Cincinnati Bengals

According to Cincinnati Bengals owner/president Mike Brown, kicker Evan McPherson and the team have discussed a contract extension. "We've been talking," said Brown on Monday. "We're hoping we can get there with him." The 25-year-old has been a solid fantasy asset over the last three seasons, making 83.9% of his kicks in 49 appearances. He's also gone 21-for-28 from beyond the 50-yard line. Without question, McPherson has been instrumental to Cincinnati's success, so there's a good chance a deal will get done sometime soon.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been one of the best players at his position since entering the NFL as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The LSU product has the seventh-most receiving yards (3,717) in a player's first three seasons of all time and is part of one of the best QB-WR pairings in the league. With Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jaylen Waddle, among others receiving lucrative contract extensions this offseason, Chase was thought to be next in line. However, Bengals president Mike Brown suggested Chase is unlikely to be re-signed before the start of the regular season. "It's not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate," Brown said. "The offseason is a better time for that and we're going to try to keep focused on the football part. I'm not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast." However, Brown said the team has every intention to keep him in Cincinnati long-term. "He's a key player next to Joe [Burrow]," Brown said. "He's our next one. He knows that. We know it. This may take a while. We are going to bend over backward to get it done. I can't tell you when." Either way, Chase has overall WR1 upside in fantasy football as long as Burrow remains healthy.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told the local media on Monday that quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) has been fully cleared for contact at training camp. Burrow made only 10 starts in his fourth NFL season in 2023 due to a right-wrist injury that required season-ending surgery. The 27-year-old is now a full-go for camp and the preseason and should be 100 percent for the start of the 2024 regular season this fall. As long as the first overall pick out of LSU in 2020 can stay on the field, he should be able to bounce back, although his injury history early in his career makes him a risk/reward midrange QB1 target in upcoming fantasy drafts. Burrow averaged a weak 6.50 yards per attempt in 2023, but he should have enough volume to give him a high fantasy ceiling in 2024. RotoBaller has Burrow ranked as the No. 7 fantasy QB.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. (knee) was placed on the active/NFI list. The rookie, selected with the No. 115 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, sustained a torn ACL while still with the University of Iowa. He has made some progress in his recovery. However, as expected, the Bengals won't take any chances. At any rate, All has an uphill climb to surpass Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample on the depth chart. But the Bengals haven't had consistency at the position for years, so All may get a chance to prove his worth during the 2024-25 campaign, assuming he gets cleared.

The Cincinnati Bengals and star wide receiver Tee Higgins won't come to terms on a long-term contract extension by Monday's deadline. Higgins has signed his franchise tag and will play on the one-year pact in 2024 before becoming one of the top free agents next offseason. This outcome had appeared evident for some time, but now it's official. The 25-year-old will be highly motivated to produce a bounce-back season in 2024 after playing in just 12 games last year due to injuries while finishing with a career-low 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns. It's possible the Bengals could franchise tag Higgins again next year or work out a tag-and-trade deal. Higgins should bounce back if he and quarterback Joe Burrow stay healthy, but his fantasy ceiling is probably capped as a WR2 with Ja'Marr Chase being the team's WR1.