Cincinnati Bengals

DJ Turner II

CB

Turner was a limited participant at practice again Friday, but it looks like he'll be okay to suit up in Week 1 anyway. He projects for a huge role in Cincinnati's secondary in 2026, the final year of his rookie contract.

Shemar Stewart

DE

Stewart downgraded to limited practice participation Thursday after managing a full practice Wednesday, and it looks like he's trending towards sitting out Week 1. If he can't go, rookie second-rounder Cashius Howell could see an increased share of snaps on the edge.

Tee Higgins

WR

Ja'Marr Chase (knee) also is cleared to play, giving Joe Burrow plenty of firepower for the regular-season opener. Higgins seemed to stay healthy throughout spring and summer before missing a few practices with a heel contusion last week. He should be ready for his usual role come Sunday.

Ja'Marr Chase

WR

Chase was a full practice participant Wednesday and Thursday before resting Friday, with the Bengals citing 'rest' rather than his knee as the reason for Friday's absence. He suffered a minor knee hyperextension Aug. 25 and returned to practice within two weeks. Chase should be ready for his usual role this Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Myles Murphy

DE

Murphy was injured during training camp, but it appears he will be on the field for Week 1 against the Buccaneers, barring a setback. Murphy is coming off a productive 2025 campaign, appearing in 17 regular-season games, starting 10 of them, and accruing 52 total tackles and 5.5 sacks.

Dax Hill

CB

Hill battled a hamstring issue throughout the preseason, though his absence from Wednesday's injury report suggests he will be good to go for Week 1 versus the Buccaneers. The 2022 No. 31 overall pick appeared in all 17 regular-season games for the Bengals during the 2025 campaign, compiling 88 total tackles and one interception.

Brian Parker II

OT

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Samaje Perine

RB

In Cincinnati's preseason opener versus the Lions on Aug. 13, Perine was involved on the two drives in which Joe Burrow was leading the offense, and the running back had a seven-yard carry and gathered in both targets for 12 yards. While spelling Brown out of the backfield in 2025, Perine recorded 469 yards from scrimmage and three rushing TDs on 101 touches in 15 regular-season games. A similar workload can be expected from Perine in the coming campaign.

Joe Burrow

QB

"We're going to have a really good team that has a chance to win every game that we step foot on the field for," Burrow said. "We brought in a lot of the right guys, a lot of the right people with the right mindsets to go and chase this goal of winning a Super Bowl." Cincinnati's offseason additions focused primarily on fixing a defense that allowed 28.9 points per game during the 2025 regular season, which was third most in the NFL. Burrow and the offense are poised for another productive campaign if the star QB can stay healthy after being limited to eight appearances last season due to a toe injury. Starting wide receivers Chase and Tee Higgins (heel), as well as running back Chase Brown, are all reprising their roles alongside Burrow to provide continuity on offense.

Mike Gesicki

TE

In the wake of the NFL's cut-down day, Gesicki's main competition for offensive snaps is blocking TE Drew Sample, who has combined for 57 catches over his last 51 regular-season games. Meanwhile, 2024 fourth-round pick Erick All is finally back healthy after missing all of 2025 due to a torn ACL, while rookie seventh-rounder Jack Endries is the only other TE on the active roster. Gesicki posted a disappointing 28-307-2 line on 42 targets in 13 regular-season contests last year, but he's just two years removed from a 65-665-2 receiving line in his first campaign as a Bengal in 2024.

Chase Brown

RB

In particular, Brown cited the scheme's efficiency while running the ball under center and also how much he's been lining up in the slot in the passing game during training camp. After earning just 58 touches as a fifth-round rookie in 2023, his usage increased to 283 touches in 2024 and 301 touches last season. In 17 regular-games in 2025, he matched or set career highs across the board, tallying 1,456 yards from scrimmage and 11 total TDs. Considering Brown was one of seven RBs with at least 50 receptions last year (69, to be exact), his stature in fantasy has never been higher.

