The Cincinnati Bengals experienced the upset of the week in Week 1 when the New England Patriots pulled out a victory when the entire world didn’t believe they could. One of the reasons they didn’t win the game was due to the lack of a running game.
Zack Moss had nine rushes for 44 yards, while Chase Brown only totaled 11 yards on three total rushing attempts. This lack of a running game had social media in a whirl as fantasy football fanatics worldwide worried about their running backs’ stock and if they should move on already in Week 2.
This week, the Bengals face the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were able to slow down the Baltimore Ravens and Derrick Henry on the ground, although Justice Hill was able to carve up the defense in the passing game.
Can the Bengals’ running backs return to glory, or should we expect a tame running game out of Cincinnati? Let’s correctly identify the player from this backfield to use in your starting lineup in Week 2.
Chase Brown’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Brown couldn’t have had a worse game to start the 2024 season. Six total touches for a running back with high hopes in the offseason is enough to deflate any fantasy football manager. Brown was supposed to, at the very least, be the passing-down running back. Yet, Moss ran more routes and received more targets.
The one category he beat Moss in was his air yards per target, in which he dominated Moss 3.00 to 0.25. Brown’s air-yards-per-target numbers were the third-best for running backs in Week 1. If there is any silver lining, that stat would be it. Otherwise, his performance is a significant concern for the fantasy community, compounding the offseason question when we asked why the Bengals signed another running back if they truly believed in Brown.
Zack Moss’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Moss struggled throughout the game but at least landed in the end zone to help your fantasy football team. He was also one of the top 20 running backs in yards after contact per rush, according to TruMedia. His 2.78 total was the 17th-best in the NFL and showed that even though he was met with defenders he could create more yardage for his team.
Moss showed us last year that he has the talent to produce in the NFL. However, for most of his NFL career, he struggled to flash these talents, which is why we are nervous about this running back.
Should You Start Brown or Moss This Week?
The Bengals’ running back to start is Moss. Although we have our fears about his game, he saw more volume than Brown last week.
The consensus rankings show we would rather you start another team’s running back instead of taking on the Chiefs’ defense. However, if you must start one, we revert to our pre-draft rules: We want players on good offenses. The Bengals usually are a potent offensive unit. Hopefully, they will refind their mojo in Week 2.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say Moss should outperform Brown in Week 2. His 9.7 fantasy points should outshine Brown’s 8.3, as Moss is slated to receive over 57 yards when you check our Optimizer. If you check our rankings, you will see we agree.
Kyle Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Outlook for Moss and Brown
Zack Moss: I’m trying, Cincy. I’m an optimist at heart, and trying to find silver linings in what happened last week is difficult for me, so I can imagine what you’re going through as you try to dust yourself off and take on the two-time defending champs on extended rest.
Moss looked fine last week. He handled all three backfield carries in the first quarter and paid off consecutive rush attempts inside the 10-yard line with a score after Chase Brown helped the Bengals get there. For the afternoon as a whole, Moss played 64.6% of the snaps and produced 33.1% more points than expected given where his touches came on the field.
This is still a committee, but one that Moss is sitting on the right side of. Week 1 was a bumpy ride for this team (under 26 minutes of possession and 4.8 yards per pass), and that capped the fantasy appeal for all of the Bengals’ options. That said, if you invested in Moss this summer, you’re in a better position to profit now than you were seven days ago.
Moss is still not a locked-in Flex option for me (RB32) with the game script being a concern, but he’s not far off. And with a decent showing this week, he’ll threaten my top 24 at the position for Week 3.
Chase Brown: I’m not making broad statements after an upset loss by a team that had plenty of internal noise this offseason, but if Brown isn’t careful, he could fall off of the fantasy radar altogether.
It was a tiny sample against an elite defense, and for that reason, assuming you’re still buying some stock in this offense as a whole, Brown is a hold.
But a low-usage opener where his competition ran more routes, earned more targets, and picked up positive yards on every one of his carries isn’t exactly how those who scooped Brown up this summer envisioned the season starting in a game where Cincy was an eight-point favorite.