JoeBurrow

News: 2 days agoThe Bengals plan to rest starters, including Burrow, in Thursday's preseason finale against the Colts, Michael Hull of the team's official site and Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirerreport.

Spin: With the team having just concluded joint practices with the Colts, the Bengals are inclined to rest key players in their exhibition finale. Burrow's next start is thus slated for Sunday, Sept. 8 against the Patriots, with the biggest looming question -- in terms of Cincinnati's offense -- ahead of that contest being the status of top wideout Ja'Marr Chase, whose contract situation remains unresolved.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Heading into his fifth pro season, Burrow looks to rebound after an injury-plagued 2023 that limited his production and availability. A calf injury during training camp forced Burrow to miss practice time, while a wrist injury in Week 11 shut him down for the season. From Weeks 1-4, with Burrow clearly still impacted by the calf injury, he averaged only 7.9 fantasy points per game. However, from Weeks 5-10, he posted three games of 22 or more points, with an average of 21.4 points during that stretch. With two big-play receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, a healthy Burrow should be in the mix to produce top-five quarterback numbers in the Bengals' pass-heavy offense.