Joe Burrow to the Cincinnati Bengals is a foregone conclusion at this point. Sure, something could change between now and draft day, but it would be a shocking turn of events. With the LSU quarterback’s draft fate seemingly sealed, we turn our attention to another question: will Burrow be a fantasy relevant QB in 2020?
He wants the team to keep AJ Green which is a good start for his fantasy prospects. The Bengals already have a nice complement of weapons if Green does play in Cincinnati this year. Tyler Boyd has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons and Joe Mixon is solid. An upgrade at tight end is necessary, but Burrow will have guys to throw to.
However, he may not have time to throw. The Bengals’ offensive line was absolutely awful in 2019. The team will make some changes in order to protect Burrow. Just how effective these offensive line moves are won’t be known until the season starts and this is probably the biggest question around Burrow’s fantasy football outlook.
Kyler Murray vs. Joe Burrow
The easiest comparison for Burrow’s rookie season will be Kyler Murray. They both won the Heisman Trophy and Burrow will join Murray as the first overall draft pick. However, in terms of playing style, they are much different players.
Murray finished 2019 as QB7 in half-point PPR fantasy scorning. His numbers were boosted quite a bit by his 544 rushing yards, a number Burrow seems unlikely to match this season. This isn’t to say Burrow won’t be totally useless on the ground. It seems likely that the Ohio native has the necessary athleticism to easily match Andy Dalton’s peak rushing totals of 150+ yards and 3+ TDs per season.
Going back to the Murray comparison, the former Oklahoma Sooner had some impressive games, but he also underwhelmed for long stretches last season. In particular, he posted scores of 13,17,12 during the fantasy football playoffs, although he was dealing with an ankle injury at the end of the season.
Without the rushing floor Murray possesses, Burrow probably won’t finish next season as a top-10 fantasy QB. That being said, the Bengals do have a lot more firepower than Arizona had going into last season. It’s easy to see him posting top-5 weekly finishes in the right matchups.
