The Athlon Sports 2023 Fantasy Football Annual magazine reached out to team insiders at all 32 NFL clubs to ask them three key fantasy questions heading into the season. As we count down to training camp, Sports Illustrated will publish their answers here. Today’s team: Cincinnati Bengals
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Joe Burrow was fourth in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks in 2022. Will he be a top-three QB in 2023?
Fourth seems about right for Burrow, who can pick up yards on the ground when he needs to but doesn’t utilize that skill set the same way other top fantasy quarterbacks do. A better offensive line, in theory, should mean Burrow will need to use his feet even less in 2023. Perhaps the best way Burrow can inch into the top three is if he’s able to cut down on his interceptions (26 over the past two seasons). Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with No. 4 fantasy production.
- 2023 Season Outlook: Cincinnati Bengals
Samaje Perine saw plenty of action last season. Now that he’s gone, does that mean more work for Joe Mixon, or will someone else step up?
The Bengals did little to address the running back position after Perine’s departure, which is as good of a sign as any that the team believes Mixon can bounce back from a so-so 2022 campaign. Still, an expanded workload might not mean all that much when it comes to improving Mixon’s fantasy stats. It’ll be hard to match the 60 receptions and seven rushing touchdowns he collected in 2022.
What kind of production do you expect from TE Irv Smith Jr.?
This is definitely worthy of a wait-and-see approach. Yes, the Bengals got career years out of C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst before they left for new teams in free agency. The same is likely to occur for Smith, who has yet to hit 400 receiving yards in a season. It’d be premature to expect a boom in production from Smith while playing in an offense with so many other options.
—Athlon Sports
