Early ADP numbers show Chase Brown going about 12th at running back in PPR leagues. That might seem a little early, with Brown a former 5th-round pick with all of 10 NFL starts. But considering what he did with that role, it looks about right.
The Bengals talked some in the offseason about adding another back to pair with Brown, giving rise to fears that it would be more of a committee this year. But nothing they did in the offseason indicates that's certain to happen.
Cincinnati re-signed Zack Moss to a one-year, $1.7 million contract with just $375k guaranteed. He's coming off a neck injury, and with that contract, he's not a roster lock; they could move on pretty easily. They also brought back Samaje Perine, and maybe he'll figure as a receiving back. That would be a blow to Brown's value. But Perine turns 30 in September, also isn't making big money (2 years, $3.6 million) and was gradually phased out of Kansas City's offense as a passing downs back last year. In his last nine games (including the playoffs), Perine caught a total of 10 passes.
Cincinnati also drafted Tahj Brooks out of Texas Tech in the sixth round. Maybe he'll be the No. 2, given the elderly other options, but probably won't have much of a role if Brown stays healthy. Brown, selected a round earlier in 2023, averaged 4-5 total touches per game in his rookie season.
Last year, Brown was a workhorse down the stretch, with his passing downs work the primary component of his value. Over the last eight games, Brown averaged nearly a point more from his receiving production (in PPR leagues) than his rushing.
Table shows Brown's numbers over the final eight games last year, divvied into the weekly points as a runner and as a receiver. Five times in those eight games he earned double-digit points strictly from his work in the passing game, before rushing was even factored in.
| CHASE BROWN, LAST EIGHT GAMES | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | Run | RuTD | Pts(Run) | No | Rec | ReTD | Pts(Rec) |
| L.V. | 120 | 0 | 12.0 | 5 | 37 | 1 | 14.7 |
| at Bal. | 42 | 1 | 10.2 | 9 | 52 | 0 | 14.2 |
| at LAC | 86 | 0 | 8.6 | 5 | 57 | 0 | 10.7 |
| Pit. | 70 | 1 | 13.0 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 6.0 |
| at Dal. | 58 | 0 | 5.8 | 6 | 65 | 1 | 18.5 |
| at Ten. | 97 | 1 | 15.7 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 10.6 |
| Cle. | 91 | 0 | 9.1 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 4.8 |
| Den. | 67 | 0 | 6.7 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 6.4 |
Obviously, Brown as a full-time back again would be nice. Maybe that won't happen. But are they really going to take him off the field much for Perine, Moss or Brooks? I doubt it. Somewhere around 12th-14th at running back in PPR leagues looks reasonable, with the chance for more (depending who else the team keeps around for the regular season).
--Andy Richardson