Bengals' Joe Burrow: Tosses three TDs in Week 18 loss
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Burrow completed 29 of 39 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in Sunday's 20-18 loss to the Browns. He added 17 rushing yards on two carries.
The star quarterback hit all his biggest targets -- Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown -- for scores, but Evan McPherson had a rough day, getting one PAT blocked and missing his second before the Bengals failed to convert a two-point attempt on their final TD. Burrow wraps up a tough 2025 season with a 17:5 TD:INT in only eight games, the second time in the last three years he's missed significant time due to injuries.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Confirmed starter for Week 18
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Coach Zac Taylor confirmed Monday that Burrow will start next Sunday's regular-season finale against the Browns, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Neither the Bengals nor Browns have anything to play for besides pride and personal statistics, so there was a small chance Burrow could sit for Week 18. However, the Bengals are trying to end the season on a high note after beating the Dolphins and Cardinals in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively. Since returning to the field in Week 13, Burrow is fantasy's overall QB5 with a pair of 300-yard passing games and a 12:4 TD:INT.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Tops 300 yards in Sunday's rout
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Burrow completed 24 of 31 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 37-14 win over the Cardinals. He added two rushing yards on three carries.
In a battle between two of the league's worst defenses, it was Burrow and the Bengals that took the most advantage. The superstar QB hit Ja'Marr Chase for a 13-yard score in the first quarter to get the rout started, then connected with his top downfield option again for an eight-yard TD just before halftime. Burrow has topped 300 passing yards in back-to-back games with a 6:0 TD:INT, and he'll look to finish the season on a high note while avoiding having Myles Garrett set the all-time sack record at his expense, in Week 18 against the Browns.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Top DFS Play
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Burrow is the top QB on the main slate, with a higher projection than Josh Allen but a slightly lower price. When he has both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins healthy, he has proven unstoppable, throwing for four touchdowns in two of his last three games. This game has shootout written all over it, and I like the other QB, Jacoby Brissett, as my top contrarian play.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Chucks four TDs in rout
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Burrow completed 25 of 32 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday's 45-21 win over the Dolphins. He added six rushing yards on two carries.
One week after the Bengals got shut out for the first time with Burrow under center, the 29-year-old quarterback bounced back with his best performance of 2025. Burrow hit Tee Higgins for a nine-yard score in the first quarter before really getting going after halftime, finding Chase Brown for two short TDs in the third quarter before connecting with Mike Gesicki for a 17-yard touchdown in the fourth. Burrow has two four-TD games in the last three weeks and a 10:4 TD:INT in four games since returning from a toe injury, and he'll take aim at another struggling defense in a Week 17 clash with the Cardinals.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: QBs to Start
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Burrow was atrocious in Week 15 against Baltimore with 25-of-39 passing for 225 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, and he scored 5.5 Fantasy points. If you advanced in spite of Burrow, you might be reluctant to trust him in Week 16 at Miami, but I would start him again. The Dolphins just allowed 20.9 Fantasy points against Aaron Rodgers in Week 15, and the only quarterbacks who failed to score at least 20 points against Miami this season were Bryce Young in Week 5, Dillon Gabriel in Week 7, Kirk Cousins in Week 8, Marcus Mariota in Week 11 and Brady Cook in Week 14. All the quality quarterbacks against the Dolphins performed well, and I expect Burrow to rebound in a big way. He remains a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in Week 16.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Will start rest of regular season
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Burrow will start the team's remaining three regular-season games despite having been eliminated from playoff contention, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Taylor dismissed the notion that Cincinnati might consider sitting Burrow to preserve his health, in spite of the fact that the team's 24-0 loss to Baltimore in Week 15 closed the door on any chances of a playoff berth. "We want to win," Taylor said. Burrow missed nine games due to a turf toe injury before returning to action on Thanksgiving Day, when he earned a win against the Ravens, but the Bengals then lost to the Bills before he struggled mightily during the team's most recent matchup against Baltimore. He'll work to both close out the year strong and avoid any injuries during Cincinnati's next three matchups, beginning Sunday on the road against Miami.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Struggles in shutout loss
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Burrow was held to 225 passing yards in Sunday's shutout loss to the Ravens. He connected on 25 passes on 39 attempts, was picked off twice and sacked three times.
