Joe Burrow Injury Update: Latest on Bengals QB for Fantasy Football Week 5

Joe Burrow has established himself as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. His calm demeanor in pressure-packed situations allowed him to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to two AFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance.

But while he’s had success early in his career, the former LSU standout has his share of setbacks. He played only ten games during his rookie season due to an ACL and MCL tear on his left knee. He also had an appendectomy last year. He dealt with a non-contact calf injury this year before the regular season started.

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Joe Burrow injury update

Despite losing their third game in four matches, Joe Burrow shared with The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.:

“This is the best I’ve felt after a game. So I am optimistic.”

Falling to 1-3 isn’t good, but the Bengals aren’t worried. They are used to slow starts, especially last year when they were at 4-4 before finishing the regular season with an eight-game winning streak.

However, Bengals fans and Burrow’s fantasy football owners would be delighted to know that he’s talking about the calf injury he suffered last June. True enough, he’s not on the team’s latest injury report for Week 5. Last week, his status was “unspecified,” even if he was a full participant during practices.

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What happened to Joe Burrow?

Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury during the Cincinnati Bengals training camp last July. Videos from the unfortunate incident show that he rolled to his right after receiving the ball and limped afterward. He was carted off the training grounds to avoid further injury.

Hurting his calf sidelined him for about a month. Burrow returned in time for the Bengals’ 2023 season-opener against the Cleveland Browns, but he hasn’t been the same quarterback that gave opponents fits.

The Pro Bowler has completed only 57.6 percent of his throws through four games this season. That’s highly uncharacteristic for a quarterback who led the league in completion percentage in 2021.

Burrow also has 728 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions through Week 4. His Week 1 performance against the Browns was a disaster, tallying only 82 passing yards.

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When will Joe Burrow return?

Since he’s off the injury report, there is no reason Joe Burrow will skip their Week 5 road game against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s also a must-win game for the Bengals because climbing back from a 1-4 hole is tougher.

But now that he’s off the injury list, Burrow is expected to play like the quarterback who has won five playoff games. It also helps that he will face a defense that ranks 24th in passing yards allowed (242.5) and 25th in points allowed (25.5) per game this season.

However, those numbers aren’t an excuse for Joe Burrow and the Bengals to take the Cardinals lightly. After all, they are playing at home and have defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.

Still, without the injury that has been bothering him through the first quarter of the 2023 season, Burrow should play better. Fantasy football-wise, starting him would be a no-brainer, despite his struggles from Weeks 1 to 4.