Andrei Iosivas is One of Fantasy Football’s Best Wide Receiver Handcuffs in 2026

Andrei Iosivas may not have standalone fantasy value in most formats, but his path to relevance makes him one of the few true handcuff wide receivers worth monitoring in 2026.

Bengals Andrei Iosivas (80) celebrates after a touchdown during their game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving Thursday November 27, 2025. The Bengals won the game with a final score of 33-14. | Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wide receiver handcuffs rarely matter in fantasy football, but Andrei Iosivas is one of the few exceptions thanks to his role in Cincinnati’s explosive passing offense. With Tee Higgins carrying a lengthy injury history and Iosivas already locked into meaningful snaps, his fantasy value could spike quickly with any change in opportunity.

Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals

Iosivas arrived to the Cincinnati Bengals as a developmental vertical threat with speed (4.43 40-yard dash), frame (6'3" and 205 lbs.), and rising production (18/263/4 in 2019, 41/703/5 in 2021, and 66/943/7 in 2022 at 15.3 YPC) at Princeton that translated more in concept than immediately on the field. The raw tools were obvious; the refinement was the question.

His rookie season was almost entirely a red zone story. Iosivas caught 15 of 25 targets for 116 yards and four touchdowns, with all four scores coming inside the 10-yard line (from three, two, three, and seven yards out). His best game came in a Week 18 cameo (5/36/2), a low-volume, high-efficiency preview of what he could become as a scoring specialist.

In 2024, Iosivas stepped into the WR3 role and delivered a more complete body of work (36 catches for 479 yards and six touchdowns on 61 targets), with seven catches of 20-plus yards showing his big-play capability. His concerns were the drops (6), which dragged his catch rate down to 59.0%, and a low volume ceiling (Cincinnati gave him five targets or fewer in all but two games). 

He cracked 10.00 PPR fantasy points four times (2/7/2, 5/52/1, 3/35/1, 3/53/1), making him a touchdown-or-bust fantasy option more than a reliable weekly contributor. Iosivas’ upside is real, but opportunity hasn’t knocked on his door enough to be trusted. 

Andrei Iosivas scores and wishes his fam a Happy Thanksgiving ❤️

CINvsBAL on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/rs0lGVJxko

— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2025

Progression was expected in year three of his NFL career, but the injury to Joe Burrow led to a step back in his game (33/449/2) despite similar targets (58 – 61 in 2024). His fantasy ticket came only twice last season (Week 5 – 5/82 and Week 9 – 5/66/1), both with Burrow out of the lineup.

Andrei Iosivas 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: I expect Iosivas only to be drafted in deeper BestBall formats. His ADP (259) in the high-stakes market screams free agent pool. Despite his regression in 2025, he out-snapped Tee Higgins (851 to 769), putting Iosivas on the field for 76.6% of the Bengals’ plays. At the very least, he should be a wide receiver handcuff option to Higgins.