Time after time, the Bengals moved the ball in the middle of the field, only to stall out when reaching Ravens territory. The final insult was a pick-six thrown by Burrow after they had driven the ball inside the Ravens' 10-yard line. With the loss, the Bengals have been eliminated from the playoffs and have some hard questions to answer for the long run. In the short term, they may even question whether it makes sense to risk Burrow re-injuring his toe in three meaningless season-ending games against Miami, Arizona and Cleveland.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: QBs to Start
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Burrow had a successful return in Week 13 at Baltimore from his nine-game absence with a toe injury with 24-of-46 passing for 261 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored 23.2 Fantasy points. He doesn't have an easy matchup in Week 14 at Buffalo, but I still like Burrow as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback. The Bills are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Lamar Jackson in Week 1 has scored more than 20 Fantasy points against this defense, including matchups with Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield. That said, this is more about having faith in Burrow, who should be throwing a lot. His player prop on FanDuel is 35.5 attempts, and in 13 games over the past two seasons with at least 36 attempts, he is averaging 29.8 Fantasy points, with only two games under 21.2 points over that span.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: QBs to Start
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Burrow has been out since Week 2 with a toe injury, but he's ready to return Thursday night at Baltimore. I'm expecting him to perform as a low-end starter in all leagues, but we all know he has the potential to be much better than that, especially against the Ravens. In two games against Baltimore last year, Burrow passed for 820 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception, and he scored at least 41.7 Fantasy points in each outing. There's the risk of rust given the long layoff, and Tee Higgins (concussion) is out. That said, Burrow has too much upside to avoid, and I'm going to start him in this prime-time matchup.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Activated from IR
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The Bengals activated Burrow (toe) from injured reserve Wednesday.
Reports a few weeks ago said Burrow was targeting the Thanksgiving Day game at Baltimore for his return to action. It's now playing out that way, with Burrow having been officially activated after being listed as a full practice participant Monday and Tuesday. He may not have his usual mobility, and definitely won't have Tee Higgins (concussion), but Burrow nonetheless remains a weekly candidate to lead the league in pass attempts and yardage. He said Tuesday that he plans to continue playing down the stretch this season even if it becomes clear that Cincinnati's slim playoff hopes have dwindled to nothing, ESPN's Ben Baby reports.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Full participant at practice
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Burrow (toe) was a full participant at practice Tuesday.
Burrow has now been listed as a full participant on four of the Bengals' last five practice reports. The quarterback remains on injured reserve for the time being, but assuming his surgically repaired toe holds up well coming out of Tuesday's session, the Bengals could confirm Wednesday that he'll return to action Thursday against the Ravens. Burrow has sat out Cincinnati's last nine games following surgery.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Not playing Sunday
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Burrow (toe) won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Patriots and has been downgraded from questionable to out for the contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Joe Flacco will start against New England as a result. After undergoing surgery Sept. 21 to address a Grade 3 turf toe injury, Burrow was expected to face a three-month recovery, but he's now turned in two straight weeks of practice since being designated for return from IR on Nov. 10. Assuming Burrow continues to make good progress during the Bengals' practice sessions during the upcoming week, he should be ready to return to the lineup for a Thanksgiving Day game in Baltimore on Nov. 27.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Week 12 status TBD
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Burrow (toe) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Coach Zac Taylor noted that at this stage the Bengals have yet to determine their Week 12 starter at QB. In any case, in order for Burrow to have a chance to face New England on Sunday, he would have to be activated from IR by Saturday afternoon. If Burrow isn't ready to return to the lineup, however, Joe Flacco (right shoulder) would be in line to get the nod versus the Patriots, assuming he's available after being limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Status up in air for Week 12
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was unwilling to make a firm commitment Thursday when asked whether Burrow (toe) will play Sunday versus the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. "I'm not there yet," Taylor said.
