Joe Burrow vs Tucker Kraft

“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.”

“Players Trey McBride, Jake Ferguson, Tucker Kraft, and AJ Barner all made significant jumps in their second season over the past three years.”

“Last year, Tucker Kraft averaged the second most fantasy points per game at 12.7”

“With only Tucker Kraft , Jayden Reed , and second-year receiver Matthew Golden , opportunities should be endless”

“Tucker Kraft is a personal favorite of mine. Before his ACL tear last season, he was dominating the tight end position. In the eighth round in a league where the FLEX position can be used for a tight end, a duo of Warren and Kraft could be excellent.”

“If Green Bay slowly eases him in, I wouldn’t be shocked, but Kraft could easily be a monster value at the tight end position in 2026 if he comes roaring back at 100% earlier than we anticipate.”

“Last year, before losing the rest of his season to a torn ACL (Week 9), Tucker Kraft was the TE1 in fantasy points per game. In Weeks 1-8, among 33 qualifying tight ends, Kraft ranked seventh in target share (18.3%), first in receiving yards per game (67), second in yards per route run (2.71), seventh in first-read share (21.6%), and second in first downs per route run (0.121, per Fantasy Points Data). Kraft was also a YAC gawd, leading all tight ends in yards after the catch per reception and missed tackles forced per reception.”

“It should be noted, though, that Watson only had 8 targets last season in the two games both he and Tucker Kraft played, so it’s not a clean copy-and-paste to 2026.”

“But Tucker Kraft is an elite talent who is getting unduly pushed down, and his value compared to Warren’s value makes Warren a less interesting click, for me.”

“At the time of his injury, Kraft ranked ninth in catches, third in yards, and second in touchdowns, with a 30/469/6 line. He did this while having a bye week, and his 67 yards per game led the position.”

“Tucker Kraft is an elite tight end in the NFL and produced exceptionally well last year before his ACL injury in November. The latest reports are that he is likely to start training camp on the PUP, but that everyone plans for him to be back in week one without any sort of restrictions.”

“Thankfully, Tucker Kraft expects to play in Week 1 without limitation after suffering a torn ACL last year. He was the TE1 on a points-per-game basis over the first eight weeks of last season, averaging 16.2 PPR fantasy points per contest, the same average as Trey McBride .”

“Tucker Kraft is coming back from an ACL tear and small meniscus tear that ended his 2025 season after eight games and torpedoed what was shaping up to be a monster season.”