Welcome to the “Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down” series. During this series, we will break down one player from each team whose stock is going down and whose stock is going up. Every team will be broken down before we get to the regular season. Today is all about the Cincinnati Bengals. For more from this series, check out my latest article as I deep dive into the Chicago Bears.
STOCK UP – JERMAINE BURTON
| Year | Team | Games Played | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | TDs |
| 2020 | Georgia | 10 | 27 | 404 | 15.0 | 3 |
| 2021 | Georgia | 14 | 26 | 497 | 19.1 | 4 |
| 2022 | Alabama | 13 | 40 | 677 | 16.9 | 7 |
| 2023 | Alabama | 13 | 39 | 798 | 20.5 | 8 |
There was a lot of uncertainty on when Jermaine Burton would hear his name be called at the NFL Draft. Some mock draft analysts had him falling to a Day 3 pick, but the Bengals took their shot and selected him 80th overall in the third round. The Bengals addressing the wide receiver position didn’t come as a surprise. Tyler Boyd left for Tennessee in free agency, and Tee Higgins requested a trade before the team tagged him on the Franchise tag. Higgins did sign his tender to remain with the team in 2024, but he’s likely playing elsewhere in 2025. So why should we, as a fantasy community, be in on Burton right now?
Let’s start with some eye-popping statistics from his collegiate career. Burton led the entire rookie receiving class in career average depth of target at 16.8. He also led the same group in actual yards per target at 12.1. And on top of that, he led the group in yards per target over expectation at 3.44. When you combine those prolific numbers with the fact that he’ll be replacing Boyd in this offense and catching passes from Joe Burrow, his opportunities as a rookie are enormous.
Boyd finished second on the team in both receptions (67) and receiving yards (667) last season. On top of that, Higgins typically misses a couple of games a year (four last year alone), and he’s in an uncomfortable situation with the team. Don’t be surprised if Burton comes in and immediately makes an impact for the Bengals this season. As far as his future, there’s no reason to believe Burton couldn’t turn into this team’s WR2 and become a viable dynasty asset for your roster for many years to come.
Other Notables: Erick All, Chase Brown
STOCK DOWN – MIKE GESICKI
| Year | Team | Games Played | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | TDs |
| 2018 | MIA | 16 | 32 | 22 | 202 | 9.2 | 0 |
| 2019 | MIA | 16 | 89 | 51 | 570 | 11.2 | 5 |
| 2020 | MIA | 15 | 85 | 53 | 703 | 13.3 | 6 |
| 2021 | MIA | 17 | 112 | 73 | 780 | 10.7 | 2 |
| 2022 | MIA | 17 | 52 | 32 | 362 | 11.3 | 5 |
| 2023 | NE | 17 | 45 | 29 | 244 | 8.4 | 2 |
There’s a decent amount of hype surrounding Mike Gesicki this season, considering he’s sliding into the TE1 spot for the Bengals. It sounds good on paper, right? A starting tight end with a good track record joins a new team and catches passes from Joe Burrow. How does that not work out? There are a few reasons why you shouldn’t buy into the hype and why you should sell Gesicki right now at his highest price since his 2021 season with the Dolphins.
Reason number one is that Burrow has never supported a top-tier tight end in fantasy throughout his whole career. Let’s go through every season. In 2020 (Burrow’s rookie season), Drew Sample led the tight end group for the team with 40 receptions for 349 yards and one touchdown. He finished the season as the TE30 in PPR leagues. In 2021, C.J. Uzomah had some decent weekly finishes but ended the season as the TE19, as he hauled in 49 receptions for 493 yards and five touchdowns. In 2022, Hayden Hurst stepped in as the team’s TE1 and hauled in 52 receptions for 414 yards and two touchdowns, landing him as the TE21. Last season, Tanner Hudson led all tight ends on the team with 39 receptions, 352 yards, and one touchdown. This resulted in a TE27 finish.
Burrow has yet to support a TE18 or better. Now, let’s get to reason number two. Gesicki hasn’t finished as a TE18 or better since 2021. He’s coming off his worst statistical season since his rookie year. Playing in all 17 games last season, Gesicki hauled in 29 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns for the New England Patriots. On top of that, the Bengals signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.5M with only $400,000 guaranteed. Drew Sample is under contract until 2026, and he’s earning $3.5M a year. You have to also keep in mind that the Bengals spent a fourth-round pick on Erick All out of Iowa in this year’s draft. Combine the lack of support Burrow provides for tight ends in fantasy, the lack of production from Gesicki recently, and the pass-catchers surrounding him on this team, it’s hard to find a path for Gesicki to turn in good results for fantasy football. My advice is to sell him now while you can.
Other Notables: Charlie Jones, Andrei Iosivas
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