac Taylor, who is just 46-52 (.470) as the head coach of the Bengals and likely needs a trip to the playoffs if he wants to remain in Cincinnati. 2024 Cincinnati Bengals Stats (Rank) Points per game: 27.8 (6th) Total yards per game: 365.5 (9th) Plays per game: 63.5 (11th) Dropbacks per game: 45.6 (2nd) Dropback EPA per play: 0.19 (6th) Rush attempts per game: 22.4 (30th) Rush EPA per play: -0.08 (19th) Joe Burrow and the passing game remain elite In part because of their defensive struggles, the Bengals dropped back to pass more than almost any other team in the NFL. But that also led to plenty of success for Joe Burrow and company. He attempted the most passes he ever had in his career, and the Bengals as a team posted a strong EPA per dropback, ranking 6th in the league. That volume also led to a tremendous season for Ja'Marr Chase, who distanced himself from all the other wide receivers when it came to fantasy production. Even Tee Higgins, who missed five games due to injury, finished inside the top-20 wide receivers, which gave the Bengals offense four players who ranked inside the top-20 at their respective fantasy positions. The big question will be how much of that success can be attributed to a poor defense. The Bengals ranked a mediocre 15th in yards allowed per play, but also were 18th in opponents' scoring rate, 25th in sacks, and 25th in defensive EPA. If the Bengals can improve on the defensive side of the ball, they could theoretically become a more balanced offense, which would limit the targets to be spread around the passing attack. Passing Game QB: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning WR: Ja'Marr Chase, Jermaine Burton WR: Tee Higgins, Charlie Jones, Isaiah Williams WR: Andrei Iosivas, Kendrick Pryor TE: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All Jr. The 2024 season was Dan Pitcher's first as the offensive coordinator after being promoted from his role as quarterbacks coach, and there were a few things that fantasy managers loved to see. Pitcher moved Ja'Marr Chase around in the formation more than Brian Callahan had in the previous seasons, and tried to push the ball down the field more, ranking 8th in the league in air yards per pass attempt and 5th in the league in adjusted net yards gained per pass attempt. Joe Burrow had an MVP-caliber season in Pitcher's system, finishing with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns on a 70.6% completion percentage with nine interceptions and a QBR of 74.7. That was the best QBR of his career, along with the most yards and touchdowns he's ever thrown for and the highest completion percentage of his career. He led the league in completions, attempts, passing yards, and touchdowns. He also took the second-most sacks of his career and was sacked on almost 7% of his dropbacks. As we mentioned above, some of that has to do with playing from behind as often as Burrow had to, but he took far too many hits, and the Bengals are going to need to make clear improvements in 2025. That starts with a brand new offensive line coach in Scott Peters, who was the Patriots' offensive line coach in 2024, and potentially a few new starters. Considering Burrow finished 3rd amongst quarterbacks in fantasy points per game with 22.5, fantasy managers aren't too upset with how 2024 went, and fewer comeback attempts may lead to fewer dropbacks, but Joe Burrow taking fewer hits is better for everybody. When Burrow did have time to deliver the ball, it was often to Ja'Marr Chase, who led the league with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 25-year-old set a career-high in each of those categories, plus posted a career-high 175 targets and a career-high 72.6% catch rate. His average depth of target was the second-lowest he's posted in the NFL, but Pitcher's new offensive scheme moved Chase around enough that they were able to get him in the matchups they wanted and give him easier looks as opposed to forcing the ball into tight windows. We should look for that to continue in 2025, which makes Chase the clear WR1 heading into fantasy drafts. A fully healthy season out of Tee Higgins, who started just nine games and had 911 receiving yards on 73 receptions, should help Chase as well. Higgins is a proven talent and will attract defensive attention away from Chase, but he's also capable of putting up big numbers in his own right. His 15.5 fantasy points per game in half-PPR scoring last season would have made him WR4 on the year, which puts him on the WR1/2 fringe in fantasy leagues. The new offensive in Cincinnati also seemed to benefit Mike Gesicki. Early on, Gesicki was simply used to take Higgins' spot in the offense when the wide receiver was out with an injury. However, as the season went on, the Bengals seemed to feel more comfortable using Gesicki to take advantage of openings when the defense double-teamed Chase. From Week 8 on, Gesicki was TE13 in half-PPR scoring, averaging 8.2 fantasy points per game, which makes him a solid option in deeper formats, especially if we can expect some improvement now that he is returning to the same offensive scheme for the first time in his entire NFL career. The rest of the passing attack figures to be a rotating group of ancillary pieces. The Bengals searched all season in 2024 to see who would replace Tyler Boyd, and nobody truly emerged. Andrei Iosivas moved into the slot for the first time and had a solid season, finishing with 479 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 36 catches, while Jermaine Burton struggled off the field in his adjustment to the NFL, which led to very little production on the field. Even if one of those players takes a step forward in 2025, it likely wouldn't be into a big enough role, barring an injury, to attract much fantasy attention. Running Game RB: Chase Brown, Zack Moss, Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks OL (L-R): Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Cody Ford, Amarius Mims. The Bengals' offensive line struggled in 2024. They finished 29th in pass blocking grade, according to PFF's grades, and also 29th in run blocking. They were also 30th in ESPN's run block win rate and 32nd in pass block win rate, so this is a unit that needed tons of work in the offseason. They started by hiring a new offensive line coach, then drafted Dylan Fairchild in the third round and signed Lucas Patrick away from the Saints to potentially give them two new starting guards. That would be good news for Chase Brown, who fully wrestled the starting job away from Zack Moss after Moss got injured in Week 5. From Week 6 on, Brown was RB8 in half-PPR scoring, averaging 16 fantasy points per game. He rushed for 990 yards on 229 attempts (4.3 ypc) with seven touchdowns, while also hauling in 54 of his 65 targets in the passing game for 360 receiving yards and four touchdowns with an 83% catch rate. That passing game involvement was a huge step in Brown's development, and is something he is continuing to work on this off-season. Brown posted a fairly average 14.8% broken tackle rate and had a below-average positive run rate, so the offensive line will need to take a step forward if we want to see his efficiency improve. That's a 30-yard TD run by No. 30! @chasebrown____ 📺: #CINvsNYG on NBC/Peacock 📱: Stream on #NFLPlus The rest of the Cincinnati backfield is the same as last year. Moss will return on a reworked contract after missing the second half of last season with a neck injury, and Semaje Perine or rookie Tahj Brooks will claim a spot as an additional receiving back. However, none of them should truly challenge Brown for playing time, which makes Brown a low-end RB1 in fantasy leagues. 2025 Cincinnati Bengals Win Total DraftKings Over/Under: 9.5 Pick: Under (+125) As we mentioned at the top of the article, the Bengals have had nine wins in each of the last two seasons, so this over/under makes sense. The talent they have on the offensive side of the ball makes it easy to see how they might put together another double-digit win total and playoff appearance. However, the amount of money they have allotted to their offensive studs has prevented them from spending big elsewhere. Their offensive line additions this offseason were minimal, and their defensive additions are in question as first-round pick Shemar Stewart continues to hold out over contract language. The Bengals are middle-of-the-pack in strength of schedule, which will help them out, but without making clear improvements on their 2024 weaknesses, it's hard to feel too confident that we're going to see a much different type of season in Cincinnati. Joe Burrow comes in at No. 3 in Chris Simms' 2025 QB rankings, falling in "The Core Four" tier thanks to his stellar pocket play and ability to get rid of the ball quickly despite the consistent pressure he faces.
