JoeBurrow

News: 6 days agoBurrow completed five of seven passes for 51 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Bengals' 17-14 preseason loss to the Buccaneers on Saturday night.

Spin: Given the quarterback's 2023 season was cut short by a mid-November wrist injury, head coach Zac Taylor made the decision to get Burrow some playing time right out of the gate in the preseason opener. The 2020 first-round pick played on the opening possession and led a crisp 12-play, 73-yard march that he capped off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins. In the process, Burrow had nine-yard completions to Higgins and Trenton Irwin, as well as a 23-yard connection with the emerging Andrei Iosivas. Given how well he played Saturday and his importance to the Bengals' fortunes, Burrow could be limited in playing time during next Saturday afternoon's road exhibition matchup against the Bears.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Heading into his fifth pro season, Burrow looks to rebound after an injury-plagued 2023 that limited his production and availability. A calf injury during training camp forced Burrow to miss practice time, while a wrist injury in Week 11 shut him down for the season. From Weeks 1-4, with Burrow clearly still impacted by the calf injury, he averaged only 7.9 fantasy points per game. However, from Weeks 5-10, he posted three games of 22 or more points, with an average of 21.4 points during that stretch. With two big-play receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, a healthy Burrow should be in the mix to produce top-five quarterback numbers in the Bengals' pass-heavy offense.