Bengals QB Joe Burrow told reporters that he won't play in Sunday's regular-season finale. He said it's to "rest up," but it's also worth remembering that Burrow tweaked his right knee at the end of last week's win over the Chiefs. Cincinnati has a 1st-round home playoff game locked up and would need the Titans to lose to the Texans and the Chiefs to lose to the Broncos to get the #1 seed. RB Joe Mixon (COVID) is already out for Week 18, and we're not expecting WRs Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd to play much, if at all, vs. Cleveland. QB Brandon Allen will get the start.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow got his right knee twisted on a 4th-down play at the very end of Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. QB Brandon Allen replaced Burrow to take the final 2 snaps before the game-winning FG. HC Zac Taylor suggested afterward that Burrow should be ok going forward, but it’ll be a situation to monitor this coming week.

The Bengals have ruled WR Tyler Boyd (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Texans. That positions Tee Higgins as the clear #1 WR against a bad Houston secondary. Cincinnati will also get QB Brandon Allen back. The Bengals left him off the final injury report for the week after Allen missed Week 15 with a knee injury. Allen is nothing special but raises the passing-volume ceiling. Higgins looks like a decent WR3 for Week 16.

Bengals QB Brandon Allen (knee) has been ruled out for Monday night's game vs. the Steelers. QB Ryan Finley gets the start. Cincinnati is currently implied for 13 points.

Bengals QB Brandon Allen (knee) did not practice on Thursday. The team is still hoping he's able to play against the Steelers on Monday night, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Tyler Dragon. QB Ryan Finley will be thrown to the wolves if Allen can't go.

Bengals QB Brandon Allen was knocked out of Sunday’s game against the Dolphins in the 4th quarter with a chest injury. QB Ryan Finley mopped up, completing 6 of 7 passes for 40 yards and an INT. Continue to ignore this situation in fantasy.

The Bengals will start QB Brandon Allen against the Giants this weekend, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Cincinnati has evidently seen enough of QB Ryan Finley, who struggled in 3 starts last year and in place of QB Joe Burrow last week. Allen has been with the Bengals since August, spending the first 11 weeks of the season on the practice squad. A 6th-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2016, Allen's only 3 NFL starts came with the Broncos last year. He averaged 172 yards and 1 TD per game on a 46% completion rate and 6.1 yards per attempt. Cincinnati's offense is in serious trouble.

Broncos QB Drew Lock (thumb) is expected to be activated from the IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The rookie has taken the majority of the 1st-team reps in practice this week and seems to be in line to make his debut against the Chargers on Sunday. Lock struggled to a 60.8% completion rate and 5.0 yards per attempt this preseason. Pro Football Focus ranked him 35th in their preseason passing grades among 39 qualifying QBs. Lock is a bottom-barrel QB2 for Week 13. We'll see if he's an upgrade over QB Brandon Allen for Denver's pass-catchers.

The Broncos have placed QB Joe Flacco (neck) on IR, ending his 2019 season. It'll be Brandon Allen under center for the Broncos, presumably until rookie QB Drew Lock is ready to return from his thumb injury.

Broncos HC Vic Fangio announced Monday that QB Joe Flacco will miss Week 9 with a neck injury suffered in yesterday's loss to the Colts. Rookie QB Drew Lock still isn't ready to return from his thumb injury, so it'll be Brandon Allen under center for Denver. The 2016 6th-rounder has never taken a regular-season snap and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and 3 INTs this preseason. As poorly as Flacco has played, this is a downgrade for Denver's offense.

Update: Flacco has a herniated disc in his neck, according to insider Jeff Lewold. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport adds that Flacco is expected to miss "significant time." He's droppable in all fantasy leagues.