Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals announced Sunday that quarterback Joe Burrow was taken to the hospital with a possible throat contusion after the team's 25-22 overtime loss against the Green Bay Packers.

Burrow played the entire game.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Burrow "should be OK" and was released from the hospital. 

Cincinnati took the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He excelled in 10 rookie-season games, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns, five picks and 6.7 yards per attempt. He also showed off his wheels with 142 yards and three scores.

Unfortunately, Burrow was lost for the season when he suffered a torn left ACL, MCL and partially torn PCL and meniscus after he was sacked during his team's game against the Washington Football Team on Nov. 22.

The LSU product had successful surgery in December, and rehab went well enough for him to take the field during offseason practices. He was good to go for Day 1 of training camp, too, in late July.

Unfortunately, Burrow has now suffered another injury. If serious, Brandon Allen would take over as the starter.

Allen started five games for the Bengals in Burrow's absence last year, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and four picks.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is reportedly on track to play in Sunday's Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers despite an ankle injury.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported on Good Morning Football (via NFL.com's Michael Baca) that Mixon is "trending toward playing 'in some capacity'" after going through a workout Saturday morning.

The 25-year-old University of Oklahoma product exited the team's Week 4 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with the injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Bengals' leading rusher had "a low-grade ankle sprain."

Mixon was listed as questionable to face Green Bay after sitting out practice from Wednesday through Friday.

"He's in good spirits. We'll give him an extra day to see where he's at and then meet and make a decision," head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Friday. "We'll see how he feels. He's a big presence in what we do. We'll give him some treatment and see what he does."

The California native is off to a solid start to the 2021 campaign with 382 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. He has a strong 81.4 grade at Pro Football Focus.

Mixon was limited to six appearances last year because of a foot injury. He'd previously played 44 of a possible 48 games across his first three seasons.

Samaje Perine would be elevated to the starting role if the three-down workhorse misses time.

Perine has averaged 3.8 yards per carry across 48 games with the Bengals, Washington Football Team and Miami Dolphins. He's handled just nine carries in four contests this season.

Rookie Chris Evans would slide into the backup spot, and Trayveon Williams could be activated from the practice squad for additional depth.

That said, it sounds like Mixon will be active against the Packers, though he might not get as many touches as he does when at full strength.

With Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon day-to-day because of an ankle injury (which ESPN's Adam Schefter reported is a low-grade ankle sprain), fantasy managers with Mixon on their rosters may now be scrambling to find a replacement on waivers.

So, who are your best options after Week 4's games? 

Samaje Perine is the obvious choice since he's Mixon's backup. Whether Perine will offer much value in the role is another question entirely. 

Since rushing for 603 yards and a touchdown as a rookie for the Washington Football Team in 2017, Perine rushed for only 349 yards and three scores in total between the 2018-20 seasons. That hardly suggests he's ready for a bell-cow role.

If Perine gets enough touches in Mixon's absence, he could be a decent stopgap. But Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow might just throw the ball more with Mixon out, too.

Perine is worth rostering if you have Mixon. Buf if you want more upside, go after Cordarrelle Patterson, who just exploded for 34.6 fantasy points in points-per-reception leagues after rushing six times for 34 yards and catching five passes for 82 yards and three scores.

Patterson won't offer that level of production every week, and he's about to be the most sought-after player on waivers in leagues where he wasn't already rostered. But his big game also wasn't a fluke. In fact, it was his third straight week with double-digit fantasy points. 

Baltimore Ravens running back Latavius Murray is another option to consider. He ran 18 times for 59 yards and a touchdown against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, while all other Ravens running backs had only five carries. 

The Ravens did elevate Le'Veon Bell to their active roster for the first time Sunday, and they have Devonta Freeman and Ty'Son Williams in a muddled backfield as well. But if Murray maintains his grip on the starting job, the Ravens' dynamic rushing attack would give him decent upside.

