If the finish to the Cincinnati Bengals' season was rather irrelevant as far as the actual NFL playoffs, fantasy football owners at least got a real dose of what a self-actualized version of Chase Brown looks like.
What Brown did for countless fantasy teams in the last few weeks is the stuff of instant roto legend. Really, the third-year Bengals tailback has balled out for quite some time after a painfully slow start to his 2025 campaign.
Looking ahead to next season, the preeminent fantasy football expert has weighed in and rewarded Brown's phenomenal recent form with a bold forecast for 2026.
Matthew Berry gives Bengals' Chase Brown elite fantasy ranking in early 2026 predictions
In addition to ranking Brown 18th overall ahead of superstars like George Pickens, Brock Bowers, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley, NBC Sports' Matthew Berry has the Bengals' 2023 fifth-round pick as his RB7.
That's right. Here's the list of the only running backs, in order, who are ahead of Brown in Berry's hierarchy: Bijan Robinson (No. 1 overall), Jahmyr Gibbs (2), Jonathan Taylor (5), De'Von Achane (6), Christian McCaffrey (7), and James Cook (10).
Yup. Chase Brown is held in that high of esteem by The Talented Mr. Roto himself.
And for good reason. Brown piled up five TDs in the last two weeks, including two as a pass-catcher. His fantasy numbers were downright ridiculous.
Chase Brown in the fantasy playoffs:
— Joel Smyth (@fantasysmyth) December 28, 2025
16.0 pts
32.9 pts
28.5 & counting
Worth the Jake Browning weeks & then some
And to think, this could've been an even more massive season for Brown if the Bengals had known how to run block for the first month or so.
Shoutout any of y’all who didn’t give up on Chase Brown
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) December 28, 2025
People were dropping him.
Legitimate league-winner for Fantasy Football https://t.co/dXmGeMaIoL
Provided Joe Burrow can stay healthy in 2026, there's no telling what Brown might do as long as the offensive line also remains intact. Four of five starters are under contract, so the only missing piece is right guard Dalton Risner, who's been a stabilizing force on the field and in the locker room.
If these projections by Berry are anywhere close to how next year plays out, the Bengals should absolutely prioritize a contract extension for Brown right now. Yesterday. You know, have a sense of urgency about this.
Brown is technically eligible to begin negotiating his second contract this offseason, having logged three years of service. With left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. entering a contract year along with stud cornerback DJ Turner, I'd imagine those two might take precedence over Chase Brown.
Although running back is the least expensive near the top of the market among those three positions, Cincinnati shouldn't hesitate. Lock Brown in for the long haul. He's too dynamic to risk alienating.