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.

Wednesday, December 17, 9:04 PM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has made headlines with some of his recent press conferences, and Wednesday's session with the media was no exception. When asked if there was any world he could imagine where he was not the starting quarterback of the Bengals in 2026, he answered clearly and definitively, "I couldn't see that. No." However, when asked if he's ever thought about it throughout his career, his answer rang more ominous, stating, "You think about a lot of things," and wrapping up the exchange with, "Crazy things can happen." As the team's franchise quarterback, all of Burrow's words are going to be carefully dissected, and the recent line of questioning he's faced has certainly induced noteworthy soundbites. Still, for fantasy managers who managed to escape a lackluster Week 15 performance against the Ravens, Burrow faces a favorable Dolphins defense in Week 16 and should be able to bounce back for the fantasy semifinals, especially if Tee Higgins (concussion), who was limited on Wednesday, is able to return after a one-game absence.