Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Fantasy Football Today (Oct 7, 2025)

Episode Title: Bengals Trade for Joe Flacco! Fantasy Impact for Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins & Superflex Leagues!

Overview

In this breaking-news-driven episode, host Adam Aizer and analysts Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard react in real-time to the Cincinnati Bengals trading for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. The team discusses the move’s impact on the fantasy value of Bengals' major skill players, especially wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and its implications across different fantasy formats—particularly superflex leagues. The tone is conversational, insightful, and occasionally light-hearted, typical of the FFT crew.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Joe Flacco Trade: Immediate Reactions

[00:46] Adam Aizer: Announces the breaking news—Joe Flacco is headed to the Bengals from the Browns.
Flacco had poor stats with Cleveland (5.1 ypa last stint, better in ‘23 with 7.9 ypa), raising questions about his upside. The move is seen as an attempt by the Bengals to salvage their season after a three-game losing streak and Joe Burrow’s injury.

2. Realistic Expectations for Flacco in Cincinnati

[01:33] Jamey Eisenberg:
- Flacco is characterized as a “more competent version of Jake Browning,” lacking mobility and facing the same poor O-line challenges.
- Cincinnati is credited with “at least trying,” but Jamey would have preferred a higher-upside option like Jameis Winston.
- “Give the Bengals some credit for trying... just hasn't been working with Browning.” (Jamey, 02:05)
- Flacco could marginally upgrade the value of the Bengals receivers, particularly on deep throws to Higgins.
- The offense can still produce when matchups favor the passing game; however, matchups against tough defenses (like Green Bay) could limit upside.
[02:51] Jamie:
- Bengals’ current situation: must “stay close to .500 until Burrow is able to come back.”
- Chase remains a must-start; Flacco’s “willingness to throw downfield” could unlock Higgins' fantasy ceiling.

3. Statistical Context & Flacco’s Passing Tendencies

[03:06] Dave Richard:
- Flacco's deep ball: “His attempt rate on passes of 15+ air yards was 21.3%. That's higher than... Jake Browning.”
- Flacco’s “better catchable throw rate than Jake Browning” and 11 WR drops in Cleveland largely explain subpar completion stats.
- The Bengals’ defensive struggles predict continued pass-heavy game scripts, favorable for fantasy managers.
Flacco is known not to favor running backs with targets, except in certain games: “Not sure he's going to do it that much. That might hurt Chase Brown just a little bit.” (Dave, 03:55)

4. Fantasy Implications for Key Bengals Players

Ja’Marr Chase: Remains a “top 10 WR” (Jamie, 02:41). Flacco’s presence is a slight upgrade but not a dramatic shift.
Tee Higgins: “Higgins gets closer now to the top 24. You need to see it. But… the downfield throws will be there for Higgins… Higgins will benefit the most from this.” (Jamie, 02:48)
Joe Mixon & Chase Brown: Anticipate fewer dump-downs; limited receiving bump.
Superflex Leagues: Flacco is waiver-relevant due to scarcity.
- “If they’re committing to him for the rest of the season, you gotta go north of 15% [of FAAB budget].” (Jamie, 04:45)

5. Superflex/Rostering QBs Waiver Bidding

[04:08] Adam: In a superflex league context, Flacco is waiver-interesting but not a must-add in 1QB formats.
Jamie’s advice: Over 15% of remaining FAAB due to thin supply of starting QBs.

6. Potential Starting Timeline & Matchup vs. Packers

Uncertainty exists whether Flacco will start this week: “We don't know who the starter is for this week. They might think it's too soon.” (Adam, 06:28)
[05:59] Dave: Flacco played the Packers already this season with Cleveland—“He won that game… numbers weren't great. Stung for fantasy, but he’s got some experience against this opponent.”

