2021 Team Injury Preview: Cincinnati Bengals

Jeff Mueller Posted On August 18, 2021

Injuries are inevitable. They occur every season for every team and are often unpredictable. It becomes one of the most infuriating factors for fantasy managers, often sinking a team’s chances and hopes at a championship.

My goal with writing this team preview series is to highlight the players you should be concerned about on your dynasty roster or while drafting your redraft squad. Who should you avoid at cost? Who should you keep an eye on as a possible “injury replacement”? Who should you stop fading unnecessarily due to injuries? I hope to answer all of those questions for you.

It is important to note that I am unable to predict injuries. Even players who have been injured frequently can change their exercise routines or training habits and reduce further risk for injury. My job is to simply highlight those players who carry risk and help you navigate your decisions based on that risk. My statements on injuries are not “end all be all” – ultimately, you must factor in the information and decide for yourself if you are willing to gamble on the risk at hand.

Next on the list: Cincinnati Bengals.

Joe Burrow, QB

8/14/17: Broken right hand; missed three games
1/16/20: Rib Cartilage tear; missed zero games, occurred in National Championship
11/22/20: Left ACL/MCL/Meniscus tear; Surgery on 12/2/20 to repair ACL/MCL

Burrow’s fantastic rookie season was unfortunately cut short by the devastating knee injury he suffered in November. Thankfully, the surgery was not delayed as long as expected, but did require the MCL repair (typically, MCL’s are allowed to heal on their own without surgical repair, however his was a complete tear).

He also had a meniscus tear that was reportedly debrided and some cartilage damage that was addressed in surgery. Due to the severity of the injury, Burrow enters year two with moderate injury risk, however I do believe he will be able to play the full 2021 season without re-injury. The biggest factor will be if the Bengals’ offensive line can prevent him from being hit excessively.

From the get-go, I stated that PUP was a possibility for Burrow, given how late the surgery occurred. However there was still a good chance that he would be ready to play in week one. By all accounts, he looks like he is ready to go. Wheels up.

Fantasy Implications: Buy

Injury Concern for 2021: Moderate (but optimism for an injury-free season)

Injury Volatility for Dynasty: Low

Joe Mixon, RB

12/4/17: Concussion; missed two games
12/24/17: Ankle sprain; left game early, played in the following week
9/13/18: Right knee sprain; arthroscopic surgery to remove a “loose particle”, missed two games
10/18/20: Right foot sprain; missed remainder of the season

This is Mixon’s year, he’s finally going to break out! I know, I know, I can feel the eye-rolls as I type. I know that Mixon is viewed as “injury prone”, but I would argue against that notion. He had only missed four games in his first three seasons prior to 2020. As for the ankle/foot injury? I personally believe that it was a Lisfranc sprain that was misdiagnosed early on, and continued to worsen as Mixon attempted to rehabilitate on the sidelines in order to return to play. There was a lot of speculation that something else was going on, but I truly believe, after pouring through notes from beat writers, coach interviews, player interviews, and more, that Mixon was limited by continued pain and instability in his foot.

Now, take this for what it’s worth, but I have it on good authority that he is pain-free and no longer limited by his foot injury from 2020. I have also seen him cut, sprint, and run in camp videos and he looks like his old healthy self. I understand that the offensive line remains a concern (see notes below for some interesting tidbits and optimism on this front), but I strongly recommend that you do not fade Joe Mixon due to injury. I am not concerned about re-injury in regards to his foot. He is also one of a handful of running backs who could be walking into 20-plus touches a game on a weekly basis.

Fantasy Implications: Buy

Injury Concern for 2021: Low

Injury Volatility for Dynasty: Low (offensive line volatility)

Tee Higgins, WR

05/2017: Hamstring strain
08/2017: Hamstring strain
8/8/18: Hamstring strain
Spring 2019: Right ankle sprain; required surgery; reportedly left him with limited range of motion in the right ankle (this indicates it may have been more than a simple scope
10/12/19: Hamstring strain, missed zero games
12/28/19: Left ankle sprain; returned to game
2/20/20: Hamstring strain
8/18/20: Left Hamstring strain
12/7/20: Left hamstring strain re-injury
1/3/20: Left hamstring strain; buckled to the ground in pain, likely a grade II; did not require surgery

Higgins is an interesting player, because even as his team’s WR2, he is walking into a massive target share due to the Bengals’ overall pass volume. The part that makes him interesting is his extensive history of hamstring strains, with his most recent being a significant strain that caused him to buckle to the turf in immense pain. Thankfully, it did not require surgery and by all accounts he is moving very well in camp.

