Jermaine

Burton

Back from a one-game, team-imposed suspension, Burton did not cover himself in glory, failing to run out a potential long reception in the first half. His role mostly amounted to cardio. It’s not a performance that’s going to have the Bengals telling Tee Higgins to take all the time he needs to get healthy. Burton will be off the fantasy radar in Week 11 against the Chargers.

Apparently a big part of the Bengals’ Week 9, Tee Higgins-less game plan, Burton was scratched after missing Saturday’s walk-through. A massive blunder, but one the Bengals are apparently willing to forgive with Higgins still sidelined vs. the Ravens’ awful pass defense. Third-round rookie Burton is probably worth a WR5 dart throw in this plus matchup.

Burton has had a rocky start to his career. Despite being taken 80th overall, the Bengals have now made him a healthy scratch twice. He has two catches for 88 yards this year. Both Joe Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor had encouraging words on the rookie earlier this week and he was expected to be more involved with Tee Higgins out once again. The Bengals had to scrap those plans after he no-showed Saturday’s practice. Andrei Iosivas will remain the team’s No. 2 receiver for their Week 9 matchup with the Raiders.

Higgins will be inactive for the second straight game due to a quad injury. He has not practiced in over a week and will now miss Week 9 against the Raiders. Andrei Iosivas is the primary beneficiary of Higgins’ absence with Charlie Jones (groin) out and Jermaine Burton a surprising healthy scratch. Iosivas has some FLEX upside, though expect the Bengals offense to primarily run through Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Gesicki, and Chase Brown. The Bengals have a quick turnaround to a Thursday game in Week 10, so Higgins will possibly miss that game as well. Burton, meanwhile, seems to be out of favor with Bengals coaches, receiving a healthy scratch with both Higgins and Jones out.

Burton has been rotating in and out of the wide receiver rotation with Trenton Irwin, but both were active this week with Tee Higgins (quad) out. Burton was targeted three times, catching 41-yard long ball along the sideline for his only catch. He notably also had an endzone target that was broken up. Meanwhile, Irwin caught his sole target for four yards. Neither player is fantasy relevant for next week.

Burton was active the first five weeks of the season but will sit this one out as the Bengals take on the Giants on Sunday Night Football. The 1-4 Bengals desperately need a win on the road to salvage a season already slipping through their grasps.

Burton found space on the sideline on a busted coverage for a 47-yard connection. The former Alabama wideout has just hauled in that one catch thus far, but could be more involved as the season progresses. For now, he remains just a dynasty lottery ticket and shouldn’t be in lineups for Week 3 against the Commanders.

Taylor was responding to a question about Burton seeing more snaps if Tee Higgins (hamstring) remains out. In that context, Taylor’s response is more of a polite non-answer than a compliment. The third-round rookie had a quiet offseason and ran just one route in Week 1. The Bengals will continue to roll with Trenton Irwin as their WR3 until Higgins returns.

It’s incredibly rare for players to suit up after getting hit with the doubtful tag, so fantasy managers should move forward as if Higgins won’t be active on Sunday. Ja’Marr Chase is questionable after missing much of the offseason program while holding out for a new contract. Even if Chase plays, it’s hard to know how much he will be on the feel given his lack of practice reps. Andrei Iosivas was already locked in as the No. 3 receiver and will now play an even larger role in the offense. Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones will also see some reps while rookie Jermaine Burton appears to be buried on the depth.

Burton has shown a total lack of professionalism and seriousness during the offseason, according to Dehner. Andrei Iosivas, meanwhile, has impressed teammates and coaches alike and profiles as the clear No. 3 receiver behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Joe Burrow has said Burton does not follow the team’s playbook and has hinted the rookie is unreliable as a pass catcher. The Bengals, per Dehner, “will hope [Burton] progresses and matures as the year progresses. Maybe he does. Maybe that opens opportunities. It sounds far more likely a redshirt year lies ahead than anything else for the intriguing rookie.”