Chase Brown 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
- Zack Moss is the Bengals RB everyone wants, but not the one they need.
- It may actually be Chase Brown who is the Cincy RB to draft in 2024.
- Superior ADP and athleticism highlight why Brown is a top value pick.
It’s out with the old and in with the new. Once the Cincinnati Bengals opted to trade Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans, you knew something would be different in Cincy.
Obviously the big difference is at running back, as Mixon’s low-efficiency, high-volume role was left wide open. The team worked to replace him, though, as they signed Zack Moss and had second-year rusher Chase Brown ready to chip in.
There’s no denying the value Moss could bring, but he’s being drafted as the RB30 right now, and Brown is behind him (RB36). I’m here to tell you why Chase Brown is the Bengals RB to target in 2024 fantasy football drafts.
Zack Moss Doesn’t Have an Impressive Resume
The first reason you should draft Chase Brown? His only competition for snaps in the Cincinnati backfield is a pretty unproven player in Zack Moss.
There’s no denying that Moss had some blow-up games with Jonathan Taylor banged up last year. Heck, he even had a couple of good outings when JT was back.
However, Moss flamed out in Buffalo after two inefficient seasons. He was surprisingly efficient with the Colts in 2022, and took full advantage of extra work early in 2023.
And to be fair, for the moment, Moss does figure to be the first guy up for the Bengals. That would obviously be a pretty big deal.
That said, Moss doesn’t have a very impressive resume. He looked solid with a bigger workload in 2023, but his old inefficiency still showed up (8 games under 4 ypc).
Moss might not be a starter in the NFL. The Bengals took a risk bringing him in, but if they find out he’s not the man for the job in camp (or early in the season), they could very easily turn to Brown, a guy they invested a draft pick in.
Chase Brown is the Superior Athlete
One reason to fall in love with Chase Brown is he’s an awesome athlete. Moss is bigger and stronger than Brown, but Brown has actually bulked up and isn’t as small as people seem to think/
More importantly, he’s got 4.43 speed and fantastic agility and short area burst. He’s also quickly proven to be an exceptional receiver out of the backfield.
Here you can see his hands, speed, and vision all come into play on one awesome catch and run.
The Bengals brought in solid competition, to be sure. Moss flashed solid upside for fantasy in 2023. But he’s probably best suited as a backup to Brown when you start looking at the ceilings these guys possess.
Brown is simply the quicker, more explosive, and more versatile weapon. If that doesn’t win him the job this summer, I think he’s a threat to Moss later in the year.
Brown Was Already Earning Snaps as a Rookie
People see the signing of Moss as an automatic guarantee that he’s the starter and Brown won’t have a role. It could mean that, for sure, but the departure of Mixon meant added depth was necessary.
Brown can still win this job, or at least cut into it greatly. Even with the more experienced Mixon on hand, Brown was slowly starting to eat up work, even as a rookie.
It took basically the entire season, but Brown saw 15% of the snaps in week 13, spiked to 30% in week 14, and had at least 15% of the running back snaps in every other game down the stretch.
He excelled when on the field, too. Brown’s time on the field led to 43 yards after contact per reception over his final 6 games. That was 11th best in the NFL during that stretch.
His sample size for pure rushing stats was admittedly small, but he flashed potential there and really left his mark as a receiver in space.
Should You Draft Chase Brown in 2024?
Moss currently profiles as the early down and goal-line runner for this offense. Only a fool would refute that. Cincy historically loved utilizing one running back most of the time, too.
On paper, Moss himself would be an absolute smash as the RB30 in drafts. But that’s assuming he will win the job and actually hold onto it even if he does.
At his current price in drafts, I am willing to take the risk and draft Brown over Moss, largely because he’s the more gifted receiver and he’s easily the more explosive athlete.
Brown also has better than advertised size and displayed true workhorse potential in his final college season (1,643 yards and 10 TDs on 328 rush attempts). He just needs the chance to actually run with this job.
Whether Moss loses this gig in training camp, gets hurt, or proves ineffective, there is a path to Brown being the superior value. At just 24, I especially prefer him in dynasty fantasy football leagues, and will be shopping to acquire him this summer.
- Don’t Miss: Zamir White’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Writer at Daily Fantasy Fade
DFS Keanu has been covering fantasy sports, DFS, and props for the better part of a decade, all while fighting The Matrix and a litany of assassins.
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