Joe Burrow start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

AFC North will meet NFC North on Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals opens the 2021 season when hosting the Minnesota Vikings.

The biggest story of the game will be the return of 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, whose rookie campaign ended prematurely after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee against Washington. Now that the Cincy franchise QB is back, will he be worth starting in Week 1?

Fantasy Football analysis: Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Burrow was putting together a solid rookie season in the 10 games he appeared in before he got injured. He threw for over 2,600 yards and was completing just over 65 percent of his passes, with 13 passing touchdowns and five interceptions on his resume. While he wasn’t necessarily putting up eye-popping fantasy numbers, his Week 7 game against Cleveland where he threw for 406 yards and accounted for four touchdowns was a brief glimpse of what he can do at his absolute best.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Burrow has the benefit of opening the year against one of the NFL’s worst pass-defenses from last season and will have a stable of offensive weapons in his arsenal. However, there are still major questions about Cincinnati’s offensive line, who allowed the rookie to get sacked 32 times in 10 games. Combine that with this being his first regular season game back since the injury, I’d hold off on the former Heisman Trophy winner and sit him for Week 1.