Should I start Joe Burrow? Fantasy sit/start advice for Bengals QB amid wrist injury concerns

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been one of the most underrated stars of the 2024 season. With the Bengals entering Week 13 with a 4-7 record, the pressure will be massive on Cincinnati: they'll keep their season alive with a win, but with another loss, the focus will have to switch to 2025.

Burrow will enter this game with an interesting question. He has been playing at a high level, but his team isn't winning. And this is set to become the first game he plays in cold weather since the wrist injury that made him lose the rest of the 2023 season.

Even though he's fully recovered, it's natural for players to feel a bit insecure regarding injuries. Facing a strong Pittsburgh Steelers defense, which has allowed just nine passing touchdowns in 2024 (second-best mark in the league), this could be a tough matchup for him.

Still, one should remember that he's just one of three quarterbacks to throw for over 3,000 yards in the 2024 season, with just 25 yards less than Lamar Jackson (3,053), the leader and who has played one more game. He could be feeling the wrist injury, but it's not showing in his performances.

Joe Burrow's complete stats for the 2024 season

The 4-7 record is not a reflection of their quarterback who continues to impress and is once again having one of the best seasons of his career.

In 11 games, he currently has 3,028 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 67.2% completion rate. He's having his best touchdown ratio (6.6%) and the lowest interception rate (1.0%) of his career, but yet Cincinnati is having a poor record.

He's still playing at an extremely high level and keeping the Bengals in the games, but they're allowing 26.9 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league, and quarterbacks don't win games alone.

His best wide receiver, Ja'Marr Chase, a strong Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) contender, has 1,056 receiving yards in just 11 games, along with a league-high 12 touchdowns. Burrow and the passing offense definitely aren't a problem for the Bengals.