Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart
- AFC North
- Stadium
- Paul Brown Stadium
- Head Coach
- Zac Taylor
- Offensive Coordinator
- Brian Callahan
- Defensive Coordinator
- Lou Anarumo
- Special Teams Coach
- Darrin Simmons
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
The Cincinnati Bengals are hoping they selected a franchise building block when they used the No. 1 overall pick on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow in the NFL draft last month. While Burrow has plenty of potential and is likely to start the majority of the team's 16 games in 2020, instant success may be hard to come by. Of the 50 rookie quarterbacks to have made at least eight starts since 2000, only 13 have finished with a winning record as a starter. Burrow has plenty of upside but he might not turn into a viable fantasy option until the 2021 season, at the earliest.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has yet to sign his franchise tag with the team. Green, who was unable to play in 2019 after injuring his foot during training camp, would earn around $18 million. The 32-year-old has stated, however, that he would still play despite the absence of a long-term deal and has also already spoken with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow about setting up workouts. The former Georgia Bulldog ranks second in franchise history with 8,907 receiving yards as well as 602 receptions. He is projected to be a seventh-round pick in fantasy drafts this season, with the potential to exceed his ADP as long as he is on the field and healthy in 2020.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and the team recently had "productive talks" regarding a new contract. However, while this is encouraging news, both parties aren't close to a new deal, with both sides prepared for a potential holdout this summer if necessary. The 23-year-old finished with 1,137 yards in 2019, good for eighth in the league, off of a fifth-best 278 attempts. With a slightly upgraded offensive line and the foursome of A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross III, and the newly drafted Tee Higgins on the offensive end, the door is open for Mixon to have potentially his best season to date in 2020. He is slated to be selected somewhere in the first and second rounds of fantasy drafts this season, but his stock will fall if he isn't able to reach an agreement with the organization before the Bengals open things up against the Chargers in September.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross III could be in store for one of the most impactful seasons of his career. After starting the 2019 campaign as one of the league's best wideouts by compiling 13 catches (26 targets) for 292 yards and three scores throughout the first three weeks, including six receptions for 20-plus yards, the 24-year-old suffered an injured shoulder. After appearing in only eight contests, as a result, the former 2017 first-round pick is hoping to develop a stable rapport with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow in addition to remaining healthy. With Joe Mixon, A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and the newly drafted Tee Higgins, Ross could have some extra breathing room to make some big plays throughout the year, causing him to potentially exceed his current ADP of 183rd overall in PPR formats.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd expressed his excitement for the upcoming NFL season and is especially eager to prove people wrong, primarily those who are projecting the club to be one of the weakest in the league. "I just want to go out there and prove people wrong," remarked the 25-year-old regarding the organization's outlook. Boyd has been a cornerstone of the club's offense over the last few years, finishing each of his previous two seasons with at least 1,000 yards. He also caught five touchdowns in 2019, and his 148 targets ranked him seventh overall while his 90 receptions ranked him ninth overall. Though he may see a drop in looks in 2020, notably with A.J. Green, John Ross III, and the newly drafted Tee Higgins in the mix, the collective presences of those three players could open the door for more production out of Boyd in other areas.