7. Closing Thoughts on Flacco’s Prospects

[06:52] Jamie:
- Flacco’s veteran experience: “Came off the couch and started for the Browns once upon a time. He'll be fine, right?”
- Dave notes: “He’s been in a version of this offense multiple times in his career.” (06:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Give the Bengals some credit for trying... just hasn't been working with Browning.” — Jamey Eisenberg [02:05]
“Higgins will benefit the most from this.” — Jamey Eisenberg [02:48]
“Flacco’s attempt rate on passes of 15+ air yards was 21.3%. That's higher than... Jake Browning.” — Dave Richard [03:06]
“If they’re committing to him for the rest of the season, you gotta go north of 15% [of FAAB budget].” — Jamey Eisenberg [04:45]
“We don't know who the starter is for this week. They might think it's too soon.” — Adam Aizer [06:28]
“He’s been in a version of this offense multiple times in his career.” — Dave Richard [06:59]

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:46 — Breaking News: Joe Flacco traded to Bengals
01:33–03:00 — Immediate trade analysis, Flacco vs. Browning
03:06–04:08 — Flacco’s passing tendencies & impact on WRs
04:08–05:00 — Fantasy football implications and superflex/waiver discussion
05:59–06:59 — Flacco’s matchup history vs. the Packers & starter uncertainty

Summary

This episode offers a timely, data-driven assessment of the Bengals’ quarterback situation following the Flacco trade. The consensus: Flacco provides a mild fantasy bump for Cincinnati wideouts, especially in deep-league and superflex formats. While Flacco’s mobility and age are concerns, his history of airing it out and a superior receiving corps (relative to the Browns) could yield solid fantasy output—at least until Joe Burrow returns. The hosts recommend measured optimism and strategic bidding for Flacco in deeper leagues.

If you missed the episode, you now have all the actionable insights and analysis needed for your fantasy lineups and waiver wires.

