Joe Burrow vs Bhayshul Tuten

“Lamar Jackson , Jayden Daniels , Joe Burrow , Baker Mayfield , and Kyler Murray all were selected as top-12 players at the position and finished double-digit slots behind expectations in terms of points per game.”

“Round 1: Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) To kick things off at No. 4 overall, I went with Joe Burrow .”

“Even with a modest target share, Higgins maximizes his opportunities in one of the NFL’s premier passing offenses led by Joe Burrow .”

“The pivot to more under-center passing won’t be as natural and certainly might not be anywhere near as successful for the Bengals, because Burrow clearly isn’t as comfortable and doesn’t perform as well. In fact, if we go back the last three years, Burrow’s under-center dropbacks average just 3.6 air yards, which ranked dead last: #69 out of 69 qualifying QBs. His time to throw of 2.81 seconds was the #5 fastest out of 69 QBs, and he threw just 17% of passes 10+ yards downfield, also ranking dead last.”

“Zac Taylor wants the Bengals to play more from under center in 2026. Unfortunately, Joe Burrow under center is precisely where this offense struggles most, which is why the Bengals haven't used it often of late. How much the Bengals choose to pivot to under-center passing and how much Burrow can improve on these dropbacks might have a large impact on their fortunes in 2026.”

“Overvalued: Joe Burrow, Quarterback (QB4, Pick 59 OVR) Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t like Joe Burrow, or that I don’t think that Joe Burrow is a talented player; I just think that Joe Burrow is capped insofar as he doesn’t rush at all, and the Bengals’ offensive line isn’t strong enough for him to be a consistent top-four player without the rushing.”

“Of the top-10 quarterbacks based on LTV, Burrow is the one quarterback with little to no rushing upside, making him the quarterback I would want to trade away.”

“Burrow was once again impactful when on the field, completing 66.8% of his passes for a 6.6% touchdown rate. Burrow is the only quarterback with a touchdown rate of 6% or higher in each of the past two seasons.”

“Despite finishing the season as the QB29 last season due to missed games, Burrow finished the season red hot. Through the final six weeks of 2025, Burrow was on pace for 4500+ passing yards and 43 passing TDs. Since 2023, Burrow in Week 1 has been atrocious.”

“Over the last four seasons, Burrow has established himself as one of the NFL's premier fantasy quarterbacks even without the rushing upside of the Allen/Lamar types. He finished as the overall QB3 or better for 14 weeks in that span. What's wild is he missed 17 games in that span!”

“Joe Burrow's health has been the biggest hurdle for this team in recent seasons. If he remains healthy, Burrow will put up MVP numbers, and the Bengals will be in the thick of the playoff hunt in a loaded AFC field of contenders.”

“Seeing Joe Burrow go ahead of quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye is quite shocking, but Burrow is firmly going as the QB2 on Fantrax. If Burrow were to have another season like 2024, with 45 total touchdowns and almost 5,000 passing yards, he would be worthy of this selection. But we also have to consider the possibility of a repeat of his 2025 season, in which Burrow played only eight games and threw 17 passing touchdowns while finishing with fewer than 2,000 yards in half a season.”

“Rodriguez will remain a worry for Tuten at the goal line and to his overall touch count until we see his role fleshed out this season, but if he can be the clear lead guy, he has the talent to match Etienne’s RB13 finish last year in fantasy points per game.”

“This could be the big breakout season for Tuten, who, on a per-touch basis, flashed the immense talent that I really liked when he was in college.”

“The second-year back checks literally every box that sharp fantasy managers look for in upside RBs. Athleticism is an easy place to start, as Tuten ran a blazing 4.32 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL Combine.”

“With Travis Etienne Jr. now in New Orleans, there are now more than 250 vacated touches in Jacksonville for Bhayshul Tuten and new running back addition Chris Rodriguez Jr.”

“The Bhayshul Tuten hype train has only continued to grow this offseason. Despite the threat of newly acquired Chris Rodriguez, Tuten’s ADP has been on a steady rise this summer.”

“Bhayshul Tuten being ranked outside of the top 24 in half-PPR feels criminal. Yes, he will face competition from Chris Rodriguez in camp, but all signs point towards Tuten winning the starting running back role for Jacksonville.”

“Some may call me crazy, but I call Tuten a league winner.”

“Bhayshul Tuten was picked almost entirely on per-touch efficiency. Among 55 qualifying running backs last year, he ranked fifth in rushing success rate and 11th in missed tackles forced, elite marks for a rookie.”

“With Travis Etienne gone, Bhayshul Tuten will compete with Chris Rodriguez to be the lead back for the Jaguars in 2026. I want to bet on Tuten this year and his talent. Last year, Tuten was unfortunately robbed of the stretch run of his rookie season as he was sidelined by a finger injury.”

“Mike sees the upside in Tuten, expecting him to be boot-scootin' up to top-end RB volume this season.”

“Tuten never got much work while the team leaned on Travis Etienne; however, Etienne is in New Orleans now, and the Jags brought in Chris Rodriguez (WAS) to help carry the load. This situation is eerily similar to Chase Brown before he broke out in his second year in Cincinnati.”

“Bhayshul Tuten didn't show much in his rookie season, with only one game over 30% snap share. Still, when he was on the field, he made an impression.”