Fantasy players finally noticing that Bengals' Chase Brown is really good at football

If you have been following us, you know our love for Chase Brown is unyielding and undying. However, some appear to be just now catching on. Thanks in part to fantasy football, fans and experts from around the NFL world are just now discovering Brown. Welcome to the party if you are in that category. 

Better late than never to the 'Chase Brown is good at football’ party

Being overlooked is nothing new when it comes to the former Fighting Illini running back. 

Brown was grossly underrated ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Despite being fourth in rushing yards and second in attempts, scouting departments from around the NFL still did not appreciate what he brought to Illinois’ offense. 

One of the knocks on him was that he needed to be a better pass blocker. But Brown’s pass-blocking skills were highly under-appreciated. You might be surprised at how much what we hear about a player in the draft does not match what is on the film. Brown’s pass-blocking prowess, or lack thereof, is just one example of that. 

Despite being undervalued, Brown was seen as a perfect fit to pair with Mixon in 2023. The Bengals recognized it also. 

After getting drafted in the fifth round by the Bengals, Brown sat behind Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. Nevertheless, he showed his explosiveness when he had opportunities to carry the ball in the 2023 season.

Brown had only 44 rushing attempts for 179 yards in his rookie season, but he wasn't denied playing time because he didn't deserve it. He didn't see the field as much as he should have because of his place on the depth chart and where he was drafted. He would have seen the field more often if he had been selected earlier in the draft. Sometimes, players are seen as their draft position, even if the teams were wrong in their initial assessments. 

Catch up or get left behind

Brown has been for the Bengals the same thing he was for Illinois. That is an underrated running back who is late to receive his flowers. People are just now catching up. Better late than never, as the French would say. 

Rich Eisen of the Rich Eisen Show recently came to the realization. Eisen stated Chase Brown "is really good” in an episode earlier this week. It was a realization that appeared to catch Eisen off guard. To his admission, Eisen said, “With all due respect to Zack Moss, I was very high on Chase Brown, as you know. I’m like we should draft him very high in all our leagues for fantasy. I don’t know why we were splitting time there. He’s really good.”

Excellent dismount from Eisen. Yes, Chase Brown is really good. But he has always been that. Good and somehow underestimated at the same time. 

Sweet, sweet fantasy baby

Eisen alluded to it, but perhaps the main reason people are discovering Brown is thanks to fantasy football. People are slowly waking up to Brown’s value like a good cup of coffee in their fantasy football mug. Fantasy players are noticing Brown’s high usage rate, which is leading to big gains in fantasy points. 

Fantasy expert Ryan Heath ranks Brown first in PPR leagues. Heath compares Brown’s 2024 season to LaDainian Tomlinson’s 2003 season. 

Comparing a running back to Tomlinson is extremely high praise. The 2003 season is notable because Tomlinson made the All-Pro second team and finished second in AP Offensive Player of the Year voting that year. Scott Barrett, Heath’s cohort at data.fantasy.com, says Brown may be the most valuable running back in the NFL for fantasy players. 

It's nice to see that the NFL world is becoming aware of Brown, even if it's largely due to the popularity of fantasy football.