Joe Burrow Fantasy Outlook & Injury Update 2022 (Don't Overdraft the Hype)

Joe Burrow's 2021 season was full of surprises. He led the NFL with a 70.4% completion percentage, was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year and guided the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. Burrow also finished as a top-10 fantasy football QB for the first time in his career.

With that being the case, it's no surprise to see Burrow rising in fantasy football rankings as the regular season nears closer. His average draft position (ADP) has him going as the sixth quarterback off the board and as a fifth-round selection.

Joe Burrow Fantasy Football Outlook

In a league that is being taken over by mobile quarterbacks, Joe Burrow excels at throwing from the pocket and has shown a level of consistency that fantasy managers have to love. The former LSU standout logged at least 22 fantasy points in 10 of his 16 games played in 2021. He also stepped up when it mattered the most. In Weeks 16 & 17, Burrow threw for a combined 971 yards and 8 touchdowns. There's no doubt that his performance helped bring home fantasy championships.

The Bengals made a few moves in the offseason to put Burrow in a better situation, too. After seeing their starting QB get sacked a league-high 51 times last year, Cincinnati signed guard Alex Cappa and tackle Ted Karras to multi-year deals. It shows that head coach Zac Taylor wants to pass the ball more, especially considering Burrow averaged a reliable 12.6 yards per completion last season (No. 2 in NFL). A wide receiver trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd should lead to a lot of yards.

Fantasy managers have to be careful here as the Bengals will play a first-place schedule in the fall and are stuck in a division full of capable pass defenses. Burrow's floor is a top-12 QB simply due to how well he has thrown the ball in his career. However, his ceiling is only that of a top-five option due to his lack of rushing upside. Reaching too high for Burrow will result in disappointment.

Joe Burrow injury Update

Fantasy managers have a right to worry about Joe Burrow's injury history. He missed six games in 2020 with a torn ACL and was beaten up toward the end of the 2021 season. The 25-year-old suffered a dislocated pinkie in December and a MCL sprain in the final minutes of Super Bowl 56.

The good news is that Burrow did not need offseason surgery to address his knee issue. He was set to enter training camp at full health before pain in his appendix forced him to undergo an appendectomy. The hope is that Burrow can return to the field in early August to prepare for Week 1.

Joe Burrow Projections

Projections from the NFL odd on FanDuel Sportsbook expect Burrow put together another heck of a year. He's fifth to lead the NFL in passing yards (+900), which is just one spot above where he finished during the 2021 season with 4,611 yards through the air. He's also sixth to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns (+1000). Burrow ranked eighth in that category in 2021 with 34 TDs. When taking Burrow's career averages into account (280.7 passing yards per game, 5.1% touchdown percentage), it's a safe bet to say Burrow will toss for 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns if he stays healthy in 2022.

Is Joe Burrow a Good Fantasy Football Pick?

When it comes down to it, is Burrow someone to target in the middle rounds? Not unless he falls past his ADP. He's the No. 8 quarterback in The Duel's PPR fantasy football rankings, and that makes him a weak value at his ADP of QB6.

It's worth noting that Burrow has only faced six out of the 14 teams on the Bengals' 2022 schedule in his young career. Whether or not that's a positive thing is yet to be seen. It'll certainly make for an exciting season, though.

If you've drafted Burrow this year, or you're a Bengals fan, make sure to check out the best Cincinnati Bengals fantasy football team names for your squad.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.