The Cincinnati Bengals are in danger of losing control of their season after starting 0-2. They are also struggling to get their superstars on the field, with Tee Higgins missing the first two games with a hamstring injury.
It has allowed Andrei Iosivas to step up and shine for the Bengals’ offense. This past summer, one of the positive stories coming from training camp was the rise of Iosivas in the offense, with the team discussing his ability to become a “big slot” option within the scheme.
However, due to Higgins’ injury, Iosivas has been on the outside. In Week 2, he had one of the best games of his career in the touchdown department. Iosivas recorded a pair of scoring grabs on his only two catches, totaling seven yards.
Can Iosivas raise his performance to help our fantasy rosters in Week 3 and the rest of the season, or was this a blip on the radar? Let’s break down the key insights that will help us correctly identify the Bengals wide receiver and his fantasy football outlook.
Andrei Iosivas’ Fantasy Outlook for the Remainder of the 2024 Season
Iosivas’ season-long outlook is an enigma at the moment. As long as Higgins is dealing with an injury, he will always have an elevation in the Consensus Rankings, with most teams using double coverage on Ja’Marr Chase.
Andre Iosivas with his second touchdown, great fantasy player 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WwZYVlYxRR
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 15, 2024
When Higgins does return, Iosivas could provide a limited but beneficial role within the Bengals’ offense and on our fantasy teams. Most defenses will have to focus on Chase and Higgins, allowing Iosivas to dominate within the slot role.
With Iosivas providing a 91st-percentile speed score with a 96th-percentile catch radius, we could see some sudden cuts in the middle of the field that will allow for some memorable plays from the second-year wide receiver.
Should Andrei Iosivas Be Added on the Fantasy Waiver Wire in Week 3?
Thankfully, the 0-2 Bengals receive an early Christmas gift when facing the Washington Commanders’ defense in Week 3.
The Commanders lack a defensive back who can stop any wide receiver. We just watched Malik Nabers, albeit a highly talented first-round pick, torch the Commanders all day in Week 2. Unfortunately, until Iosivas can produce more receptions or more yardage, we need to leave him on the waiver wire for another team to mistakenly add him.
Don’t let the two touchdowns trick you into waiver-wire remorse. His four targets were 64th in the NFL in Week 2. He also was 153rd in total yardage, with Trumedia ranking his yards per reception as the 125th best, as he only produced 3.5 total.
His air yards per target were also abysmal, as his 7.25 figure in that category ranked 57th overall. He may have an opportunity to become the big slot with a superstar quarterback in Joe Burrow; however, his lack of playmaking ability would need to be offset by a scenario where he is targeted 10+ times a game, which will not happen within this offense.