Fantasy Football Player Notes

Chase's mind-meld with college teammate Joe Burrow led to a season-high 10 targets, 159 yards, and a touchdown in Week 5 against the Packers. From Weeks 2-5 he ranks second in the NFL in YPRR, trailing on Davante Adams (2.98 compared to 3.1, per PFF). The rookie is once again moving up the WR2 ranks.

It might be tempting to sell high after Mixon has "burned" fantasy managers so many times before, but we would all be best served to resist that urge. From Weeks 1-5 Mixon received a double-digit target share just once. Over his past four games, however, he has hit that number three times. He's a legitimate RB1. Don't overthink it.

Perhaps we shouldn't overreact to one game, but it was frustrating to see Higgins finally receive a lot of targets (15) and turn them into such a low number of yards (62). He caught seven of those targets and didn't find the end zone while Ja'Marr Chase once again dominated the headlines. Higgins will benefit if the Bengals continue increasing their neutral pass rate, but his ADOT isn't in the range we want it to be for elite fantasy success. A sophomore breakout continues to look unlikely.

Burrow continues to play well for "real life" purposes, but he simply needs more passing volume to be a difference-maker in fantasy football. In Week 4 against the Jaguars, Burrow was particularly sharp when playing in the empty formation (with the Bengals trailing for most of the contest). In fact, he was 14-of-16 for 153 yards and a touchdown in the empty formation. The team leaned on Joe Mixon through the first three weeks of the season as Burrow (knee) was eased back in. If Mixon (ankle) misses Week 5 against the Packers, then perhaps the Bengals will lean more pass-heavy once again.

In five games with Tee Higgins, Boyd has seen a combined 28 targets. Ja'Marr Chase has seen 37 and Higgins has seen 53. Boyd is the odd man out when all three receivers are healthy. He isn't a difference-maker in fantasy football.