The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 15. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Bengals skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Joe Burrow, QB
Joe Burrow is having a career year (pace: 4,846 yards and 43 TDs), and just about nothing can slow him down at this point as the offense is scheming around his strengths. Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki have plenty of room to be more involved, giving Burrow plenty of production outs should a team unearth a way to slow Ja’Marr Chase.
The counting numbers for the Titans’ defense look good, but that’s the result of limited volume. Through 14 weeks, they allow touchdown passes at the 10th highest rate in the league, and we know that this Bengals’ offense is going to challenge the end zone through the air.
Chase Brown, RB
Chase Brown is the first player with 12+ carries AND 30+ receiving yards in five straight games since Saquon Barkley did it in 2018 for the Giants. Take it a step further and extend his numbers from that stretch, and we’re looking at 1,278 rushing yards and 95 catches.
Two players in the history of this great game have produced that stat line in a single season: LaDainian Tomlinson (2003) and Christian McCaffrey (2019).
Joe Burrow gets all of the attention, but Brown’s versatility and volume might be more valuable in fantasy circles, given the price paid on draft day. The Bengals aren’t likely to impact the NFL postseason, but I very much expect them to be involved with how fantasy leagues finish.
Ja’Marr Chase, WR
I could “stat” you to death about Ja’Marr Chase’s Week 14, past month, or his 2024 season, but I’m already asking you to do a lot of reading, so let’s just relive Monday night together in 120 enjoyable seconds.
Every catch from Ja'Marr Chase's monster night on MNF:
🐅 14 catches
🐅 177 yards
🐅 2 TD pic.twitter.com/v0Wh55L6k4— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
He’s the first Bengal with 75 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in four straight games since Chad Johnson did it in 2004, and the history-making doesn’t figure to slow given his connection with Joe Burrow.
Could he be fantasy football’s 1.01 for 2025?
Tee Higgins, WR
Was Tee Higgins out there on Monday Night Football?
I’m aware that he had two catches (23 yards) and Joe Burrow missed him on an end-zone target in single coverage that is a touchdown more often than not, but Higgins’ impact was minimal in what looked like a good spot against the Cowboys.
Sadly, we get these stinkers from Higgins on occasion. Week 14 was the fifth time since the beginning of last season in which the star receiver averaged under one yard per route run, a level of production that has kept him from ascending into the top 15 at the position on a regular basis.
I expect enough of a bounce-back to justify a starting rank, but I don’t think we’re getting two weeks’ worth of production in a four-quarter stretch. The Titans are vulnerable on the ground, and when opponents take to the air, it’s usually not too far downfield.
Normally, that would green-light me to start players next to a player like Ja’Marr Chase, who is capable of taking the top off of any defense. However, Higgins’ aDOT is actually 21.1% higher than that of his alpha teammate this season.
The Giants have a similar defensive profile as the Titans’, and Higgins turned seven targets into 77 yards against New York back in Week 6. I think that makes for a reasonable projection and is viable, even if not matchup-deciding.
Mike Gesicki, TE
Mike Gesiciki’s status in the NFL is based on him being a plus route runner for the position, and while we’ve seen that ring true at times this season (96.8% of his snaps have seen him run a route), that’s a skill that only matters for us if he is on the field.
- Week 14 at Dallas Cowboys: 29.2% snap share
That’s a third straight game of decline; while it was a nice run, he is firmly off of the acceptable streaming radar. Chig Okonkwo and Grant Calcaterra are two options that I’d prefer without a second thought this week and moving forward.