When Jadaveon Clowney knocked Joe Burrow to the ground during the Ravens comprehensive defeat of the Bengals, it looked like any other quarterback hit that we see week in and week out. Burrow even got back on his feet and threw a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon, but it wasn’t long after that Burrow was on the sidelines in obvious pain. With the news that the Bengals quarterback would miss the rest of the year with ligament issues in his throwing hand, the pain doesn’t stop at Burrow’s door, with fantasy managers set to also feel it.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the Bengals players who will feel the knock-on effect of this sad injury and consider what the outcomes might look like ahead of trade windows closing in fantasy leagues. As an aside, if you’re playing in dynasty leagues with tarde deadlines, now is the time to petition your league to remove it for next year. Being able to trade all year benefits the entire league and keeps players involved throughout.

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Fantasy Football Injury Impact

Joe Burrow (QB)

In redraft, Burrow is completely droppable with even a miracle recovery unlikely to matter. The Bengals are 5-5 in a highly competitive AFC division and have lost every one of their three AFC North matchups.

In dynasty leagues, if you’re rebuilding it’s worth sending some offers out to managers with Burrow on their roster, particularly if they were contending. The cost of acquiring Burrow is unlikely to drop much below two high first-round picks, but it’s possible that it’s a bit more attainable than usual. Testing the waters with a first-round pick and a locked-in starting quarterback might be enough to get it done for teams in win-now mode.

The play before Joe Burrow’s final (touchdown) pass Thursday night. https://t.co/LWh3QhumKG pic.twitter.com/YUwZ6zSFg9

– Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) November 17, 2023

Jake Browning (QB)

During the offseason, the Bengals made it clear that they thought highly of Jake Browning, making him the clear backup ahead of veteran, Trevor Siemian. Browning earned that role during preseason completing 65.6 percent of his passes (42 of 64) for 452 yards and a TD in three games.

Browning has been around the league since 2019 when he was an undrafted free agent and landed with the Vikings. After two years in Minnesota, he joined the Bengals, eventually working his way to the backup position. Browning was a four-year starter for the Washington Huskies, completing 64% of his passes with a touchdown to interception ratio of 3:1.

Browning is likely out of his depth, particularly in the AFC North, but we can’t ignore that he boasts one of the best skill group rooms in the NFL there will be games where he’s startable as a deeper option, particularly in Superflex leagues.

Joe Mixon (RB)

It’s gone a little under the radar, but in the wake of Samaje Perine leaving the Bengals, Mixon is setting a career-high in snaps (73%) along with seeing his opportunity share jump up to a massive 86%, far above his career average of 71%. Mixon is the RB7 in PPR points per game, making up for pedestrian rushing numbers by seeing a stable 3.1 receptions per game.

Mixon’s outlook from here can go one of two ways, he could be the security blanket for Jake Browning and see an uptick in passing work, as well as being relied on by the Bengals to take some pressure off of Browning, or the opposing defenses will sell out to stop the run and force Browning to take them on through the air.

If you have Mixon you likely have to start him until we see that we can’t. In dynasty leagues, if you have Mixon on your roster it might be worth trying for one last push to shift him before his value falls further in the offseason. In redraft leagues, if you’re looking to win it all, it might be worth trying to make a pivot to someone less risky, particularly if you have another position of need.

Roquan Smith greets Joe Mixon ? pic.twitter.com/Rbydk2jY2J

– Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltimoree) November 17, 2023

Ja’Marr Chase (WR)

The player whose immediate value took a knock is most likely Chase who ended Thursday night with two receptions, fortunately salvaging a touchdown at the very least for fantasy managers. The last time Chase had two or fewer receptions in a game was his rookie year in 2021, and his 12 receiving yards were the second-lowest of his career.

Chase has been an electric player over his NFL career, being able to contribute downfield and after the catch, but with Browning facing so many tough AFC North matchups, it will be an uphill struggle for Chase to produce. Going forward it will be hard to count on Chase as an automatic starter, and if you’re in a keeper league where you could gain some draft value by trading Chase away, that’s very much a consideration.

In dynasty leagues, Chase is a firm hold. Even if it kills your championship hopes. Elite wide receivers are hard to acquire and selling now would only result in a below-market valuation. The one situation that could maintain Chase’s value is what happens with another Cincy wide receiver.

Tee Higgins (WR)

As a pending free agent (even one likely to be franchise-tagged), Tee Higgins likely won’t feel like rushing back from a hamstring injury for a team who are dead and buried in the playoff race. Higgins has struggled with persistent niggling injuries over the last couple of years, frequently affecting his ability to play to his ceiling outcomes. With the Bengals far apart on his contract wishes, it really doesn’t make sense for Higgins to be out there.

Long term, the Bengals have enough cap space to sign Higgins to an extension, but with Chase also requiring an extension and a lot of money tied into Burrow, the money might be better spent on reinforcing a defense that has allowed the most explosive plays in the league. Higgins is a great talent, but we’ve potentially seen the last of his meaningful contributions for the Bengals.

Super Bowl window for #Bengals will remain open as long as Joe Burrow is in prime. But going to get way tighter/harder with rookie contract over. Burrow cap hit by year, per Spotrac:

2023: $19.5M
2024: $29.7M
2025: $46.2M
2026: $48.2M
2027: $52.5M

Tee Higgins a pending FA.

— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) November 17, 2023

Irv Smith Jr. (TE)

Just kidding. Smith has no fantasy relevance now or any time in the last few years.

Tanner Hudson (TE)

The only tight end of relevance in Cincinnati is Hudson who has had four or more touches for three straight games, averaging 42.3 yards, which ranks 14th among all tight ends in that period. Hudson is a low-floor, low-ceiling play but worth rostering in deeper leagues or acquiring cheaply in dynasty with an eye on 2024.