Joe Burrow
vs Bhayshul Tuten

“Bengals Bengals QB Joe Burrow had 58 passing attempts in the loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, but feels that the team can throw it even more going forward.”

“Burrow had an underwhelming opener, but he’s tallied 489 passing yards (244.5 per game), 7.45 adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A), five passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions in two subsequent contests, scoring 19.88 DraftKings points per game and 19.88 FanDuel points per game in the last two weeks. The Bengals lost a shootout last week, and the Jaguars have the firepower to push Burrow into a ceiling performance through the air. His top passing-game weapon will be featured in the core studs.”

“Joe Burrow may not be a must-start this week, but Chase Brown , Ja’Marr Chase , and Tee Higgins are all auto-starts.”

“According to the Fantasy Points Data Suite 2.0, among 33 quarterbacks with at least 20 dropbacks, Burrow ranks: 13th in passing yards per game (230.5) 19th in adjusted net yards per pass attempt (6.14 ANY/A) Tied for 14th in passing touchdowns (three) 10th in expected passing touchdowns (3.5) 21st in rushing yards per game (9.5) Interestingly, the Bengals are just fifth in pass rate over expected (6.3% PROE) this year. That’s still pass-happy, but Cincinnati tied for first in PROE (7.9%) from 2023 through 2025. Their defense is better, and the washed-up, Aaron Rodgers -led Steelers are unlikely to push Burrow and Cincinnati’s offense into a shootout.”

“Joe Burrow nearly gifted Tampa Bay a pick-six, the Buccaneers heavily guarded Chase, and Burrow simply could not connect with his WR1. That extra attention also opened things up elsewhere: TE Mike Gesicki finished with five catches for 78 yards and a TD as Tampa Bay focused on containing Chase and Tee Higgins . Look, that does not completely let Chase off the hook.”

“Joe Burrow’s health has been a concern in recent years, but I’ll bank on him playing a full season with one of the easiest schedules in football. I believe 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns are more than doable.”

“But if Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who missed nine games last season, enjoys a season of good health, McPherson should have his fair share of FG and PAT opportunities.”

“When Joe Burrow was healthy, he was a top-three quarterback last season”

“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.”

“Bhayshul Tuten is in a split backfield, but just like Kyren Williams and D’Andre Swift , it usually doesn’t matter. When you’re the lead back, even in a split backfield, on a high-scoring offense, you’re going to score points. It might be frustrating to watch the backup running back steal a valuable touchdown from time to time, but that comes with the territory.”

“Bhayshul Tuten ranks as a low-end RB2 and a potential buy-low candidate with 31 opportunities through the first two weeks.”

“Bhayshul Tuten has seen consistency in his workload through two games, with designed carry shares of 51.7% and 54.2% and route shares of 34.5% and 33.3%. He has averaged 15.5 touches and 75 total yards while splitting the red zone rushing role with Chris Rodriguez (each has two red zone rushing attempts). Tuten has been stellar on a per-rush basis.”

“One of the biggest worries of the offseason centered around the backfield split for Jacksonville, and primarily whether or not Bhayshul Tuten would be the preferred option for the Jaguars around the goal line over Chris Rodriguez . While Rodriguez has been involved to a minor degree for the Jags, it has been Tuten who was able to find the end zone this week and has overall dominated the touches in this offense. Maybe more importantly, Tuten’s TD carry came from short yardage, which should probably be the larger worry where C-Rod would be involved.”

“Bhayshul Tuten will compete with Chris Rodriguez to be the lead back for the Jaguars in 2026.”

“During this time, reports out of camp were glowing, with head coach Liam Coen even saying that Tuten is primed for a big season. We also saw reports of Tuten dominating some joint practices and looking the part of a featured back.”

“Bhayshul Tuten is my favorite league-winning running back candidate because the opportunity is finally there to match his talent. As a rookie, Tuten ranked fifth among qualifying running backs in rushing success rate, 11th in missed tackle rate, and averaged 12.8 PPG when seeing 10+ touches last season.”

“” – Mark Ringo ( Sleepers and Busts ) “ Bhayshul Tuten is the running back outside the top 15 I want on as many teams as possible this season. As a rookie, Tuten ranked fifth in rushing success rate and 11th in missed tackle rate despite playing behind Travis Etienne, who is now gone.”