Bengals: Joe Burrow just outside top-10 in ESPN fantasy QB rankings

ESPN’s fantasy projections for every player for the 2021 season are out and Joe Burrow just missed the top 10 as far as quarterback projections go. The Bengals quarterback is listed as the No. 11 fantasy quarterback per ESPN. He’s No. 21 when taking all positions into account.

Here’s what the outlook for Burrow says:

"The phrase “volume is king” isn’t often applied to quarterbacks, but it fits the bill when breaking down Burrow’s rookie campaign. The 2020 first overall pick went down for the season in Week 11, but prior to that, he ranked first among QBs in snaps and drop backs, second in pass attempts, ninth in passing yards and 14th in fantasy points. Burrow’s efficiency (65%, 6.7 YPA) was solid as far as rookie QBs go and he added value with his legs (37-142-2 rushing line). Burrow is an obvious candidate for a second-year leap and has a good core of targets in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon. Consider him a good QB2."

The weapons alone are reason enough to draft Burrow for your fantasy football team this year but there’s definitely some hesitation with Burrow too, as he is coming off a pretty severe injury. Will he be the same player prior to getting injured?

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is ranked as the No. 11 fantasy quarterback.

The 10 quarterbacks ahead of Burrow on the rankings are:

1. Josh Allen
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Kyler Murray
4. Dak Prescott
5. Lamar Jackson
6. Tom Brady
7. Aaron Rodgers
8. Justin Herbert
9. Russell Wilson
10. Jalen Hurts

Most of these are no-brainers. Allen is the No. 1 option because of what he can do through the air and on the ground while Mahomes is always putting up a crazy amount of yards. Murray, Prescott, and Jackson are running quarterbacks, as is Hurts. Brady and Rodgers have proven to be fantasy football staples (though Brady did have his fair share of struggles a year ago).

Burrow’s injury along with him still being a fairly new face in the NFL are reasons why he missed out on the top 10. He showed potential as a rookie but there were definitely struggles for the former No. 1 overall pick. He’ll have his favorite target from LSU at his disposal this year and that will make fans more comfortable in drafting him as their QB1 in fantasy football.

ESPN projected Burrow to throw for 4,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while rushing for 247 yards and four more touchdowns on the ground. Bengals fans would be content with these numbers but 25 touchdowns for a guy who threw for over 6,000 yards during his senior year seems a bit low.

Considering he was injured in Week 11 last year, the fact that Joe Burrow is this high on the list of fantasy football quarterbacks shows that ESPN believes he’ll bounce back in a big way this year.