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What's Chase Brown's Fantasy Football Outlook as the Bengals' Lead Back in 2025?

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What's Chase Brown's Fantasy Football Outlook as the Bengals' Lead Back in 2025?

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2024 NFL season with question marks surrounding their running back room, as Zack Moss and Chase Brown were candidates to lead the backfield in touches. Despite Moss getting the first opportunity to handle the majority of the workload a season ago, it was Brown who emerged as a legitimate league winner in fantasy football down the stretch.

Given how he concluded the 2024 campaign, all signs point toward Brown having a stranglehold on the starting job for the Bengals entering the upcoming season. But what should we expect from Brown in fantasy football in 2025?

Let's take a look at Brown's production from last season and discuss what Brown's role could be in Cincy's offense for the 2025 campaign.

Chase Brown's 2024 Stats

As a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Brown didn't see much playing time as a rookie, finishing with only 58 touches for 335 scrimmage yards and 1 touchdown. However, the Illinois product would follow that up by totaling 283 touches, 1,350 scrimmage yards, and 11 touchdowns in 2024.

Zack Moss suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 5 of the 2024 season and then sustained a neck injury in Week 9 before being shut down for the rest of the year, which paved the way for Brown to showcase his talent. Brown never looked back once he was inserted into the Bengals' starting offense, finishing as the RB12 overall in half-PPR formats while earning the title of RB16 in fantasy points per game.

While Moss was tied for the sixth-fewest yards per attempt (3.3) and recorded the fifth-fewest yards after contact per attempt (2.12) among running backs with 50-plus attempts in the regular season (per PFF), Brown notched 4.3 yards per attempt and 3.08 yards after contact per attempt. But what really made Brown such a valuable asset in fantasy football a season ago was the fact he tied for the 6th-most targets (63) and 3rd-most receiving touchdowns (4) while tallying the 5th-most receptions (54) and 13th-most receiving yards (360) at the running back position.

Chase Brown's 2025 Role in the Bengals' Offense

There was a chance the Bengals would elect to add some notable competition or a capable backup deserving of touches alongside Brown ahead of the 2025 season. However, Cincy has only restructured Moss' contract (reducing his salary for the 2025 season) and reunited with veteran Samaje Perine while waiting until the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select a running back (Tahj Brooks).

Taking all of that into account, Brown has a decent shot to begin the upcoming season as the clear workhorse back on the Bengals, who figure to have one of the premier offenses in the NFL again. Along with Cincinnati having Joe Burrow commanding the offense and being a signal-caller who is willing to check it down to running backs, the receiving duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins remains intact, and the Bengals are likely going to be involved in plenty of shootouts given how their defense looks right now.

In addition to Brown showing he's capable of being a three-down back due to his pass-catching ability, Cincy trusted him as their preferred red-zone option last season as the versatile back garnered the sixth-highest red-zone rushing share (62.9%) in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference. When factoring in the offense he plays for and what his role could look like in 2025, Brown certainly carries plenty of upside in fantasy football and has a chance to be a top-10 option at running back, especially in leagues that value pass-catching production.


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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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