Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals enter 2026 with one of the strongest fantasy cores in the league, led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and a backfield that still runs through Chase Brown. The biggest recent developments to watch are on defense and depth, including Trey Hendrickson’s departure earlier in the year, Logan Wilson’s retirement, and the addition of veteran QB Joe Flacco plus QB Josh Johnson behind Burrow, which helps stabilize the offense if needed but does not change the fact that Burrow remains the engine of the entire unit.

Burrow is a top-tier fantasy QB again because Cincinnati’s passing volume should stay elite, and the roster still funnels through Chase and Higgins as the clear weekly target winners. Ja’Marr Chase remains the safest elite pick on the team and profiles as a locked-in WR1, while Higgins stays in strong WR2 territory thanks to his role opposite Chase and the continued expectation that the Bengals will have to throw plenty in competitive games. Andrei Iosivas looks more like a depth/flex option than a true breakout bet after the early-August depth chart still showed him behind Chase and Higgins in the receiver pecking order.

Chase Brown is the key RB to target, and he should again get the best combination of touches and explosive-play upside in this offense, with Samaje Perine and rookie Tahj Brooks mostly threatening to take specific situations rather than the job outright. Brown’s value is tied to Cincinnati’s scoring environment, and that environment still looks favorable because Burrow and the receivers keep the offense pass-heavy and efficient. The Bengals’ tight end situation is less exciting for fantasy, with Mike Gesicki listed ahead of Erick All Jr. and Drew Sample on the depth chart, but that group looks more like bye-week coverage than a reliable weekly starter.

The main thing to monitor in late summer is health and availability, especially on the defensive side and in the trenches, since B.J. Hill was placed on the active/PUP list and Josh Kattus was placed on NFI, while Ceyair Wright left camp and Matthew McDoom was signed to add depth in the secondary. For fantasy purposes, the Bengals still project as a concentrated, high-end offense: Burrow is a strong QB1, Chase is an overall WR1, Higgins is a dependable WR2, and Brown has the clearest chance to beat draft price if his workload expands the way it should in this system.