Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Final Score: Bengals 32, Ravens 14
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
Don’t give them hope, Joe! In his first game back since suffering a turf toe injury early in the season, Joe Burrow looked masterful as he navigated the Bengals’ offense down the field against an improved Ravens defense over and over again. On the other side of the football, Lamar Jackson looked slightly less broken from a rushing standpoint, but was off a beat on several plays as bad throws and bad decisions ruined his and the Ravens’ Thanksgiving night. The Bengals snapped a four-game losing streak while the Ravens suffered their first defeat since Week 6. For fantasy managers, the Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase stack is firmly back in play and Isaiah Likely returned from tight end purgatory with a cornucopia of fantasy points. Meanwhile, managers of Lamar and Zay Flowers are left with a tummy ache. Let’s dig in.
Two Up
- Joe Burrow — Back in time for the holidays, Joe looks 100%.
- Isaiah Likely — Finally involved after what feels like an eternity of two-reception, 15-yard games.
- Chase Brown — Effective, efficient and involved, especially in the passing game.
Two Down
- Lamar Jackson — Something’s wrong and it isn’t getting better. One touchdown and three interceptions in his last four games.
- Zay Flowers — Doomed by a phantom OPI call, Flowers basically disappeared after that.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: 24/46, 261 Yards, 2 TDs | 3 Carries, 8 Yards
It was great to see Joe Burrow back, even if it was against my Ravens. He immediately elevated the entire Bengals offense and made all the skill players around him better. Burrow looked so comfortable — and was so comfortable — under center that he was literally counting off the play clock to his center (ON THE ROAD), letting him know when to snap the ball.
Joe Burrow is a human play clock🤖 pic.twitter.com/0kOLvbsadv
— Thursday Sports (@thursdaysports) November 28, 2025
He found Andrei Iosivas and Tanner Hudson for touchdowns, finding Iosivas in the smallest of windows late in the game for a dagger score. Managers who have waited this long have literally no excuses not to start the Bengals’ quarterback the rest of the way.
Running Back
Chase Brown: 15 Carries, 78 Yards | 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 35 Yards
Effective both on the ground and through the air, Chase Brown did fantasy managers proud with over 100 yards from scrimmage. His PPR point totals are inflated with all the checkdown looks out of the backfield as Burrow took what the defense gave him on the regular.
Samaje Perine: 14 Carries, 39 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards
Samaje Perine was involved a surprising amount, especially on the ground. The game script leaned heavily into the run and Perine was the beneficiary more so than Brown.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tee Higgins: DNP
Ja’Marr Chase: 14 Targets, 7 Receptions, 110 Yards
To all my fellow fantasy managers who drafted Ja’Marr Chase in the first round (and those of us who also snagged Burrow around the 4-5 turn), this game felt like that old Paul Rudd meme: “Hey, look at us.” With his old buddy back under center, and his running mate at receiver missing the game, Chase was peppered with targets even though the Ravens were hypervigilant with his coverage. Chase still managed to get loose from the Baltimore defense for over 100 yards receiving and looked in sync with his quarterback despite all the time missed. Lock and load the rest of the year. We’re back, baby.
Andrei Iosivas: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 29 Yards, TD
Mitchell Tinsley: 9 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
The ancillary receivers behind Chase were of little impact from a fantasy standpoint, but it certainly was interesting to see Mitchell Tinsley get so much volume with Tee Higgins missing. Granted, he wasn’t able to pull most of those targets in for receptions, but at least he’s getting looks.
Andrei Iosivas is not a viable fantasy option, regardless of who is missing from this offense. But he did finish with a nice touchdown catch on one of Burrow’s best throws of the night.
This angle does a better job of showing just how absurd this Joe Burrow-to-Andrei Iosivas TD throw was.
(NGS) pic.twitter.com/aQIaLkBYie
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 29, 2025
Noah Fant: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Tanner Hudson: 2 Targets, 1 Receptions, 14 Yards, TD
Mike Gesicki: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
Drew Sample: 2 Targets, 1 Receptions, 14 Yards
This motley tight end crew was used mostly for blocking purposes, with Noah Fant (35 snaps) and Drew Sample (49 snaps) the most utilized in the running game while Mike Gesicki (23 snaps, 20 routes run) was mostly a third-down tight end if there is such a thing. With Higgins out, Gesicki appeared to be used almost as a third or fourth receiver in 11 personnel sets but it didn’t amount to much production. If Higgins misses again, pay attention to how the Bengals use the pass-catching tight end.
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: 17/32, 246 Yards, INT | 6 Carries, 27 Yards, 2 Fumbles (Lost)
Lamar Jackson is broken. Something is physically wrong. Or mentally wrong. Though he used his legs more in this game than he had in the prior several contests, Jackson’s decision-making was about as bad as it could have been throughout the contest. He lost a pair of fumbles, coughing up the ball as he was pursued by Bengals defenders and threw a tipped-pass interception (that wasn’t necessarily his fault) in the fourth quarter for the dagger. If you haven’t already, Jackson fantasy managers might want to consider benching the two-time MVP.
Running Back
Derrick Henry: 10 Carries, 60 Yards, TD |1 Target, 1 Reception, 44 Yards
He averaged 6.0 yards per carry and the Ravens gave him the ball just 10 times. The game script doesn’t matter. Get the best player on the offense the ball and let him create. The Ravens did that in the passing game, hitting Henry out of the backfield on a check down for a 44-yard gain. It’s a shame — both for fantasy managers and Ravens fans — that King Henry wasn’t more involved against a Bengals run defense that ranked near the bottom of the NFL coming into this one.
Keaton Mitchell: 2 Carries, 19 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards
Rasheen Ali: 4 Carries, 17 Yards
With Justice Hill missing due to injury, managers may have thought that Mitchell would see more snaps in passing downs. Instead it was Rasheen Ali who dominated third downs and the 2-minute drill. Ali outsnapped the much more talented and explosive Keaton Mitchell 29-8 despite having spent most of the season exclusively as a kick returner. Oh, and he wasn’t targeted at all in the passing game and his pass protection didn’t make much of a difference as the Bengals still sacked Jackson three times despite Trey Hendrickson being out with an injury.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Zay Flowers: 7 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards, Fumble (LOST)
Zay Flowers was practically invisible for most of the game. His one great opportunity was wiped away by a suspect offensive pass interference call, nullifying a long touchdown catch. At the end of the game (on just his second reception), he fumbled the ball away to seal the Ravens’ fate. Just an all-around rough game for the Ravens’ top receiver.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers called for offensive pass interference on this play pic.twitter.com/IVdfL4AMgL
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) November 28, 2025
Mark Andrews: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 47 Yards
Isaiah Likely: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 95 Yards
Likely and Andrews played nearly identical snap shares, with Mark Andrews edging Isaiah Likely in overall snaps and routes run, but both were targeted six times. Likely connected with Jackson on his “break glass in case of emergency” plays that have become the staple of his production throughout his young career while Andrews was on the receiving end of more schemed and scripted looks. Neither one found the end zone. Expect Likely to be more involved moving forward as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury suffered in the preseason.
DeAndre Hopkins: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards
Rashod Bateman: 1 Target
Devontez Walker: 2 Targets
DeAndre Hopkins was the only pass catcher that factored in despite playing just 23 snaps to Rashod Bateman‘s 44. Hopkins has been a dependable set of hands in short to intermediate areas for Baltimore this season. Expect that to continue in limited fashion going forward while Bateman seems back at full strength (though it doesn’t matter much for fantasy).