Cincinnati Bengals DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said that Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (ankle) is "very sore" and "needs to improve greatly" in order to have a shot at playing on Saturday in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown suffered a mild high-ankle sprain in the Week 17 win over the Denver Broncos and is questionable to play in a must-win game on Saturday. The 24-year-old will be a game-time decision this weekend, but it's sounding like he might be on the wrong side of questionable. He's having a career year with 990 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while adding 54 catches for 360 yards and four more TDs in 16 games, but Brown is shaping up as a risky RB2 in fantasy in Week 18. If he's active, he could be limited by his ankle. If he's out, Khalil Herbert would have a high floor with RB2 upside.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle, knee), who is listed as questionable to play in Week 18 against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, is expected to play in the must-win game, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Higgins was also questionable for last week's game against the Denver Broncos but suited up and went off, catching 11 of his 12 targets for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the thrilling overtime victory. The 25-year-old certainly isn't 100 percent right now, but he should be out there in another must-win game for the Bengals on the road in a hostile environment. Nobody should be expecting Higgins to even come close to replicating his Week 17 numbers, but he'll be a clear WR1 for fantasy managers if he's active on Saturday, as expected. In the first meeting with Pittsburgh on Dec. 1, Higgins caught five of 10 targets for 69 yards and a touchdown.

According to Ben Baby of ESPN, Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton will not travel to Pittsburgh with the team due to a coach's decision. The rookie has had struggles finding playing time during his rookie campaign and will now not even be with the team during their must-win game on Saturday evening. This is a telling sign and could suggest the he is beginning to fall out of favor with the coaching staff. He has not logged at least ten offensive snaps in each of his past five games. Throughout the season, Burton has only caught four of his 14 targets for 107 yards. Fantasy managers should expect Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins (ankle) and Andrei Iosivas to lead the passing attack once again in the regular season finale.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas hasn't been the most consistent fantasy option during the 2024-25 campaign. However, he's still had the best season of his young career, catching 34 passes for 467 yards and six touchdowns. Granted, the 25-year-old hasn't been productive enough to be considered a week-to-week fantasy starter. But with Tee Higgins (knee, ankle) and Chase Brown (ankle) both questionable for Saturday's matchup with the Steelers, Iosivas may need to get more involved, giving him some upside for the remaining redraft participants. He'll also draw DFS attention for those looking for value in Week 18, although Brown and Higgins must be ruled out first.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Khalil Herbert has barely seen any action since being traded by the Chicago Bears in November. He's appeared in seven games for the Bengals this season. However, he has only eight carries for 45 yards and one catch for seven yards to show for it. But with Chase Brown (ankle) questionable for the Week 18 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Herbert may take over as the No. 1 option out of the backfield. The 26-year-old was once one of the most promising young backs in the National Football League, giving him some upside on Saturday. Still, his presence in any fantasy lineup isn't without risk.