Jermaine Burton DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Tee Higgins (quadricep) and Jermaine Burton (coach's decision) are inactive for Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Higgins, listed as doubtful, was trending in the wrong direction after missing three practices in a row. He has missed four games this year, averaging 5.8 catches, 68.2 yards, and 0.6 touchdowns. Burton's absence is a little more surprising given that he played a career-high 41 percent of snaps last week, adding a 41-yard reception along the way. Evidently, head coach Zac Taylor hasn't seen enough out of the rookie and is making him inactive. With Higgins and Burton sidelined, Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin should see additional opportunities behind Ja'Marr Chase.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton is a healthy scratch for Sunday night's game against the Giants. The rookie looked good during the preseason. However, he has just one catch through the first five weeks of the 2024-25 campaign. Instead, Trenton Irwin will suit up, although he likely won't get much action with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas in the mix.

When asked if Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton would warrant more snaps if Tee Higgins (hamstring) remains out in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, head coach Zac Taylor said, "I think Jermaine is making progress." Higgins hurt his hamstring last Thursday in practice and didn't play in the Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots. It wasn't a good sign that the 23-year-old Burton played just 8% of the offensive snaps behind Ja'Marr Chase, Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones. Burton was selected in the third round of the NFL draft back in April but reportedly struggled with his professionalism during offseason workouts and in training camp. The talent is there, but it sounds like Burton needs to mature behind the scenes before he can expect to have any kind of significant role in the Bengals offense. He's merely a dynasty/keeper stash for now.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (toe) scored twice in the preseason. Yet, it's logical to assume it will still take him at least a year or two before he's consistently relevant for fantasy managers. With that said, Ja'Marr Chase (not injury-related) and Tee Higgins (hamstring) may not be available for the Week 1 opener versus the New England Patriots. If that's the case, the rookie could see more snaps than anticipated, assuming he's cleared to suit up. Granted, Burton will need to compete primarily with Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas for the attention of Joe Burrow. Still, fantasy managers in 12-team leagues and up should keep Burton on the back burner in the event Chase and Higgins are both ruled out.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie third-round wide receiver Jermaine Burton's talent jumps off the page, but off-the-field concerns regarding his coachability pushed him down the draft board in April. The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. writes that Burton's scouting report has proven to be true so far; the Bengals have run into issues getting him on board and up to professional standards. He has not been in the vicinity of where he needs to be as a pro so far and even admitted himself that he needs to make strides to crack any rotation in a receiver group already entrenched in their roles. The 23-year-old often ran the wrong routes in practice and preseason games this summer, and the Bengals won't make him active on game day in the regular season if they don't think he's preparing himself in meetings and practice. The bottom line is that Burton's dynasty/keeper stock is dropping quickly.