Broncos vs. Bengals Saturday Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Bo Nix, Joe Burrow, Courtland Sutton, Chase Brown, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and more

As the NFL regular season winds down, we have three Saturday games to enjoy in Week 17. The vast majority of leagues have their championship finals going this week and these Saturday matchups will undoubtedly impact the fate of your league's championship. Below you can read our matchups analysis article for the Broncos vs. Bengals game to help make any fantasy lineup decisions for both season-long and DFS.

Both of these squads are fighting to get into the NFL Playoffs. The Broncos have a very simple "win and in" scenario over their last two games, while the Bengals will need to win out and get lots of help along the way. We can expect these teams to be fighting at full blast in this Saturday matchup.

Read our fantasy football breakdowns for these games -- the recommended starts, sits, and matchups we love heading into the Week 17 matchups. Good luck, RotoBallers!

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Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals

Spread: Bengals -3.5
Implied Total: 47.5

Matchups We Love

QB Bo Nix 

Bo Nix has a fantastic matchup in Week 17 against the Bengals. Cincinnati has given up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season while allowing multiple passing touchdowns in five of the past six games. That makes Nix a solid QB1 option in most leagues this weekend. Nix has also scored above 19 fantasy points in three of the past five contests.

Bo Nix. Holy freaking cow. pic.twitter.com/tJyVYy7bGS

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 3, 2024

Matchups We Hate

None

Other Matchups

QB Joe Burrow

If you made it this far, you are still starting Joe Burrow in the fantasy football championship. He has thrown at least three touchdowns in seven straight games and is currently the QB3 of the year. So, Burrow will be a strong QB1 option in Week 17 against the Broncos. Denver has allowed over 20 fantasy points to two different quarterbacks over the past three games, including a QB1 finish from Jameis Winston back in Week 13.

RB Chase Brown 

Chase Brown played a season-high 98% of the team's offensive snaps last week and rushed for over 90 yards for the second straight week. So, he'll remain a strong RB1 option in Week 17 against the Broncos. Although Denver is allowing only 99.8 rush yards per game this season, Brown should remain in all lineups. He has seen at least 20 touches in six of the past seven games.

CHASE BROWN NEEDS 77 RUSHING YDS TO REACH 1K👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/ogIhtqlyff

— Chaston Scott (@CinCity808) December 27, 2024

Broncos RBs 

At this point, fantasy managers can't trust any Broncos running back heading into Week 17. Javonte Williams hasn't seen double-digit carries since Week 9, and Audric Estime has played under 25% of the team's offensive snaps in five straight games. Even though head coach Sean Payton has said that Estime has earned more opportunities moving forward, fantasy managers shouldn't trust him in the championship this weekend.

Bengals WRs 

Both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins should be in fantasy lineups this week against the Broncos. Chase will likely be shadowed by Patrick Surtain II on Saturday, so it'll be interesting to see who wins that matchup on the outside. Still, the Bengals wideout will be a strong WR1 option in Week 17.

As for Higgins, he will be a high-end WR2 play this week. He has finished as a top-18 fantasy wideout in five of the past six games while scoring over 17.5 PPR fantasy points in all five of those contests. Given that he is also averaging 17.3 PPR fantasy points this year, he is a must-start option.

Update: Higgins is listed as questionable for Saturday's game due to an ankle/knee injury.

WR Courtland Sutton

Courtland Sutton has been a consistent fantasy option this season, scoring in double figures in PPR formats in eight straight games. As a result, Sutton will be a solid WR2 option against the Bengals in Week 17. This Cincinnati secondary has allowed some solid games to both George Pickens (74 yards and one touchdown) and CeeDee Lamb (93 yards and one touchdown) in recent weeks.

Notable Fantasy-Relevant Injuries

• Tee Higgins (ankle/knee) - Questionable

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