Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Joe Burrow

Sunday, November 23, 9:38 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco will get one more opportunity to start after Joe Burrow (toe) was ruled out for Sunday's Week 12 contest against the New England Patriots. While Burrow was trending in the right direction for this week, the Bengals have ultimately decided to keep him on injured reserve for at least a few more days. As a result, Flacco will remain installed as Cincinnati's starting quarterback for Week 12. He's coming off an uninspiring 199-yard clunker against the Steelers, and although he has five touchdowns over his last two games, he also has four turnovers during that span. To make matters worse, he'll be without Ja'Marr Chase (suspension), shifting Tee Higgins to the top receiver role. New England's defense has been strong this season, but it's best at stopping the run. The Patriots have allowed the ninth-most passing yards, seventh-most passing touchdowns, and 12th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. This matchup and situation are best defined as "good, not great." That sentiment is reflected in RotoBaller's ranking of Burrow as the overall QB17 this week.

Thursday, December 11, 3:07 PM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was very contemplative about his future during a press conference on Wednesday, leading to many raised eyebrows around the league. "If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing this. I have been through a lot. If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mindset I am trying to bring to the table," Burrow said. The star QB also added that he has "a lot of things going on" right now, both personal and football-related. We don't know exactly what Burrow is thinking, but he could be losing trust in the Bengals' front office or wondering how long he wants to continue to play football if he keeps getting beaten up. The 29-year-old suffered the third serious injury of his career in Week 2 -- a turf-toe injury that required surgery. ESPN's Adam Schefter points out that Burrow has been sacked a whopping 203 times in 73 career games. It's something to keep an eye on going forward, but for fantasy football purposes, Burrow will continue to be a strong QB1 option as long as he's in Cincy.