Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Fantasy Football Projections 2021: Cincinnati Bengals

Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the Cincinnati Bengals.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Joe Burrow587.2387.84213.225.257.6366247.54.62306.74
Brandon Allen40.825.92531.451.064.47.70.0214.69

Joe Burrow: Sustaining his season-ending knee injury in Week 11, the only quarterback to throw more pass attempts than Burrow (404, 36.7/G) through that point in the season was Tom Brady (433, 36.1/G). Burrow should rank near the top of the NFL in pass attempts in 2021. That volume makes last year's No. 1 overall pick a worthy back-end QB1 in drafts this summer.

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Joe Mixon276.112017.3256.1455.62.9255.03
Samaje Perine59.4246.51.4913.7100.50.553.49
Trayveon Williams18.780.40.374.1290.115.81
Chris Evans5.523.40.123.122.30.17.44

Joe Mixon: Mixon appeared in only six games in 2020 and he has now missed multiple games in three of his four NFL seasons. That said, Mixon had a minimum of 19 touches in the six games in which he appeared in 2020. Through Week 6, Mixon had more carries (119) than all running backs not named Derrick Henry (123) and was top 10 among running backs in targets (26). With Giovani Bernard now in Tampa, Mixon should be even more involved as a receiver.

MORE: Joe Mixon 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

Samaje Perine: Perine averaged 6.6 YPC last season for the Bengals and he slides in as the RB2 behind Mixon with Bernard now longer on the roster. Given Mixon's durability history, Perine will be one of the top handcuffs to target late whether your fantasy roster has Mixon or not.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Ja'Marr Chase85.41045.16.11.15.90.01184.46
Tee Higgins81.71009.46.44.424.20.04182.85
Tyler Boyd83.8917.85.34.427.30.04168.45
Auden Tate24.8301.51.800053.35
Trent Taylor4.644.70.10007.37
Stanley Morgan3.133.50.10005.5

Ja'Marr Chase: Former college teammate Justin Jefferson dominated as a rookie in 2020. If Chase were draft-eligible last year, the 2019 Biletnikoff award winner would have been the first receiver off the board. Reunited with his former college quarterback, Chase should be able to establish immediate chemistry. While Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd will still see substantial (perhaps equal) targets as well, Chase should emerge eventually as the team's WR1.

Tee Higgins: From Week 2 until Week 11 (Joe Burrow's knee injury), Higgins scored the 19th-most fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) amongst wide receivers. With the Bengals drafting Ja'Marr Chase over Penei Sewell, it took some steam out of Higgins' opportunity to build upon his strong rookie season. On the other hand, A.J. Green and his 104 targets (6.5/G) are no longer on the roster.

MORE: Tee Higgins 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

Tyler Boyd: Boyd had just one catch for one yard in Weeks 15 and 17 -- he was out in Week 16 -- as he failed to extend his 1,000-yard streak to three seasons. Through Week 11 (when Joe Burrow tore his ACL), however, Boyd was averaging 71.0 yards per game, which put him on a 16-game pace of 1,136 yards. Even though the Bengals drafted Chase, a healthy Burrow keeps Boyd in the WR3 mix.

Auden Tate: As The Athletic's Jay Morrison notes, the Bengals could use more four-WR sets in 2021 with what expects to be an improved offensive line and the quick processing skills of Joe Burrow. Even so, it's more likely to require an injury to one of the team's top three receivers for Tate to become useful in fantasy in 2021.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
C.J. Uzomah27.5272.41.700051.19
Drew Sample24.6223.31.400043.03
Mason Schreck1.211.20.10002.32

C.J. Uzomah: Uzomah suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2 last season, but The Athletic's Jay Morrison notes that offensive coordinator Brian Callahan thinks they team could have five players hit the 50-reception mark with Uzomah occupying one of those spots.

Drew Sample: Over 16 games last season, Sample had 40 catches for 349 yards and one touchdown. A healthy Uzomah knocks Sample back down to the TE2 spot on the depth chart.

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