For the second time in his four-year NFL career, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s season was cut down due to injury. But if fully healthy, Burrow still figures to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the league.
Here’s the fantasy outlook for Burrow entering the 2024 season.
Joe Burrow’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
A calf injury bothered Burrow in the 2023 preseason, and then a wrist injury cost the former No. 1 overall pick the final seven games of the season.
When he was on the field, he did deliver for fantasy football managers. Burrow’s average passing yards per game (230.9) may have been down considerably from the previous season (279.7 in 2022), but that number is somewhat misleading.
Keep in mind that Burrow threw for 348 yards against the Buffalo Bills and 347 yards versus the Houston Texans in consecutive weeks that preceded his injury, both of which were playoff teams in 2023.
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Burrow’s yards per pass attempt (6.4) was a career low, and while his passer rating (91.0) was more than respectable, it was still his lowest since his rookie season in 2020 (89.8). He did a terrific job of avoiding mistakes, with an interception percentage of 1.6%, his lowest since his rookie season (1.2%).
One area to keep an eye out for with Burrow is when he runs the ball. While he is hardly a dual-threat quarterback (8.8 rush yards per game last season), he was held without a rushing touchdown for the first time in his career in 2023. Back in 2022, he had a career-high five touchdown runs.
Is Burrow a Good Fantasy Pick?
Burrow is the QB7 in Pro Football Network’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings as of Aug. 16. This presents a potentially solid value for fantasy managers who can’t get a hold of a Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts.
At the end of the day, a healthy Burrow still has arguably the league’s top wide receiver to throw to in Ja’Marr Chase, along with Tee Higgins. Joe Mixon is gone, but Zack Moss has joined the team and should replace Mixon at running back.
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All too often, too many injuries can take down a player’s career before it reaches its peak. However, it doesn’t appear we’re at that point with Burrow yet.
In his two healthy seasons — 2021 and 2022 — Burrow averaged 283.9 passing yards a game, completing 69.3% of his passes with 34.5 passing touchdowns a season and a passer rating of 104.2.
Although the Bengals play in a tough AFC North, featuring arguably the league’s top two defenses in the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, Burrow should still be able to put up terrific numbers for any fantasy manager interested.
If I need a quarterback for my fantasy team after Allen, Hurts, and perhaps Lamar Jackson, I’d be very interested in Burrow when he becomes available.