Bengals RB Fantasy Outlook: Should You Draft Zack Moss and Chase Brown?

The Cincinnati Bengals‘ RB depth chart has the RB1 role up for grabs after Joe Mixon’s departure following seven seasons in stripes. Free agent acquisition Zack Moss seems like the favorite as Mixon’s replacement, but second-year back Chase Brown could be a breakout candidate after showing big-play potential during his rookie campaign.

Can either of them be useful for fantasy football managers this season? Let’s examine the fantasy outlooks for Moss and Brown in 2024.

Zack Moss’ Fantasy Outlook and Projections

• PPR fantasy Points: 211.6 (173.6 Non-PPR)
• Rushing Yards: 988.4
• Rushing Touchdowns: 6.2
• Receptions: 38.0
• Receiving Yards: 266.2
• Receiving Touchdowns: 1.8

Managing Moss‘ average draft position (ADP) will be important as your draft approaches and news surfaces.

At the moment, he’s priced as a borderline Flex option. That’s appealing, but it accounts for role uncertainty. Moss’ positional ADP could fluctuate 8-10 spots based on reporting, which will dictate my exposure.

With a strong camp and a firm grasp on the RB1 title, why wouldn’t he move into the RB2 tier with guys like Rhamondre Stevenson and Aaron Jones? With every Brown highlight, though, I find the upside of Raheem Mostert and Javonte Williams more appealing — both of whom are going after Moss in most drafts.

Orlando Brown added to my hesitation when he said, “If I could play fantasy football, I’d take (Chase Brown) as my first running back.” Brown is an offensive lineman, not a fantasy analyst, but the fact that he made this comment is at least worth highlighting.

At this moment, I’m more likely to invest in RB talent I view as more explosive. In this ADP neighborhood, Jaylen Warren is the pick I make most frequently. The aforementioned Williams is another player I grade higher than Moss in terms of raw talent.

I’m not actively avoiding Moss by any means. The ability to get cheap exposure to an offense I trust holds value. Still, he’s not currently circled as a “must target” on my cheat sheets, either.

Chase Brown’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections

• PPR fantasy Points: 186.8 (137.9 Non-PPR)
• Rushing Yards: 625.0
• Rushing Touchdowns: 2.0
• Receptions: 48.9
• Receiving Yards: 544.7
• Receiving Touchdowns: 1.5

With just 58 touches on his NFL résumé, it’s difficult to know exactly what Brown can do for you. But there were certainly some nice sparks last year. He wasn’t drafted to impact 2023 in a significant way, so I’m not the least bit discouraged by his lack of usage as a rookie.

I love the fact that he turned 15 targets into 14 catches and 156 yards last season. No, that’s not much in the way of volume, but for a player who saw only 7.6% of his touches during his final collegiate season come through the air, Cincinnati’s willingness to explore his capabilities in the short passing game was the most encouraging thing I saw from Brown in 2023.

The concerns aren’t a secret, though. What will the role look like with the team signing Moss to a two-year deal, and will he be efficient enough to earn an expanded role? Moss averaged 4.5 yards per carry across two seasons with the Colts and was productive in his first four games last season as he handled a featured role in Jonathan Taylor’s absence.

Moss profiles as the lead back, and his roughly three-round edge in ADP reflects as much. He is the more proven commodity, and in an offense built around Joe Burrow, NFL experience is going to be valued in a significant way.

Brown carried the ball 44 times last season, and two of them were chunk plays. If we remove those two carries, we are looking at a running back without many professional reps who averaged just 2.88 yards per carry as a rookie, and maybe we are not having this discussion.

While I think Moss is a good bet to get the first carry in Week 1 and hold that role for the majority of the season, I have no issue with you selecting Brown outside the top 100 players/top 35 RBs. He is pretty clearly going to be in the mix for work in an offense we believe will return to elite form with Burrow under center. It’s a role that carries upside, no matter what you think of Brown as a prospect.

The Bengals’ 2024 schedule includes some brutal matchups, making it difficult to get too excited about any window of sustained viability for either Cincinnati back should this be a committee situation.

At cost, I prefer Moss, as I like to enter the season with a role in hand and go from there. If the opportunity presents itself to grab both Moss and Brown, I wouldn’t hesitate – cheap exposure to high-powered offenses isn’t a bad way to build a roster.