Brown joins Bengals backfield

The Bengals grabbed RB Chase Brown in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Brown spent one year at Western Michigan before transferring to Illinois for the past four. He served as the Fighting Illini's lead back each of the last three seasons, culminating with a big 328-carry, 1,643-yard 2022 campaign. Brown added another 240 yards and three scores on 27 catches. The 5'10, 209-pounder blew up the Combine with a 4.43-second 40 time and 40-inch vertical to earn a 98th percentile Relative Athletic Score. Brown joins a Bengals backfield currently led by RB Joe Mixon. Mixon has been a rumored cut candidate, although Cincinnati's moves at RB so far this offseason make that seem unlikely. We'll keep an eye on the Mixon situation, but Brown at least has a chance to emerge as the Bengals' #2 RB this year. His competition for that spot: Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams.

Bengals OC Brian Callahan said he believes RB Chase Brown “has a chance to be a heavy contributor” in 2024. Callahan praised Brown’s hard running and explosiveness. Despite only 46 touches, the rookie’s tallied a pair of 30+ yard gains. Joe Mixon isn’t a lock to return in 2024, so Brown's a candidate to play a rotaitonal role next fall. He sits at RB47 in our current RB dynasty rankings.

Bengals RB Chase Brown had just three rushes for 5 yards and 2 catches for 23 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Those 5 touches marked a slight dip vs. last week but a bigger decrease from Brown's previous three games. Joe Mixon, meanwhile, rebounded from two straight 13-touch games to dominate Brown 25-5 in that category. Brown hadn't reached the point of being usable in lineups in most fantasy formats, and that should continue for Week 18. We'll see whether Cincinnati decides to cut Mixon for cap savings ahead of next season. If so, Brown could get a shot at competing for the top job in 2024. But don't treat him as the likely 2024 starter for dynasty purposes or early best-ball drafting. Keep in mind we're talking about a fifth-round pick who had just 5 total touches before December.

Bengals RB Chase Brown is a healthy scratch for today's opener vs. the Browns. Cincinnati is rolling with RBs Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams behind lead back Joe Mixon. Brown is only worth stashing in deep fantasy leagues.