Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season is upon us and the action will continue on Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals visiting the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
Jake Browning start or sit: Week 3 fantasy football advice
We break down the fantasy football outlook of Jake Browning ahead of the Bengals’ Week 3 matchup against the Vikings.
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The Bengals improved to 2-0 last Sunday with a 31-27 victory over the Jaguars, but it came at a heavy cost with Joe Burrow suffering a toe injury that will sideline him for three months. Backup quarterback Jake Browning was thrust into action for the rest of the game and will be tasked with holding down the fort moving forward.
Below, we’ll go over Browning’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 3.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bengals QB Jake Browning
Browning entered last week’s game midway through the second quarter and it was a rollercoaster ride for the rest of the afternoon. The veteran went 21-32 for 231 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions through the air and his one-yard TD run with 18 seconds remaining sealed the wild victory for Cincy. That performance generated 20.7 fantasy points, which ranked 14th among QB’s for the week.
Browning is no stranger to this situation as he took over as the Bengals’ starter late in 2023 when Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury. The backup started the final seven games and actually did well for himself, completing 70.4% of his passes for 1,936 yards with 12 passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He led Cincinnati to a 4-3 record during that stretch and the team came a game short of sneaking into the playoffs as the final AFC Wild Card representative.
Start or sit in Week 3?
Sit. Given the weapons of the Bengals offense, there’s actually a chance for Browning to emerge as a viable fantasy option. However, I wouldn’t rush into considering him for a start just yet. Burrow managers in particular should already have a more proven quarterback options on their roster and shouldn’t rush to throw his backup in unless they already find themselves in a perilous QB situation. He’s rostered in just 16.5% of fantasy leagues, so there’s still plenty of time to watch and evaluate before scooping him up off the waiver wire.