You should also monitor the situation in Chicago, where Damien Williams appears set to be the starter if David Montgomery is forced to miss time with the knee injury he suffered Sunday against the Detroit Lions:

Finally, you could turn to change-of-pace backs like Philadelphia's Kenneth Gainwell, Washington's J.D. McKissic or Tennessee's Jeremy McNichols. Gainwell might have the most long-term upside of the trio, as the rookie has continued to play a more prominent role in Philadelphia's offense per week and had only one fewer touch than Miles Sanders on Sunday. 

Gainwell has now outscored Sanders in two of the team's four games this season. He's an especially appealing option in PPR formats.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is "day-to-day" after suffering an ankle injury during Thursday's victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Monday.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Mixon suffered a low ankle sprain.

Mixon suffered the injury and was replaced by Samaje Perine in the game's last possession. Taylor referred to the issue as a "minor ankle injury" after the game, though it's unclear how the injury will impact his status moving forward.

Prior to the injury, Mixon had 67 rushing yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. He has 353 rushing yards and two scores overall this season for the 3-1 Bengals.

The Oklahoma product has been in Cincinnati since 2017, when the Bengals drafted him with the 48th overall pick.

Mixon had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, rushing for a career-high 1,168 and eight scores in his second year.

A season-ending right foot injury suffered against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 18 held Mixon to just six games in 2020.

The latest issue creates more question marks about his durability. The Bengals will need more out of Perine if Mixon misses more time. His former OU teammate, who was selected in the fourth round in the 2017 draft, has nine rushes for 28 yards on the year.

Sixth-round rookie Chris Evans out of Michigan could also be in line for a bigger role going forward.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said running back Joe Mixon suffered an ankle injury during Thursday night's 24-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"I think it's a minor ankle injury, I believe," Taylor told reporters. "I would have to confirm, but he was moving around on it coming off the field. I had no idea what the diagnosis or timeline was."

Mixon tallied 16 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown as the Bengals moved to 3-1.

Last year was an injury-plagued season for the 25-year-old, who was put on injured reserve in late November with a foot injury, costing him 10 games. In the six games he played, he registered 428 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

Injuries defined Cincy's season last year, with quarterback Joe Burrow suffering a torn ACL and MCL in late November to end his season.

Mixon came into the 2020 campaign on the heels of back-to-back seasons with over 1,100 yards rushing. That earned him a four-year, $48 million extension in September. When healthy, he's emerged as one of the better running backs in football.

In the meantime, look for Samaje Perine to replace him if Mixon misses any time.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow guided his team on a 10-play, 73-yard drive capped by an Evan McPherson 35-yard field goal with no time remaining to help defeat the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21 on Thursday.

After the game, Burrow spoke with NFL Network about his mindset going into that final 5:33 stretch (h/t Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network):

"I know they weren't going to be able to stop us. ... I told [Bengals head coach Zac Taylor], 'Put me in empty,'" Burrow said.

The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner finished 25-of-32 for 348 yards with two touchdowns. He threw for 253 yards in the second half alone, per ESPN Stats & Info (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby), the highest mark by a Bengal in the second half of a win since Carson Palmer in 2004.

It was a remarkable turnaround for the Bengals, who trailed 14-0 after a lethargic first half.

After that, the Bengals came to play, moving the ball with ease and scoring touchdowns on a pair of Burrow-to-C.J. Uzomah connections and a Joe Mixon run. The Bengals finished with 420 yards and had scoring drives of 69, 86, 75 and 73 yards.

They are 3-1 and need only one more victory to match their 2020 win total.

The Burrow-led offense has played a big part in the team's resurgence, which includes gutsy wins over the Minnesota Vikings (27-24 in overtime) and Jags in addition to a resounding victory over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers (24-10).

This year's team has responded well to pressure, which is something Burrow feels is different.

"We would've folded under the pressure tonight if this game was last year," he said (h/t NFL on CBS). "I'm just so proud of our guys."

The Bengals, now first in the AFC North, have a big test up ahead when they host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 10.

Have yourself a night, C.J. Uzomah.

