Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jake Browning Fantasy Advice After Joe Burrow's Toe Injury

Joe Burrow left Sunday's game with a toe injury and was unable to return, a major concern for both the Cincinnati Bengals and fantasy football enthusiasts who have rostered the team's offensive playmakers like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown.

Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19 reported Burrow could miss "several weeks" after being diagnosed with turf toe. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero later reported that it was feared Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury, which would require surgery and sideline the quarterback for three months.

There's little doubt that the absence of Burrow will negatively impact the team's offense as a whole, and Jake Browning isn't going to help the cause of the wideouts in particular. But just how much of a downgrade in fantasy will the Bengals' skill-position players be facing? And is Browning a viable option?

As backup quarterbacks go, Browning is one of the better ones, though he's still a "backups giveth and backups taketh sort of player," as evidenced by his two touchdown passes and three interceptions in relief of Burrow on Sunday.

Chase certainly didn't seem to be adversely affected, catching 14 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown in the 31-27 win.

His fantasy stock took a huge hit in 2023 when Burrow was injured, however. In six games with Browning under center, he caught 29 passes for 383 yards and one touchdowns. That averages out to 12.2 fantasy points per game, which is hardly shabby, but well below the 23.7 fantasy points per game we saw him average with a healthy Burrow in 2024.

You have to start Chase if you have him—he's always capable of a huge performance. But you need to brace for the very real possibility of more WR2 weeks than WR1 performances.

Higgins, meanwhile, was a bit boom-or-bust with Browning, catching 15 passes for 328 yards and three scores across five games. That averaged out to 13.1 fantasy points per contest, though all three of the touchdowns came in two games. He had three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.

It's safest to consider Higgins a flex option with Browning under center, though his potential downgrade may not be as pronounced as that of Chase.

As for Brown, he's clearly the feature back in Cincy and received 18 total touches on Sunday. It's hard to see that changing much regardless of who's under center. He was the only running back to see a carry on Sunday—he remains a solid RB2 option.

Finally, there's Browning himself. In his seven starts in place of Burrow back in 2023 he threw for 1,868 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 88 yards and three touchdowns. That averaged out to a very solid 19.6 fantasy points per contest.

Now, are there plenty of other very solid fantasy quarterbacks available to you? Yes, of course. But if you lost Burrow and don't love your backup, Browning is legitimately a viable option, and he honestly isn't a bad idea to roster even if you don't have Burrow. The Bengals didn't exactly turn conservative when he entered on Sunday, so don't be surprised if he puts up surprisingly solid fantasy numbers.