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.

Sunday, December 7, 6:30 PM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow came ready to play despite the snowy conditions in Buffalo on Sunday. This was his second game back after missing nine games due to a turf-toe injury. Burrow threw two touchdowns during the Thanksgiving night victory over the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday in his first game back. The 28-year-old was able to top that performance on Sunday. Burrow completed 25 of 36 passing attempts for 284 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss. One of his two picks was costly, though, with Buffalo returning it for a pick-six. This was a stellar performance by Burrow until he threw back-to-back interceptions in the fourth quarter. Despite the turnovers, this was still Burrow's best fantasy performance of the season. He'll get a rematch against the Ravens next weekend, where he'll be a strong QB1 choice for fantasy managers.