Bengals Week 12 Fantasy Football Outlook | Who will Help Replace Ja'Marr Chase's Production?

Ja'Marr Chase has been suspended one game for spitting on Pittsburgh's Jalen Ramsey, and he should be serving that suspension in week 12, when the Bengals face the Patriots.

Let's take a look at what Chase's absence would mean for the Bengals' offense, and which players could shine in his place.

Use the FantasySP start/sit tool for all your week 12 fantasy football lineup decisions.

Chase's Numbers

Let's begin by looking at the player the Bengals need to replace. 

Chase is obviously one of the top receivers in the league, and even though he's had better seasons in the past, he's still been a very good fantasy asset in 2025.

Over 10 games, Chase has 861 yards and five touchdowns on 79 receptions and 117 targets. He's added six rushing yards on two attempts, and fumbled once.

He is the No. 4 fantasy wideout in PPR leagues to this point of the year. Chase is No. 2 overall. He's clearly been the team's best fantasy asset.

Pass-Catching Options

Without Chase around, Tee Higgins will move from WR2 to WR1. He'd be a WR1 for most teams in the NFL, but stuck behind Chase, Higgins is one of the league's top No. 2 options.

In 10 games, he has 544 yards and seven touchdowns on 35 catches and 64 targets. He's fumbled twice.

The team's No. 3 receiver Andrei Iosivas is a distant third behind Chase and Higgins. He has just 35 targets across his 10 games played, and he's made just 19 grabs for 256 yards and a score - he has two rushes for nine yards.

Chase has played 95% of the team's offensive snaps so far. Higgins has played nearly 86% of the team's snaps, while Iosivas is at 79.07%.

The wideout with the next-most snaps played is Mitchell Tinsley, who has logged just 89 offensive snaps to this point of the season. Charlie Jones is the only other wideout who has played, and he's at just four offensive snaps.

To say the Bengals' offense is going to be hurting without Chase out there is a massive understatement.

With a lack of usable wide receivers, I'd expect Cincinnati to play more tight ends in week 12. 

Drew Sample has played the most snaps (305) of the tight ends on the roster. Noah Fant (251) is the only other guy who has played over 25% of the team's offensive snaps. Tanner Hudson should also factor in.

Fant has been the top pass catcher of the tight ends, hauling in 30 of his 34 targets for 256 yards and three scores - he has fumbled twice.

Sample has just 24 yards and a score on five receptions and nine targets. Hudson has 83 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches and 12 targets across eight contests.

Other Offensive Options

Joe Flacco is expected to make at least one more start for Cincy, as long as he's healthy enough.

He's played pretty well since taking over after being traded from the Browns, but the team is 1-4 in his starts. Flacco has been a solid fantasy asset at least.

Flacco has completed 63.4% of his passes for 1,453 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's added 15 rushing yards and a score on nine attempts.

The only other notable fantasy option is running back Chase Brown. 

In his 10 games, he has 519 rushing yards and two scores across 126 attempts, while going for an additional 229 receiving yards and a score on 39 catches and 53 targets.

He's had a down fantasy season based on preseason projections, but he's been trending up as a fantasy asset, and now should take on more with Chase out of the picture for a week.

Who to Start in Week 12

The Bengals need a win desperately, and without Chase, it's going to be hard to get against a 9-2 Patriots' squad.

As for the defensive matchups, Flacco has a pretty average matchup coming against the Patriots, with New England allowing 17 fantasy points per game to opposing fantasy QBs.

Brown has a tough test coming, as the Pats allow opposing backs to score just 16 fantasy points per game. 

Higgins, Iosivas and the rest of the Bengals' wideouts will have another average matchup, with the Patriots allowing opposing wideouts to score 31 fantasy points per contest. 

The lone above-average matchup for a Cincy offensive player is the tight ends, with New England allowing the position to score 15 points per game. 

With all that said, here's how I'd approach the Bengals' offensive players for week 12.

Flacco is a better deep-league starting option down Chase and in this so-so matchup. Even with four teams on byes, I think you could find a better standard league starting option.

I like starting Brown, even in the tougher test. He will be a big part of the offense, and should enjoy a solid fantasy day on volume alone.

Higgins is the only wide receiver I'd want to start in standard leagues, and he's a great option for all league types without Chase around.

Iosivas is the only other wideout I'd consider in any league types, but I'd only want to give him a starting spot in deeper fantasy setups. 

Tinsley is who I'd take next, but I'd skip him in all leagues. Anyone else who is active will fall under the same boat as Tinsley.

At tight end, I really like the idea of starting Fant in week 12. Not only is his matchup good, but with Chase out, Fant should be a bigger part of the team's passing game. I'd love starting him in deeper leagues, and would give him a thought in standard leagues too.

I think Hudson is also worth some consideration in deep, deep fantasy setups. I like him over Sample, and in the favorable matchup, maybe the team's second tight end could deliver.

I expect Cincy to lean on Higgins, with Iosivas, Fant and Brown picking up a lot of the slack for Chase. Hudson, Tinsley and others are just lottery starting options.