Ja'Sir Taylor

CB

Taylor signed a one-year contract with the Bengals in early April. The cornerback is set to play a key reserve role in the team's secondary once he can return to the field. Taylor will need to miss at least the first four games of the regular season on IR before becoming eligible to return to the Bengals' active roster.

Dohnte Meyers

WR

Meyers signed with the Bengals in January after spending the previous two years in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 26-year-old wide receiver is expected to fill a depth role on offense and is an option as a return man on special teams.

Colbie Young

WR

The rookie fourth-round pick was quieter than during his first two preseason games, when he posted a 5-76-1 line on 12 targets. However, Young's roster spot is essentially locked in, and he opened the game with the first-team offense. The Georgia product has plenty of potential in a Joe Burrow-helmed offense, although top two wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will naturally command plenty of the prolific quarterback's attention most weeks.

Tahj Brooks

RB

The 2025 sixth-round pick got the start for the Bengals and touched the ball on Cincinnati's first two plays from scrimmage, netting seven yards on his first carry. Brooks subsequently fumbled the opening second-half kickoff to give the Eagles the ball at the Bengals' 43-yard line and set up a Philadelphia field goal. The relatively unremarkable night put a cap on a modest preseason for Brooks, who rushed 13 times for 49 yards, posted a 4-22-0 receiving line and ran back two kickoffs for 66 yards over three exhibitions. Brooks' biggest competitor for a depth running back/returner role, Gary Brightwell, also coughed up the ball once Friday, so it could be a proverbial coin flip between the two in terms of final cuts.

Evan McPherson

PK

McPherson put the Bengals' first nine points of the night on the board with his trio of field goals, which included his third of 50-plus this preseason. The unblemished night capped off a perfect three-game exhibition slate for McPherson, who tuned up for what should be a busy regular season by going 8-for-8 on field-goal attempts and 7-for-7 on PATs.

Bryan Cook

S

Cook has missed time after suffering an apparent hamstring injury earlier in August, but it now looks like he's back in football shape. Despite whether he plays in Friday's preseason game at Philadelphia, it seems like he's trending toward being available for Week 1 of the regular season, barring any setbacks.

Andrei Iosivas

WR

The Princeton product enters his fourth season looking to rebound from a down 2025 in which he fell short of the breakout season that saw him record six touchdowns in 2024. The Bengals have a heavily concentrated target tree centered on Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which has limited Iosivas' week-to-week usage. He has performed poorly on targets per route run in each of the last two years, coming in under 12 percent in each campaign. Iosivas could have added competition for snaps this year, considering rookie Colbie Young's impressive showing in the preseason thus far. As it stands, Iosivas may be on the field a fair amount, but his involvement in the passing game could be limited again.

Kris Jenkins Jr.

DT

Jack Endries

TE

This is a roster battle for the fourth tight-end spot, so the stakes are pretty low for fantasy purposes. Endries gets points for athleticism and pass-catching ability, whereas Hudson is more of a reliable veteran that knows the system well. At any rate, either tight end would fall behind Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample and Erick All on the Bengals' depth chart.

B.J. Hill

DT

Hill opened training camp on the PUP list while recovering from an unspecified injury. He's been given the green light to return to practice and is on track to play in the Bengals' next preseason game, which takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 against the Bears. Hill has suited up for the Bengals in each of the last five years and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he logged 66 tackles (29 solo), including 4.0 sacks, across 17 regular-season games.

Cashius Howell

DE

Howell, the Bengals' second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M, is expected to be part of a defensive end rotation for the Bengals, lining up behind Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy and likely Shemar Stewart, though Stewart's knee injury could open the door for Howell to get more early reps.

Erick All Jr.

TE

All underwent multiple knee surgeries for an ACL injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. The 2024 fourth-rounder will be competing with Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample to serve as the No. 2 tight end behind Mike Gesicki.

Jonathan Allen

DT

Josh Newton

CB

Newton is seemingly past the hamstring injury that forced him to miss the final two regular-season games of the 2025 campaign. The 25-year-old is competing with Jalen Davis, Ja'Sir Taylor and Bralyn Lux for the starting job.