Joe Burrow’s Fantasy Football Impact on Bengals

Joe Burrow joins the Cincinnati Bengals as the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. What’s his fantasy football value heading into the season?

The Cincinnati Bengals selected QB Joe Burrow with the 1st pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was a -100000 favorite to be taken with the top pick. Burrow joins a Bengals team loaded with offensive talent, including RB Joe Mixon and WRs A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and John Ross. Will he sneak into QB1 territory in fantasy drafts? Unlikely.

Burrow is worth a speculative add in two-QB/Superflex leagues, but with the high volume of talent at the top of the position, it’s hard to imagine feeling comfortable with Burrow as more than a bye-week fill in in single-QB leagues. The initial fantasy rank for Burrow is outside the Top 20 QBs.

Here’s why Shawn Childs ranked Burrow as his Number 1 Quarterback:

His rags to riches story in 2019 ended with a Heisman Trophy and a national title. Last year Burrow lit the college world on fire at the quarterback positions. His completion rate (76.3) was off the charts great, which led to 5,671 passing yards and an astounding 60 passing TDs and only six interceptions. Burrow chipped in 368 yards on the ground on 115 carries (3.2 yards per rush) and five more touchdowns. At the next level, his passing window will shorten, and his desire to float balls into a crowded area will have less chance of success. Burrow seemed to speed up his game as the level of his competition improved. His pocket presence graded well.

Cincinnati Bengals stats to know

• Cincinnati had the worst run defense in the league, leading to the most rushing attempts (504), rushing yards (2,383), and third-most rushing TDs (17) allowed.
• Their offense gave up five defense TDs, which ranked second behind the Bucs (7) and the Giants (5).
• The Bengals’ RBs scored only four rushing touchdowns (30th) while gaining only 3.99 yards per rush.
• Joe Mixon gained 430 combined yards over his first eight games on 120 touches (3.58 yards per play). Over his final eight games, Mixon more than doubled his previous output (994 combined yards on 193 chances – 5.15 yard per touches), giving fantasy owners hope that he would truly be an RB1 in 2020.
• Cinci’s offensive line gave up 48 sacks (7th most in the NFL).

View the original article to see embedded media.

Latest NFL Draft Coverage from Sports Illustrated

• NFL Mock Draft: One Final First Round Projection
• Overrated and Underrated NFL Draft Prospects
• NFL Mock Draft: Vegas Odds Predict First Round
• SI’s 2020 NFL Draft Prop Betting Guide

NFL Draft Exclusives: Sign up for Sports Illustrated’s newsletters and get the latest NFL Draft coverage, analysis and highlights - delivered right to your inbox.