Fantasy Football News

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Georgia WR Colbie Young in Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft. A no-star recruit out of high school, Young started his college career at Lackawanna. After posting a 24-472-9 line in 2021, he made a big step up in class at Miami. Young made an immediate impact there, leading the Canes with 5 receiving scores and ranking second on the team with 367 receiving yards in 2022. He finished third in catches (47), yards (563), and TDs (5) as a sophomore. Young then transferred to Georgia, where his career got off track. He was suspended from the team and missed the final 9 games of 2024 after being arrested for battery and assault. (Young eventually pled no contest to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and received 12 months probation.) Then he missed six games this past year with a fractured left fibula. When he was on the field, Young averaged just 2.8 catches and 39.0 yards per game. He at least averaged a career-best 2.30 yards per route last year. Young goes 6’5, 218 pounds with deceptive speed and quickness. His route running needs work, but the size and early-career production make Young worth monitoring.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He got in limited practices this week, which at least has us optimistic for a Week 16 return. Higgins’ absence creates opportunity for WRs Andrei Iosivas and Mitchell Tinsley and TE Mike Gesicki – but those guys are still very fringey plays in season-long leagues.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow returned from his turf toe injury in his first action since Week 2. The first half showed some rust with Burrow missing a few TD passes and the Bengals settling for 4 FGs. But he bounced back for a strong second half. Burrow’s final stat line was 24/46 with 261 yards and 2 TDs.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) won't play against the Ravens on Thursday night, HC Zac Taylor said Monday. Higgins suffered a scary looking concussion in the Week 12 loss to the Patriots and was never going to clear protocol on the short week. Cincinnati gets WR Ja'Marr Chase back this week, and he should dominate targets against Baltimore. But Higgins' absence puts WR Andrei Iosivas and TE Mike Gesicki in play as low-end fantasy options.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow (toe) put in his second straight full practice on Thursday. He took snaps with the first-team offense in the portion of practice open to the media. "The plan was to see how Burrow responded today after being full yesterday. Looks like... pretty good," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted. ESPN's Adam Schefter said this morning that there's a "real possibility" that Burrow returns for Sunday's game vs. the Patriots, and that's looking even likelier now. We're now projecting Burrow to play this weekend, although he'll do so at less than 100% and without WR Ja'Marr Chase. See where Burrow and the rest of the Bengals land in the Week 12 Rankings.

Tee Higgins caught 7-of-9 targets for 2 TDs and snagged a 2-point conversion, but Cincinnati's defense surrendered 576 yards to the Bears in a wild 47-42 Week 9 loss. The Bengals produced 495 yards of offense, ran back the opening kick for a TD, and recovered an onside kick, but still found a way to lose. Higgins is now averaging 19.3 PPR points per game with Joe Flacco under center after averaging 8.2 PPG in Cincinnati's first six games.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been moving WR Tee Higgins into the slot more this offseason, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Bengals WR Jermaine Burton entered the NFL with character concerns and had more trouble as a rookie last year. But ESPN's Ben Baby named Burton the team's biggest surprise this offseason. "Burton has made all the right moves," Baby writes. "He was attentive and engaged throughout the spring workouts. He earned praise from every person who was asked about him, including offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher."

The Bengals have agreed to a three-year deal with TE Mike Gesicki. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it'll pay $25.5 million, with $12 million of that coming in the first season. The pay marks a steep increase from the one-year, $2.5 million contract he played on in 2024.

The Bengals have applied the franchise tag to WR Tee Higgins for the second straight season, according to multiple sources. That'll keep Higgins from hitting free agency and lock him into at least a one-year deal that would pay about $26 million. Cincinnati can afford to fit that number under the 2025 salary cap, according to Spotrac's numbers. But the Bengals would likely prefer to work out a longer-term deal with the 26-year-old.

Bengals WR Andrei Iosivas ranked second on the team in routes for Sunday's loss to the Eagles, with WR Tee Higgins sidelined. But he drew just 3 targets -- tied for fifth on the team -- and caught none of them.

ESPN's Dan Graziano hears that there's "pessimism" about Bengals WR Tee Higgins' availability for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. Higgins was added to the injury report with a quad on Friday, limited in practice, and listed as questionable. "The Bengals are planning to go right up until game time before deciding" on Higgins' status, Graziano adds. We'll look for more updates on Higgins on Sunday morning and get Cincinnati's inactives around 11:30 am ET. His absence would mean more target potential for WR Ja'Marr Chase, WR Andrei Iosivas, and the Bengals RBs and TEs. It'd also be a significant loss for QB Joe Burrow.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow entered Sunday’s game without WR Tee Higgins (hamstring). But despite a tough matchup at Kansas City, the 27-year-old managed 258 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. He remained sidelined in practice all week and is certainly not a lock to be back for Week 3. WR Andrei Iosivas should again be a full-time player today after running a route on 100% of pass plays in the opener. He’s on the WR4 radar.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs after missing practice all week. He’s not going to play. That should again leave WR Andrei Iosivas in a full-time role. He ran a route on 100% of pass plays in the opener, finishing with three catches on six targets (21% share) for 26 yards. That level of usage has him on the WR4 radar for Week 2.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase caught a solid six passes for 62 yards in Sunday's loss to the Patriots. He snagged all six of his targets, tying WR Andrei Iosivas for the team target lead amid a poor Cincinnati offensive performance. Chase's yardage more than doubled Iosivas' 26 receiving yards. No other Bengal exceeded 18 yards.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Patriots. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and then did not practice on Friday. We’ll see if Higgins can make it back for Week 2. We’re projecting WR Trenton Irwin – not WR Jermaine Burton – to replace most of Higgins’ outside snaps. WR Andrei Iosivas and TE Mike Gesicki could also see target boosts.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase joined his team for practice Sunday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. It marks the first time this summer that Chase has participated in more than individual work or walk-throughs. And Chase's return came despite no contract extension. He has been holding in throughout training camp in search of a new deal.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase has yet to practice with his team since the start of training camp. Tuesday presented a new step, though, as the WR didn't even attend practice, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. Baby says that Chase "had remained visible and involved during drills" before Tuesday.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner suggests Andrei Iosivas is the favorite to win the Bengals' No. 3 WR job. "The more Iosivas stacks practices, the more you wonder whether he won’t just soak up nearly all of [Tyler] Boyd’s 824 vacated snaps from last season," Dehner writes.