The Cincinnati Bengals tight end went off Thursday, catching five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the team's 24-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

So, the logical question fantasy players will be asking is whether the tight end should be on their radar on the waiver wire following Week 4.

And the answer is no.

The best season the 28-year-old Uzomah has posted came in 2018, when he registered 43 catches for 439 yards and three touchdowns on 64 targets. Each of those marks was a career high.

He had never had a multitouchdown game in his career until this point, and his 95 receiving yards also set a single-game high. His previous best was 66.

And coming into Thursday, Uzomah had four catches for 39 yards and zero scores. In standard-scoring leagues, he was averaging 1.3 fantasy points per contest.

That obviously is not great, and his showing against the Jags was met with more than a little surprise:

Keep Thursday night's performance in context. The Bengals were without a key player in their passing attack in Tee Higgins. Uzomah has never reached 50 receptions, 500 receiving yards or five touchdowns in his seven-year career. And the Bengals have a trio of wideouts in Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd who will continue to soak up targets.

And despite all those factors, Uzomah will still probably be a trendy pickup on waivers. Sigh.

Save your resources for other players or other positions. Uzomah had an excellent night, but history suggests it will be a one-and-done outlier from a fantasy perspective. He's nothing more than a low-end TE2.

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10 on Sunday, improving to 2-1 on the year, and on Monday, Cincy wideout Tyler Boyd told reporters the Steelers waved the white flag down the stretch. 

"The last plays of the game for them, they gave up," he said. "You could see it. They had three drops in a row."

"They portrayed to the whole nation, on TV, what they were about and how they gave up," he added.

Boyd was referencing Najee Harris' two drops and Chase Claypool's drop on Pittsburgh's final drive. 

The Bengals have now won two in a row over the Steelers, though since 2010, the Steelers were a whopping 19-3 in the rivalry and hold a 67-37 all-time edge in the series. The Steelers have also won their division 10 times in the 21st century. 

Cincinnati, meanwhile, haven't had a winning season since 2015, when it last won the AFC North, one of four divisional titles for the team in the past 20 years. 

So the Steelers might point to those numbers in response to the shots Boyd took at them. But it's also clear the Bengals (2-1) feel a changing-of-the-guard might be taking place in the rivalry. 

And why not? The Bengals (2-1) have an exciting young core, especially on offense, led by Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Boyd.

Meanwhile, the Steelers (1-2) have a fearsome defense but an offense led by 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger, who looked well past his prime on Sunday (38-of-58 for 318 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, four sacks). 

Or as NBC Sports' Rodney Harrison put it on Football Night in America, Big Ben looked "extremely old."

"Out with the old, in with the new" might be the mantra in Cincy these days. Certainly, Boyd feels as though Pittsburgh showed signs of conceding on Sunday, and saying so publicly should only ramp up the intensity in the second meeting between the teams. The Bengals host Pittsburgh in Week 12. 

The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly getting some help for their depleted backfield. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the 49ers are signing running back Jacques Patrick off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.

The move comes after running back JaMycal Hasty suffered an ankle injury in the 17-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, while Trey Sermon remains in concussion protocol.

The 49ers already lost starting RB Raheem Mostert to a season-ending knee injury. Rookie Elijah Mitchell, who leads the team with 146 rushing yards, is expected to be limited in practice this week due to a shoulder injury and is considered day-to-day.

It's likely that Patrick could see some significant playing time in Sunday night's game against the Green Bay Packers.

After going undrafted in 2019, Patrick signed with the XFL and played for the Tampa Bay Vipers. In five XFL games in the 2020 season, he rushed for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 4.2 yards per carry.

Patrick landed on the Bengals' practice squad in 2020 but didn't appear in a game. He earned his chance to shine in the 2021 preseason, where he rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.0 YPC.

At 6'2" and 234 pounds, Patrick is a big back who can run with power. But he has also displayed speed to get around the edge, which makes him a good fit in 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme.

Patrick played college football at Florida State, but he was never the lead back. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons in 2015 and 2016 as the backup to Dalvin Cook. In his final two seasons he split carries with Cam Akers, a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.