Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Vikings TE Irv Smith jumped from 31% playing time in the opener to 56% in Monday night's loss at Philadelphia. He finished 2nd on the team with 8 targets -- trailing only Justin Jefferson (12) -- catching 5 balls for 36 yards and the team's lone TD. TE Johnny Mundt, meanwhile, dipped from 65% Week 1 playing time to 46% against the Eagles. We certainly wouldn't bet on 8 targets a week or even the 17.4% target share becoming Smith's norm. But he'd be in weekly lineup consideration if he can live north of 50% playing time.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) is active for today’s game vs. the Cowboys. He should be ready for his usual role and is a high-upside WR2 play.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) is expected to play vs. the Cowboys today, "barring a setback," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. We won't get Cincinnati's inactives until 3 pm ET, but Higgins sounds safe to get into fantasy lineups. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a late-game replacement rostered just in case Higgins has a setback.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Cowboys. He got in a limited practice on Wednesday before being excused on Thursday to attend his father's funeral. Higgins then returned to a full practice on Friday, seemingly putting him on track to be cleared for Sunday's game. We should get another update on Higgins on Saturday.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins missed Thursday's practice for personal reasons. That's unlikely to keep him from playing vs. the Cowboys this weekend, but he still has work to do to clear the concussion protocol. We'll update Higgins' progress tomorrow.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) was able to put in a limited practice on Wednesday. That means he's made some progress through the protocol and has a shot to be cleared for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. We'll continue to monitor his progress.

Bengals HC Zac Taylor confirmed Monday that WR Tee Higgins is in the concussion protocol. Taylor said "the conversations are encouraging" -- whatever that means. Consider Higgins no better than 50/50 to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. His absence would be a boost to WR Tyler Boyd and TE Hayden Hurst.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow tossed 3 first-half INTs and took 4 sacks before the break in Sunday's OT loss to the Steelers. He settled down in the 2nd half, though, finishing with 338 yards, 2 TDs and 4 INTs on 53 pass attempts. The 7 sacks for the game might be most alarming for Burrow's outlook. His ability to salvage the fantasy line despite losing WR Tee Higgins to a 1st-half concussion, though, should remind you why you drafted the 3rd-year QB.

Vikings TE Irv Smith played just 31% of the offensive snaps and ran a route on 45% of pass plays in Sunday's opener vs. the Packers. He finished catch-less on 2 targets. Smith wasn't listed on the Week 1 injury report, but we're assuming he was limited because he missed 3 weeks in August after thumb surgery. Smith's role figures to grow -- and he's worth keeping on fantasy rosters. But he can't be trusted in fantasy lineups until we see the route rate climb.

Playing all 81 snaps in Week 1, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase racked up 16 targets, 10 catches, 129 yards and 1 score. The monster line came against Pittsburgh in a game that lasted until the end of overtime. Tee Higgins also departed in the 1st half with a concussion. As we saw last year, Chase was electric with the ball in his hands, dodging several tacklers and showing top-end burst. He also had 2 near TDs that didn’t count: One where he likely crossed the goal line but HC Zac Taylor decided not to challenge, the other on a sweet one-handed grab where he couldn’t quite get his 2nd foot down. Chase will look to keep rolling next week against Dallas.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon was fed 27 carries and 9 targets in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. He turned the heavy workload into 145 total yards and 7 catches, the latter mark matching a career high. Sure, Joe Burrow tossed 53 passes in a game that lasted all 70 minutes. But it was still encouraging to see Mixon deliver as a pass-catcher following spotty production there last season. His 9 targets accounted for 17% of Burrow's total pass attempts, a rate in line with Mixon's increased passing game usage through last year's playoffs. Samaje Perine mixed in for only 1 carry and 3 catches (5 targets). Look for Mixon to remain busy this week at Dallas — especially if Tee Higgins (concussion) is sidelined.

In a game that lasted all of regulation and overtime, Bengals QB Joe Burrow tallied 338 yards and 2 TDs on 33 of 53 passing. Burrow added 4 INTs and took 7 sacks despite facing pressure on only 14.1% of his dropbacks, per TruMediaSports. Adding 47 rushing yards, Burrow really delivered for fantasy owners. His decision-making must get cleaned up, though. One particularly late throw to the outside was returned for 6 by S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Note that Burrow lost WR Tee Higgins to a concussion in the 1st half, making him questionable for a Week 2 matchup at Dallas.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins went to the locker room in the 1st half to be evaluated for a concussion. We'll watch for results of that testing.

Update: Higgins has been ruled out. We'll watch his progress through the concussion protocol this week.

Vikings TE Irv Smith is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He missed about 3 weeks in August after undergoing thumb surgery but has been practicing for about 2-and-a-half weeks now. He'll be out there for Sunday's opener vs. the Packers.

Vikings TE Irv Smith practiced Monday for the 1st time since thumb surgery 3 weeks ago. That aligns with previous reports that he was on track to be ready for Week 1. Smith has remained high in TE2 territory in our fantasy football rankings.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that TE Irv Smith is "on track" for Week 1. Smith is recovering from August 2 thumb surgery. It sounds like rehab has gone well, but it's still concerning that Smith will miss most of August -- after missing the entire 2021 season with a knee injury. He'll be tough to trust in fantasy lineups early in the season, although there's still top-12 upside here.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow spoke to the media on Wednesday about his recovery from his appendectomy. He said he's eating "everything" to gain back 20 pounds, per insider Mike Petraglia. Burrow added that he'll return to 11-on-11 work in Wednesday's practice. And, while he won't play in the preseason, he feels confident that he'll be ready to go for Week 1. We'll continue to monitor Burrow's progress, but we haven't altered his 2022 projections.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow practiced Sunday for the first time since his late-July appendectomy. Per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner, the Bengals will gradually increase Burrow’s practice load over the next few days. Based on some highlights from today, though, Burrow certainly looks close to 100%. We’re not concerned about his effectiveness for Week 1.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins continues to be eased into practice after offseason shoulder surgery. But HC Zac Taylor has no concerns about his readiness for the start of the season. “On the physical part of things, he’s ready. I know he feels great. I know he’s ready to go, and trust me, he tells me every day," Taylor said. "But it’s good to slowly integrate him in there, so he’s been doing the one-on-ones. He’ll do seven-on-sevens going forward. I think that he feels really good, and man, he’s really attacked that rehab the right way and looks really good.” Higgins is safe to draft in the late 2nd or early 3rd round of fantasy drafts.

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said Monday that he's "not going to make any predictions" on when QB Joe Burrow returns to the field following his July appendix surgery, according to The Athletic. The team is reportedly optimistic, though, and doesn't expect him to miss the regular-season opener. We'll keep an eye on Burrow's progress.