He also reportedly focused this off-season on body health and injury prevention, so this is one of those cases where I am noting his injury history and closely monitoring, but not fading just yet. We could very well never hear about another hamstring injury for him again.

Monitor closely. Given his overall value, you could net quite a fantasy gain in assets if you were to trade him.

Fantasy Implications: Buy (but monitor for future hamstring strains closely)

Injury Concern for 2021: Moderate

Injury Volatility for Dynasty: Moderate

Ja’Marr Chase, WR

11/10/2017: Right partial PCL tear; season-ending injury senior year of high school; no surgery
9/15/18: Knee sprain; missed three games throughout 2018 for “load management”
9/14/19: Coaches decision; possible disciplinary but unspecified

Chase carries low injury risk moving forward. His PCL injury is not a concern at this stage, and was remarkably durable throughout college. Draft with confidence.

Fantasy Implications: Buy

Injury Concern for 2021: Low

Injury Volatility for Dynasty: Low

Tyler Boyd, WR

8/30/14: Left hand, finger dislocation; missed zero games
9/15/17: Hamstring tightness; missed one game
10/8/17: Right MCL sprain; missed four games
12/16/18: Right MCL sprain; missed final two games
12/21/20: Concussion; missed one game

Boyd could be viewed with a higher injury risk, however he has been durable and healthy over the last two years. He has also had no recurrent issues with his right MCL, reducing risk on future concerns. While the Bengals can save a good chunk of change if they cut him over the next two seasons (2022, 2023), I believe Boyd remains a good value at cost given expected volume, even as the WR3 on the team. Plus, if anything were to occur with Higgins, his volume increases drastically.

Fantasy Implications: Buy

Injury Concern for 2021: Low

Injury Volatility for Dynasty: Low (contract volatility)

CJ Uzomah, TE

8/31/17: Leg injury; unspecified injury, missed two games
10/28/18: Right shoulder sprain;
9/17/20: Right Achilles tear; season-ending injury

Uzomah suffered the dreaded Achilles tear in week two of the 2020 season, ending his season after starting with four receptions in each of the first two games. He appeared to be on a good early pace for a solid tight end to roster. We have seen Will Dissly recently return from an Achilles tear with reduced explosiveness and athleticism. We have not seen OJ Howard return yet, though he reportedly is close to returning.

This is certainly not an easy injury to return from and largely affects tight ends more than other positions such as wide receivers or cornerbacks. Drew Sample will be lurking in the shadows ready to fight for TE1 snaps if Uzomah struggles to gain steam. He has not consistently produced in his career to date.

Fantasy Implications: Monitor/Fade

Injury Concern for 2021: Moderate

Injury Volatility for Dynasty: Moderate (age-28 and in last year of current contract)

Offensive Line

While the Twitter-verse was stammering for the Bengals to draft OL, the team is actually confident in their current rostered players. Jonah Williams is reportedly healthy and ready to anchor the left tackle position, but the concern is that he has only played ten games over his first two seasons in the NFL. He has been limited by a shoulder labral tear and surgery that cost him all-rookie season (2019), neck injury that cost him two games, and then a knee sprain that cost him the remainder of the season (2020). If he can stay healthy, the former 11th-overall draft pick could show his true potential.

The Bengals brought in veteran Riley Reiff to man the right tackle position, as well as drafting Jackson Carman to play right guard. Their main concern is left guard.

Another key, often-overlooked addition to the team was bringing back OL coach Frank Pollack, who should help tremendously in refining the run game and protections. There’s a chance that the Bengals’ OL will be just fine. I am investing in this team, even the often-underwhelming Joe Mixon.

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Jeff Mueller

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Jeff is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a specialty as a Certified Speed & Agility Coach. He enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking in Yosemite with his wife and dogs and has been an avid football fan since birth (go 49ers!). He also firmly believes that everyone needs to invest in a home gym with multiple TVs to watch all of the games on Sunday while working out.