August 16th 2026
Sunday Afternoon Edition
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
When it comes to drafting my fantasy quarterback, I am of the shared opinion to wait on this position, typically looking at the 5th round or later and that would be to target the likes of Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, and in recent seasons Patrick Mahomes.
I’ll admit, I have been known to be trigger happy, jumping up the fantasy ladder and taking my quarterback a little early, but I have been snake bitten. Which is why I am scratching my head as I consider doing it again.
Last season I took my quarterback in round 4, selecting the Bengals quarterback Joe Burrows. This followed a 2024 season when he passed for 4,918 yards and tossed 43 touchdowns. 2025 was nothing like the previous season and Burrows turned into “No Go Joe.”
In week one of the 2024 season he passed for a measly 113 yards with one touchdown pass. Now it wasn’t Burrows or his weapons that had me on edge and filled with worry last season, it was his offensive line. It looked like the men up front were trying to get him killed. Burrows was sacked 3 times in week one, twice in week two and hit so many times, I could have easily predicted what would eventually happen. Burrows 25 season was reduced to 8 games as he missed 9 games due to injury.
This season Burrow returns healthy and with his full complement of weapons. There’s no question the stars could be aligning for “Joe Cool” with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase & Tee Higgins, and running back Chase Brown helping to lead the offensive charge.
The only question that remains, can the offensive line hold up and protect their signal caller. As long as Burrow has time and stays clean, he’ll be tossing dimes or quarters all over the yard this season. In his first appearance I saw enough to give the O-line a grade of C. Not a great score, but enough to make me a believer in the upside here.
Burrow’s current ADP of 56.1 has him coming off the board in the middle of the 5th round as the fantasy QB4, behind Josh Allen, Drake Maye, and Lamar Jackson. Apparently I am not the only believer.
That’s My Take.
~David Ortega
