As Sheeran notes, Iosivas does most of his work out of the slot while working alongside the team's top WR duo, Ja'Marr Chaseand Tee Higgins. In that context during the 2025 regular season, Iosivas recorded 33 catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games. Assuming Chase and Higgins stay healthy, Iosivas has modest fantasy appeal out of the gate in 2026, but if injuries hit, he could enter the weekly lineup equation in Cincinnati's Joe Burrow-led passing attack.

The Bengals have been slow to adapt the growing trend in the NFL of working under center, and using more play-action from that set-up to initiate explosive plays. It's always been Burrow's preference to work out of the shotgun and survey the field, but the evidence suggests that the Bengals, while being successful in that format, are leaving explosive plays on the table as a result.

Higgins continues to form one of the NFL's top receiving tandems alongside Chase, with Andrei Iosivas still positioned as a capable No. 3 complement. The 27-year-old tallied a 79-1,034-9 receiving line across 14 regular-season appearances in 2025, and with Joe Burrow healthy plus veteran backup Joe Flacco returning, Cincinnati's passing game appears well positioned entering 2026. Higgins inked a four-year, $115 million contract with the Bengals last offseason and will remain in a productive environment for the foreseeable future. Running back Chase Brown and tight end Mike Gesicki will also factor into the passing game, but Higgins and Chase are established as the clear top targets for Burrow.

Chase will remain in the mix at the top of the first round of 2026 fantasy drafts, as despite instability at quarterback last year, he led the NFL with 185 targets and totaled a 125-1,412-8 line across 16 regular-season appearances. With Joe Burrow now healthy and veteran backup Joe Flacco back in the fold, Cincinnati's passing game appears better positioned entering 2026. Andrei Iosivas remains the favorite for the No. 3 receiver role behind Chase and Higgins, while running back Chase Brown and tight end Mike Gesicki will also factor into the passing game.

Like Brown, Perine is approaching the last year of his contract. In 15 regular-season contests during the 2025 campaign, Perine logged 382 yards and three touchdowns on 84 carries, while adding 17 catches for 87 yards. As long as Brown remains healthy, Perine's fantasy value is modest, and it's also possible that 2025 sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks carves out a bigger role in 2026 after carrying the ball just 16 times as a rookie.

Per Ben Baby of ESPN, Brown previously expressed his desire to remain with the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and earlier this offseason the 26-year-old was in communication with the Bengals regarding a possible extension. Brown is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he gained 1,016 yards and six TDs on 232 carries in 17 regular season contests and was sixth among all NFL running backs with 437 receiving yards, while adding five aerial TDs among his 69 catches. Brown is poised to maintain steady weekly volume and fantasy production in 2026 with Samaje Perine set to reprise his role as Brown's top backup, though 2025 sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks could see an uptick in complementary touches after recording just 16 carries as a rookie.

After the Bengals swung and missed on Jermaine Burton in the draft two years ago, they've been lacking a solid No. 3 wide receiver to replace Tyler Boyd. They're hopeful that Young, their fourth-round pick from Georgia, can help fill that void.

All is making progress in his recovery from a torn ACL that cost him the entirety of last season. The 25-year-old tight end last appeared in a regular-season game in 2024 but will look to make his return during the upcoming campaign.

Kattus mostly served in a blocking role during his four years at Kentucky, finishing with just 38 receptions for 505 yards and six touchdowns over 44 games. He'll need a strong offseason program to secure a spot on the 53-man roster.

Thomas led Texas A&M with 574 yards and eight touchdowns in his junior season. He subsequently transferred to Georgia for his senior season and got lost in the shuffle, finishing with 16 receptions for 254 yards (sixth on the team) and four touchdowns over 13 games. With a 4.62 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 203 pounds, Thomas is likely aiming for a practice-squad role.

Haynes didn't start until his third year at Georgia Tech when he broke out with 174 carries for 1,059 yards (6.1 YPC) and seven touchdowns. His efficiency dropped off over the next two seasons, bottoming out at 4.3 YPC in his fifth year. Still, Haynes has pass-catching chops with 33 receptions for 257 yards in his final season. He'll need to prove himself on special teams to earn a spot in a running back room that already features Chase Brown, Samaje Perine and Tahj Brooks.

Bullock (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) spent three seasons at Ole Miss but mostly played on special teams. He subsequently transferred to South Alabama where he played another three seasons, rounding out his collegiate career with 218 carries for 1,085 yards (5.0 YPC) and 14 touchdowns and adding 14 receptions for 53 yards and a score. He ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at his pro day. Bullock will need to make an impact on special teams to crack the Bengals' 53-man roster.

Murphy set career-best marks across the board in 2025 with 52 tackles (28 solo), including 5.5 sacks, but that wasn't enough to convince Bengals brass to pick up the 2023 first-round pick's fifth-year option. He remains under contract in 2026 on the fourth year of his rookie deal, and Conway adds that the Bengals are still hoping to work out a long-term extension to keep Murphy in Cincinnati despite choosing not to pick up his fifth-year option.

