Fantasy Football Impact of Joe Burrow's Injury: Jake Browning, Ja'Marr Chase and More

Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury on Sunday and is expected to possibly miss around three months. That would have him back on the field in mid-December, around Week 15 or 16. The entire 2025 season has changed.

Burrow has suffered through injury issues in the past, missing six games in 2020 and seven games in 2023. Cincinnati finished last in their division each of those years, going 4-11-1 in '20 and 9-8 in '23. The question now is whether the team can hold steady and stay in the wild card race for their star QB to return and make the final push.

Let's look at some real-life and fantasy football implications of this major injury news. We'll look at the Bengals, whether they can still make a run, and what to do with Cincinnati fantasy players in the meantime.

Use FantasySP's injury update list to keep up with the most recent news on players throughout the season.

Can Cincinnati Make the Playoffs?

The odds seem against them. Every team is worse without their main quarterback, but a team like Cincinnati, Baltimore, or Buffalo feels it worse because they are not only downgrading the most important position but taking a major drop that a team like Cleveland, for instance, wouldn't feel the same way.

With the Ravens in the same division, it's going to be tough for the Bengals to keep up. More realistically, we can look at their quest for the wild card, which is on the right path with their 2-0 start.

Since the NFL switched to the seven-team playoff format in 2020, the average wild card team had 10.3 wins. If Burrow can return for the final three weeks, that means Browning would need to lead the team to at least five wins in the next 13 weeks (12 games and a bye).

That's very doable. Browning is still surrounded by the same star pass catchers, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, something that should help the offense operate. The defense was the weak spot last year, though, and without Burrow to carry the other side, they might not be able to keep up with poor defensive performances.

More than what Browning does, it might matter more how the rest of the team responds, particularly the offensive line and the defense. Playing from ahead with their 2-0 start puts them in position to at least be there at the end if Burrow can return in mid-December, needing just a handful of wins to keep them in the hunt.

Is Jake Browning Under Fantasy Consideration?

Browning entered about midway through the second quarter and went 21/32 for 241 yards (7.5 per attempt), two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also ran once for a one-yard touchdown on a QB sneak.

Browning played eight games after Burrow went down in 2023. He completed over 70% of his passes for 8.0 yards per attempt with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He averaged 242 passing yards and 16 rushing yards per game during that stretch. Throw in three rushing touchdowns, and that's around 17 fantasy points per game, which is close to average (or a little below). Browning finished Week 2 in that same range.

Browning isn't Burrow. He won't fill the starting QBs shoes from either a real-life or fantasy perspective. He has shown enough to be worth fantasy consideration when he has the best matchups, but Browning shouldn't be expected to be a weekly option or simply slide in for Burrow owners.

Week 3 is a bit of a tougher matchup against the Vikings, for instance, and Browning probably isn't a good fantasy option. Week 7 against the Steelers might be the first time there's really a chance to use him based on the first few weeks, as the matchups until then are Minnesota, Denver, Detroit, and Green Bay.

Don't count on Browning any time over the next month; maybe he can get in a groove by the end of that time and have a few streaming weeks when the schedule lightens up a bit.

How are Others Impacted?

Chase caught 14 of 16 targets for 165 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, excelling even without Burrow for most of the game. He's a must-start fantasy player. The questions revolve around everyone else.

Higgins was a weekly starter with Burrow in the lineup, but now there is at least a question in tougher matchups. He had three receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, two of those catches and 14 yards from Burrow and then a 42-yard touchdown from Browning. That shows he can have some success with the backup QB, even though Chase had much more volume.

No other pass catchers are worth fantasy consideration. That's usually true anyway, but at least a tight end could be a good streamer in the right matchup. Three tight ends have gotten real snaps in the first two weeks: Noah Fant, Mike Gesicki, and Drew Sample. The presence of each lowers the fantasy value of the others, leaving these guys off the fantasy radar.

Chase Brown had a lot of intrigue coming into the season as a guy who could be a top-10 fantasy running back in a good offense. He was inefficient in Week 1, gaining 43 yards on 21 carries and eight yards on two catches. He scored a touchdown, helping his fantasy score, but Brown wasn't super impactful.

It was more of the same in Week 2: 47 yards on 16 carries and 18 yards on two receptions. He didn't score this time, so Brown had an underwhelming fantasy day. With the offense projected to not be as good without Burrow, there will be fewer chances for Brown to get into the end zone. With two modest weeks and the loss of his top QB, Brown's fantasy value has dropped from preseason.

Brown will still have good days, and he'll get plenty of volume, but it might be worth listening to trade offers if someone is willing to pay preseason prices for the Cincinnati back.

Conclusion

Burrow's injury is a big blow to Cincinnati's playoff hopes, putting them in wild card range rather than fighting for the division. If the star quarterback can return for the last two or three weeks, then the Bengals don't even need to go .500 in the time he misses to have a shot at the end.

In the fantasy world, Browning is a streamer at best but probably won't be a great option most weeks, especially in the near future with tougher matchups. Chase a still a must-start receiver, but Higgins is now worth at least a question before throwing him into your lineup.

Brown is a volume running back worthy of a fantasy spot, but two slow games make it worth considering his spot in your lineup; it all comes down to your roster. The tight ends are all low-floor players, and without Burrow in the lineup, they don't have much fantasy value.