Sunday, May 30, 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 Burrow584.23874060.224.837.366247.54.62299.6
Brandon Allen40.625.8247.71.441.064.47.70.0214.44

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). Assuming Burrow remains on track for the start of the season and is able to stay healthy, he 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 Mixon272.711596.6855.7516.93253.52
Samaje Perine59.4246.51.4912.486.20.551.41
Trayveon Williams2294.60.444.121.50.116.9
Chris Evans5.523.40.122.121.50.16.86

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.

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 Chase91.81033.96.21.15.90.01187.14
Tee Higgins83.6969.36.34.424.20.04179.19
Tyler Boyd82.6883.15.14.427.30.04163.18
Auden Tate33376.92.200067.39
Trent Taylor5.221.50.10005.35
Stanley Morgan3.121.50.10004.3

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 chemistry early. While Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd will still see substantial targets as well, Chase should emerge sooner than later 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 Profile

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 quick processing skills of Joe Burrow.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Drew Sample21.7183.11.200036.36
C.J. Uzomah16.5161.51.100031
Mason Schreck110.80.10002.18

Drew Sample: C.J. Uzomah has been fully cleared from his torn Achilles. Over 16 games last season, Sample had 40 catches for 349 yards and one touchdown. With Ja'Marr Chase being added to the receiving corps and the possibility for more four- and even five-WR sets, the Sample/Uzomah duo are unlikely to be much of a factor in the receiving game.

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