RB · Cincinnati · 2026 outlook
Chase Brown caught 69 passes in 2025, second among backs in this group, which is what keeps him a top-ten pick despite only six rushing touchdowns.
Sixty-nine receptions from a running back is a PPR asset regardless of what the rushing looks like, and Brown's rushing is fine: 1,019 yards on 232 carries is 4.4 a pop across all 17 games. What holds the profile back is the six touchdowns. That is a low number for a back with more than 300 total touches, and it is the single most likely thing to improve. Backs with his volume typically finish with nine or ten, so there is 15 to 25 points sitting in the gap between what he did and what his workload usually produces.
The complication is Cincinnati's offense and the schedule. When Joe Burrow plays, this team throws, which is good for Brown's receptions and less good for the goal-line carries that would fix the touchdown problem. The 2026 running-back schedule rates a 2 out of 5, among the harder slates, with an early bye in week 6. So the case is a receiving floor you can rely on, a rushing role that is real but not dominant, and a touchdown rate that should come up. That is a solid second-round back rather than a league-winner, and the price usually reflects it.
It is below what his workload normally produces, and that is the case for buying him. More than 300 touches usually converts to nine or ten scores. Cincinnati throwing near the goal line is part of the explanation, but low touchdown rates on high volume tend to correct.
Very. Sixty-nine catches is close to four a game, which is a floor of 15 to 20 points before the rushing counts for anything. In standard scoring he drops noticeably, because the receptions stop being points and the six touchdowns are all that is left to separate him.
In both directions, which is unusual. Burrow playing means more passing volume and more targets for Brown. Burrow missing time means more rushing attempts in a worse offense. The receiving role is the safer of the two paths, so a healthy Cincinnati season is the better outcome for him.
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