Joe Burrow vs Jaylen Warren

“For Pollard to find his way into the top-12, we need a Drake Maye / Joe Burrow -esque second season from Ward.”

“Joe Burrow paired with Ja’Marr Chase is obviously a nightmare matchup to go head-to-head against, but the variance the pair would inject into your lineup is prohibitively high in this format. An explosive game from them will only truly save your season when the rest of your team lays some eggs.”

“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.”

“The trio of Joe Burrow , Ja'Marr Chase , and Tee Higgins forces defenses to respect the passing game.”

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

“Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) According to Sharp Football Analysis , the Bengals have the second-easiest schedule this season, which bodes well for a passing attack featuring Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins”

“For example, fantasy players would need to use four of their first five or six picks to build a Cincinnati Bengals stack of Ja’Marr Chase , Chase Brown , Tee Higgins , and Joe Burrow”

“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.”

“Warren is coming off the best season of his career after averaging 13.6 fantasy points per game. His fantasy production was in large part due to a career-high eight combined touchdowns.”

“Rico Dowdle (RB – PIT) | ADP 58 Overall, RB29 I’ve long been a fan of Jaylen Warren and the efficiency he’s consistently posted, but he’s failed to fully take over the Steelers backfield in the last few seasons”

“Round 8: Jaylen Warren (RB – PHI) Bringing in Rico Dowdle makes me nervous, but with other loaded positions, I started to load up on running back talent that I think could get at least 50% of the carries on their team.”

“Jaylen Warren is a good player, but the Steelers brought in Mike McCarthy and signed Rico Dowdle . Remember that Dowdle was the Cowboys’ running back when McCarthy was head coach.”

“Warren has been the one constant in Pittsburgh’s backfield over the last several years. He’s answered the bell when called on to do whatever has been needed of him. Through the years, he’s become a solid, well-rounded back who can really do it all.”

“Warren profiles more as the pass catcher and security blanket for Rodgers, but his inefficiency around the goal line may have him giving up those valuable touches to Dowdle, who, despite a small sample size, was extremely effective.”

“Jaylen Warren is a favorite draft target in the seventh round based on ADP.”

“Jaylen Warren should be a target magnet for Aaron Rodgers and is more of an elite playmaker than the newly acquired Rico Dowdle.”

“They swapped in Rico Dowdle for Kenneth Gainwell, and the incoming running back is a better stylistic complement to incumbent Jaylen Warren.”

“Pat Fitzmaurice argued that Warren's pass-catching ability, pass protection skills, and overall versatility make him a strong fit for Pittsburgh's offense. If that role expands further, his current draft cost could become one of the better values at running back.”

“Warren is coming off a career year, but Dowdle handled 236 carries last season and was similarly effective, making this backfield harder to predict. Part of Warren's fantasy appeal is his receiving skill, but Dowdle is no slouch in that department. He caught 39 passes in back-to-back seasons while also rushing for 1,000 yards, something Warren hasn't done.”

“You can take your pick of this backfield between Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, who both finished as fantasy studs last season. My money is on Warren turning into a dud. Dowdle brings more competition for early-down work than Kenneth Gainwell did.”