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Transcript11 lines

[00:00]
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[00:47]
Host 1
Well, we don't usually get breaking news right before the segment that is so relevant for the breaking news, but the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals are making a trade and Joe Flacco is going to the Bengals. They needed a quarterback upgrade. Hopefully they're getting it. Cleveland certainly did not get a quarterback upgrade with Joe Flacco. He was really bad. He averaged 5.1 yards per attempt with the Browns. You know, a couple years ago with the Browns he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt. So hopefully he still got something left in the tank. As we welcome you back to Fantasy Football Today, presented by BetMGM. And this is huge news. More so for Chase and Higgins. So Jamie, take it away. Your analysis of this trade. According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Bengals trading for Joe Flacco, I.
[01:34]
Jamie
Mean, look, they got another version of Jake Browning, but maybe it's a more competent version of Jake Browning. He's not going to be mobile. He's going to still have to deal with that bad offensive line that Browning was dealing with. But give the Bengals credit for at least trying. Now we would have preferred, let's say a Jameis Winston or somebody that could, I think, take the receiving corp to another level. But like you said, we've seen Flacco in his history do this. We just got to get him now to play for the Steelers at some point and he gets the whole AFC north locked up. But at this point, look, give the Bengals some credit for trying. You know, it just hasn't been working with Browning. The interception has been an issue, at least when you saw last week For Chase in particular, I know Hagan's had the touchdown. When the matchup is not so overwhelming, where the quarterback play is going to be such a deficit, they still have the ability to produce at a high level. And so the two weeks prior where they struggle with the defenses that they faced, then they play the Lions with that bad secondary. This is going to be a tough matchup. Still against the Green Bay packers, you expect at least, you know, he's coming in with the ability to get the game plan in, you know, showing up on Tuesday, you know, so they could do all their installs for Flacco on Wednesday and he's most likely starting against the Packers. But I just give them credit for trying. You know, they're trying to salvage their season 2, 3 after a 2, 0 start, lose three straight games. After losing Joe Burrow, they just got to try and stay close to.500 until Burrow is able to come back and maybe they can make a playoff push. But for the receivers, for fantasy, this is me, a slight upgrade. I'm definitely starting Jamar Chase. I was starting him anyway. He was a top 10 wide receiver for this week. Higgins gets closer now to the top 24. You need to see it. But I do think that if we are talking about one thing in particular, the downfield throws will be there for Higgins. You know, that's something that Jake Browning has not been doing. And I think Higgins will benefit the most from this.
[03:06]
Host 2
And we saw that with Flacco in Cleveland. His attempt rate on passes of 15 plus air yards was 21.3%. That's higher than than what Jake Browning was at. I also want to tell you that Flacco had a better catchable throw rate than Jake Browning. And he also had 11 drops by his receivers in Cleveland. That's probably. That's pretty much why his completion rate was lower than Jake Browning. So he's going to take more chances downfield. That's great for both wide receivers. And you know, the Bengals are going to have to continue to throw their defenses. If it gets better at all, it'll only be nominally better. They're really not in a position for that defense to be great. So you know what the game script is going to be every week. And you also know that Joe Flacco doesn't consistently throw to his running backs out of the backfield. I know in week one for Cleveland, he threw a ton to those running backs. Not sure he's going to do it that much. That might hurt Chase Brown just a little bit. I think this is, it's like you said, Jamie, it's a slight upgrade for Chase and Higgins and it gives them somebody that will be willing to throw a little bit further downfield and isn't as bad as the stats made him look when he was in Cleveland.
[04:09]
Host 1
I hope so. He throws a lot. I mean he very often throws 40 or more pass attempts, so I don't see why that wouldn't necessarily continue. That's kind of how the Bengals run their offense. They like to throw the ball as well. So we're in a super flex league together. I don't have that much money left, so I put in a bid for Joe Flacco who I originally drafted and then dropped and now I'm trying to get him back. You know, it is what it is, but I guess from that perspective, just I can't imagine people are going to pick him up in a 1 QB league, but maybe he's Jason Higgins. How much of your fab would you spend based on your original budget in a super flex league for Joe Flacco?
[04:46]
Jamie
If they're committing to him for the rest of the season, you got to go north of 15%. I mean, you know, we're talking about again, this is scarce quarterback production and so many people I know I did in one super flex league spent a lot of their fab on Jake Browning, you know, which the idea with the idea of this receiving core of this offense is going to build that quarterback up to the level of 18 + points per game on a consistent basis. That's what Browning was doing in 2023 when he was a starter for those seven games. That's obviously what Joe Burrow does. I mean, we just haven't seen it for the majority of this tenure. Week two, when he stepped in, he had a great fantasy production. He had great fantasy production. Week five, he had great fantasy production. You know what you're getting. I think Flacco's going to be a similar type of player. So that 2023 season when Flacco came back, I know it feels like it's forever ago and he's now gone from 38 years old to 40. So he's not getting, you know, any better. But he was consistently 300 yards in the last five games. Five, the last six games. He was over 20 fantasy points in that stretch as well. So he still has that ability and I do think to compare the Cleveland situation and the Cincinnati situation, not exactly fair because this receiving corp just is so much better. So yes, he did struggle with the Browns start the season. Yes, he's older and probably washed up, but hopefully the Bengals are making the move that this guy is still going to have something left to really just elevate that offense as a whole.
[05:59]
Host 2
Yeah, those receivers will absolutely help his numbers. And it's kind of funny. He's playing the packers for the second time this year. Remember, he took them on already earlier this year with Cleveland and who won that game, by the way? He won that game, so his numbers weren't great. Stung for fantasy, but he's got some experience against this opponent. So I don't know if we're ready to just say Cincinnati's going to fold up shop and not get any points this week against the Packers. Tough matchup, but Flacco has some experience against them already.
[06:28]
Host 1
Yeah, I just want to just we know that they made the trade. We we don't know who the starter is for this week. They might think it's too soon. They might be just getting depth and putting Jake Browning on notice saying, you got one more chance. Well, probably, but just we don't know that yet. They haven't announced it. So to make a trade on a Tuesday and have them start on a Sunday might be kind of difficult. So the fact that he faced them does help.
[06:53]
Jamie
I mean, this is a guy that came off the this couch and started for the the Browns once upon a time. Like, he's going to be fine, right?
[06:59]
Host 2
And he's been in a version of this offense multiple times in his career.
[07:06]
John Henson
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