Burrow was listed as a full participant at practice Wednesday and took part in 11-on-11 drills. Rapoport relays that Burrow's activity level Thursday will be crucial in determining his availability for Sunday. If Burrow is able to log two straight full sessions without any soreness or setbacks, it will be a strong sign that the star quarterback's recovery from Sept. 19 surgery to address a Grade 3 sprain of the big toe on his left foot has gone smoothly enough for him to return to game action. Cincinnati's coaching staff has explicitly refrained from ruling Burrow out for Sunday, but it sounds as though more information on his chances of returning may not arrive until after the team's final practice of the week Friday.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Progressing to 11-on-11 next week
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Burrow (toe) will advance to taking part in 11-on-11 practices in Week 12 with the aim of eventually returning to action for the Bengals' Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Ravens on Nov. 27, Jay Glazer reported on "Fox NFL Sunday."
The Bengals had extra reps available for Burrow upon his return to practice in Week 11, as incumbent starter Joe Flacco once again had his practice participation managed while he continues to play through a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. Though Burrow is aiming to return to action Week 13, his availability for that Thanksgiving game could hinge on whether the Bengals have any playoff life at that point in the schedule. The 3-6 Bengals are playing in Pittsburgh against the division-leading Steelers on Sunday, then host the Patriots in Week 12.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Practicing Wednesday
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Burrow (toe) is participating in the early portion of Wednesday's unpadded practice, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Burrow threw passes in sweatpants and a helmet two days after the Bengals designated him for a return from injured reserve. The team said he'll practice in a limited capacity, with Burrow noting that he'd like to return for a Thanksgiving Day game at Baltimore on Nov. 27.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: May be eyeing Thanksgiving return
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Burrow (toe) won't play Sunday against the Steelers after the Bengals designated him for return from injured reserve Monday, but the quarterback acknowledged that he's hopeful to begin available for Cincinnati's Thanksgiving Day game against the Ravens on Nov. 27, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports. "We'll see how these next couple weeks go," Burrow said, when asked about a potential return date. "There's a lot that goes into it. There's a lot of variables that you have to consider."
One of those variables will be the Bengals' record as he works his way back from surgery to address a Grade 3 sprain of the big toe on his left foot, a procedure he underwent Sept. 19. In any case, it looks like veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco -- who is managing a shoulder issue of his own -- will draw at least two more starts for the 3-6 Bengals. In his return to practice Monday in a limited capacity, Burrow didn't participate in any 11-on-11 team drills, but he threw some passes to receivers while not facing any defenders.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Undergoes toe procedure Friday
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Coach Zac Taylor confirmed that Burrow underwent toe surgery Friday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Per Baby, Taylor noted that the procedure to address the QB's Grade 3 turf toe injury went well, but at this stage the Bengals don't have a timeline for Burrow's return. Previous reports have suggested that Burrow's recovery period is expected to be in the three-month range, an estimate that leaves the door open for a possible late-season return for Cincinnati's franchise signal-caller. In Burrow's absence, Jake Browning will fill in as Cincinnati's starting QB, with Brett Rypien set to serve as his backup and Mike White and Sean Clifford currently on the team's practice squad.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Could return late in season
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Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday that he hasn't shut the door on Burrow (toe) returning this season, ESPN.com's Ben Baby reports.
Multiple reports have suggested a recovery timeline of around three months once Burrow undergoes surgery to address his toe injury. If accurate, that would make him unlikely to play until the very end of the regular season, if at all. Taylor, however, said he's ruling Burrow out only for the next four weeks -- the required minimum for the QB's stint on injured reserve. Jake Browning will take over as Cincinnati's starting QB in the meantime.
