Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 20th, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Network: CBS
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: Start, QB1
Joe Cool. Joe Shiesty. Joe Brrr. Joey MVP? That’s certainly the level of play Joe Burrow has delivered thus far in 2024. Even with a lingering wrist injury that Burrow himself has owned up to, the former Heisman winner has delivered as a weekly QB1 in most weeks this season. Even against a tougher Cleveland Browns defense, Burrow should deliver another QB1 finish in Week 7. Start him with confidence.
Running Back
Chase Brown: FLEX Option, RB3
Zack Moss: FLEX Option, RB3
While both of these players settle in the RB3 range, there’s no doubt that Chase Brown is the better option after the last couple of weeks. While Zack Moss has sputtered, Brown has excelled as the more explosive and athletic back in Cincinnati. Neither is a particularly appealing option in Week 7, but in a bind, Brown gets the nod over Moss as the more impressive option in recent weeks.
Wide Receiver
Ja’Marr Chase: Start, WR1
Tee Higgins: Start, WR2
Andrei Iosivas: Sit
Ja’Marr Chase remains one of the premier options at the wide receiver position. Sure, he scored “only” 12 PPR points in Week 6, but he also dropped 43 points in the week before. He can win you your matchup by himself. Tee Higgins has also been a solid option in the Bengals’ passing attack since returning from injury, even outside of his two-touchdown performance against the Ravens. Higgins has received at least 6 targets in every game he’s played this season, giving him a high floor and ceiling in this in-state rivalry.
Tight End
Sit All
You should sit Mike Gesicki if he plays. You should also sit Erick All Jr. Yes, this is a pun.
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
He Who Must Not Be Named: Sit
Please don’t.
Running Back
Nick Chubb: FLEX Option, RB3
Jerome Ford: FLEX Option, RB3*
A year removed from a gruesome knee injury, one of the game’s best pure runners in Nick Chubb is set to make his return in Week 7. The only reason we have him ranked as a FLEX, as opposed to a higher option, is because there’s always an inherent risk in a player’s first game back after an injury as serious as Chubb’s. There’s a strong possibility he outplays our projection and finishes as an RB2, if not better. It’s looking like a long shot that Jerome Ford will play, and even if he does, he has the most borderline of FLEX values completely contingent on Chubb’s workload. You should start somebody else in his stead.
Wide Receiver
Jerry Jeudy: FLEX Option, WR3
Elijah Moore: Sit, WR5
There is an Amari Cooper-sized hole in the target share of the Browns’ offense; unfortunately, the person throwing the ball makes all of the pass-catchers in this offense unappealing options. Jerry Jeudy is the most likely beneficiary of Cooper’s departure, although there’s no guarantee how things will shake out. Start Jeudy if you must, although I’d rather wait and see if any of the receivers in this offense can succeed with Watson at the helm. Please give us a QB change, Cleveland.
Tight End
David Njoku: Start, TE1
Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Cooper’s departure will be safety blanket David Njoku, who increased his snap share from 42% to 74% in his second week back from injury. Njoku should command a solid amount of passing volume in this offense, and even in a terrible passing attack, that means something for a tight end in 2024. Njoku ranks as our TE9 this week with room to grow if he absorbs more targets in Cooper’s absence.