Robinson (6-foot, 287 pounds), out of Navy, will add depth to Cincinnati's interior defensive line, which got a tremendous boost after the team traded the No. 10 overall pick to trade for Dexter Lawrence from the Giants and also inked Jonathan Allen to a two-year deal in free agency. Though undersized, Robinson boasts impressive strength and is capable of manufacturing pressure, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him carve out a rotational gig early in his NFL career.

Endries (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) began his collegiate career with a redshirt 2022 campaign at California, which he followed up with two consecutive years as a starter from 2023-24 before transferring to Texas. In his sole season as the Longhorns' starting tight end in 2025, Endries compiled 33 catches for 346 yards and three scores, a step down from the 56-626-2 line he logged with the Golden Bears in 2024. Endries has the size to find a role at the NFL level but lacks difference-making athleticism, so as a rookie he could have a difficult time competing for depth reps with Erick All (ACL), Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy (chest) behind top tight end Mike Gesicki.

Parker (6-foot-5, 309 pounds) was a tackle at Duke who was expected to move to center, not completely unlike former Duke left tackle and current Tampa Bay center Graham Barton, but the NFL obviously regarded Parker as the lesser prospect of the two. Furthermore, the Bengals already drafted a center in the fourth round when they took the distinguished Connor Lew. Perhaps the Bengals will try Parker out at guard rather than center.

Lew broke into the starting lineup as a true freshman at Auburn in 2023 and started the final 25 games of his college career before tearing his left ACL in 2025. The injury certainly affected his draft stock to some degree because he couldn't participate in athletic testing, but he's expected to be ready for training camp. Lew is on track to serve as the backup center in 2026 behind Ted Karras, a 33-year-old who has started every game over the past four years but has just one year left on his contract.

Davis is unusually tall for a corner at 6-foot-4, 194 pounds, which is helpful at some times but less so others. Though he was a standout starter for Washington overall, Davis' ability to mirror the routes of shorter, quicker receivers will be tested by the NFL's different enforcement of illegal contact rules. With 4.41 speed in addition to his reach, Davis would be a menacing press-man corner if he can avoid penalties in the NFL.

Howell spent the last two seasons of his five-year college career with Texas A&M. He broke out in his senior year in 2025, when he was a Unanimous All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after posting 31 tackles, including an SEC-leading 11.0 sacks, one forced fumble and six pass defenses across 13 games. Howell served as a boundary edge rusher with the Aggies, and while his shorter reach could be a concern at the NFL level, he has the quick initial burst to give opposing tackles plenty of trouble and the versatility to drop into coverage to mask blitz pressure. Howell will join a new-look Bengals defensive front that includes Super Bowl LX champion Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, Jonathan Allen and the recently acquired Dexter Lawrence.

The Bengals have now traded for Lawrence, signed Jonathan Allen and retained B.J. Hill as interior defensive linemen, and they still currently employ T.J. Slaton. Jenkins hasn't shined in his first two years with the Bengals after getting drafted in the second round from Michigan, tallying a combined 67 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

Saturday's trade with the Giants — which saw the No. 10 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft move to New York — was finalized Sunday after Lawrence passed his physical, and the extension ensures that the 2019 first-rounder will be under contract with the Bengals through the next three seasons. The Clemson product is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 regular season, when he tallied 31 tackles (14 solo), including 0.5 sacks, all of which were career lows. Lawrence was named to the NFL's All-Pro Second Team in both 2022 and 2023, and if he can return to that level, it would be a massive boost to a Bengals defensive front that also includes Jonathan Allen, Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe.

Taylor will head to Cincinnati after splitting his 2025 campaign between the Chargers and Jets, compiling 21 total tackles (12 solo) and a pass defensed over 17 regular-season contests. The 26-year-old will provide the Bengals with an additional experienced option at slot cornerback behind Jalen Davis and another option on special teams in 2026.

In 16 regular-season games (seven with the Patriots and nine with the Steelers) in 2025, the 2020 second-rounder recorded a career-low 59 total tackles, as well as a sack and two interceptions. As Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News notes, Dugger brings both ample starting experience and positional versatility to a Bengals defense that can use both.

Flacco kicked off last season as the Browns' No. 1 quarterback, completing 93 of 160 passes (58.1 percent) for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions in four starts. Cleveland then dealt him to Cincinnati, where he proceeded to fill in for the injured Joe Burrow. In six more starts with his new team, Flacco racked up 1,636 yards and a 13:4 TD:INT on 61.6 percent passing. Once Burrow recovered from his turf toe injury, Flacco saw only spot action down the stretch of the 2025 campaign, a role he figures to fill again this season as long as the former remains healthy.

Johnson will turn 40 in mid-May, but he's not yet ready to hang up his cleats. This will be his third stint with the Bengals, who are one of 14 teams he's spent time with during his NFL career. Johnson should have a path to working as the backup to QB Joe Burrow, as Sean Clifford is the only other QB currently signed to Cincinnati's roster following the departure of Jake Browning to Tampa Bay.