Joe Burrow has thrown 13 touchdown passes in his last three games. One ranking released Tuesday already puts him at No. 1 for Week 9: Daniel Dobish of TheHuddle.com, in rankings published by USA Today and carried on Yahoo Sports, has him first among all quarterbacks, ahead of Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen. If he's on your roster, start him on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid.
That ranking also corrects a common framing. Burrow isn't a streaming option. He's the reason other managers are streaming. If he's sitting on your waiver wire, grab him, but in most leagues he left the wire long ago. The more useful question is whether he belongs in the top tier this week, and the last three games say he does.
The run started on Oct. 11 in a 31-24 win at Miami. Burrow went 23 of 32 for only 190 yards but threw four touchdowns, one of them a one-handed 45-yard catch by Ja'Marr Chase. Four passing scores on under 200 yards shows how efficient the Bengals have been close to the goal line.
In Week 7 he added yardage to the touchdowns. Cincinnati trailed Baltimore 13-0 at halftime, and Burrow then completed 16 of 18 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns in the second half. He finished 22 of 30 for 292 yards and four scores in a 35-13 win, which earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Sunday's game against Tennessee was his biggest of the year. Burrow completed 38 of 48 passes for 462 yards and five touchdowns. Then he won the game in overtime on a 9-yard touchdown run, capping a 70-yard opening drive in a 43-36 victory. According to the Bengals, he's the second quarterback in NFL history with at least 450 passing yards, five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in one game. Tee Higgins caught 10 passes for 155 yards and two scores, and Chase added 11 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown.
That game also complicates the "safest start" label. Burrow threw three interceptions to Titans safety Amani Hooker, as many as he'd thrown in his first six games combined. In leagues that charge two points per pick, those turnovers erased a good chunk of a huge day. Burrow is the highest-upside play on the board, but he isn't risk-free. Some of these games have been comebacks, and comebacks bring volume and mistakes together.
Health is the other thing that keeps him out of the risk-free category. A Grade 3 turf toe injury limited Burrow to eight games in 2025 and required surgery. He also played through back tightness in a September win over Houston this season. He's healthy now, but nobody should assume a full, uninterrupted season from him.
Atlanta's recent form makes the matchup appealing. The Falcons lost 16-0 at Tampa Bay in Week 8, and Atlanta's defense missed 16 tackles in that game. Their offense struggled too: Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions and Atlanta went 0 for 12 on third down. If the Falcons' offense keeps giving the ball back, Burrow gets more possessions. If Penix bounces back, Cincinnati may need to throw more to keep pace, which also helps Burrow's numbers.
The setting is unusual. The game is at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, with a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff on NFL Network. Atlanta is the designated home team. Burrow has never played a regular-season game outside the United States, but there's no evidence the early start or the travel will slow him down, and the receivers who have carried this run are all available.
Burrow has 20 touchdown passes in seven games, and Cincinnati is 5-2 and going for a fourth straight win. With Chase and Higgins both producing, Burrow has the best mix of form, weapons and matchup of any quarterback this week. Start him without hesitation. Just know that his ceiling, not his safety, is what makes him the top play.