Fantasy Analysis: Cincinnati Bengals

Welcome back football audience. Yesterday you saw John post his fantasy analysis of the Arizona Cardinals projected offensive starters (it is still May, we are only assuming who the starters will be). You also may have noticed he didn’t really talk about the defense, not to worry we will talk about defenses at a later time. With John being the NFC guy, I’ll be handling the AFC. So I’ll be starting my fantasy analysis in the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals. So without further ado:

Andy Dalton: In his second year, Dalton showed improvement in nearly every statistical category. He went from 20 passing TDs to 27 which was tied for 7^th in the league. He also got 4 rushing TDs using his underrated athleticism. He only accounted for 20 turnovers which isn’t too shabby. I expect Dalton to improve and I think he’ll do well leading the Bengals but he’ll probably go late in the second round maybe even the third depending on how deep your league is.

A.J. Green: If you’re like me then you drafted Green before it was cool. Well now it’s cool, and this guy is an absolute beast and is already a top 10 WR. He racked up 1,350 yards and 11 TDs on 97 receptions in his sophomore year and will be Dalton’s go-to-guy, despite the double teams he will draw. He is worthy of being the number 1 receiver on your fantasy team so expect him to go early.

Jermaine Gresham & Tyler Eifert: If you’re like John and me then you believe Gresham is quite talented but is under-utilized. And this trend may continue due to the drafting of Tyler Eifert, who many regarded as the best TE in the draft. Now this likely means that the Bengals will try to use the two TE formation. That or they want to replace Gresham, which I highly doubt considering he is only 24 and has performed well thus far. It’s too soon to say whether this will negatively or positively effect Gresham’s production. My prediction is that Gresham will draw more attention than Eifert early until Eifert finally comes on and warrants more attention. Gresham will likely go in the mid rounds but be wary of Eifert if you do draft him. Eifert on the other hand will likely go later, but as with Gresham be wary.

Andrew Hawkins: Hawkins is currently projected to start in the slot. While that could change, it likely won’t have any fantasy impact. Hawkins was 3^rd on the team in receiving yards with 533 and tied for 3^rd in receiving Tds with 4. But it’s being reported that Eifert has been lined up all over the field including in the slot, which will eat into Hawkins stats. Last year, Hawkins was a serviceable flex option this year he may not even be worthy of that. However, the rest of the Bengals receivers inspire little confidence so after Green and the two TEs look for Hawkins to be the next fantasy man up.

Mohamed Sanu: This is the only receiver that could steal Hawkins thunder. However injuries have prevented him for permanently uprooting Hawkins. When he finally saw the field he made the most of it racking up 154 and 4 TDs in only 5 games. But that’s the problem, it was only five games before he hurt his foot and was placed on IR. At best he’s a dark-horse player, and I mean very dark, you may never see him at all in relation to fantasy football.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis & Giovani Bernard: This is an interesting situation because there are no guarantees for either back. Green-Ellis has shown that he can be a 1,000 rusher twice in his 5 year career, however he doesn’t possess the breakaway speed and elusiveness that Bernard has. But there are questions if Bernard has the ability to be an every down back. So what may happen is that we’ll see a “Thunder and Lightning” approach with Green-Ellis getting more of the short yardage/goal line carries while Bernard gets more looks on first and second down. However, the Bengals may just let Green-Ellis get the bulk of the carries while the rookie learns behind him and then gradually give Bernard more carries. Or we may be looking at something of a split with the carries. This is a story worth watching through training camp. It could go either way.

Mike Nugent: He’s the kicker, there’s not a ton to say about him. He’s fairly reliable; he only missed 4 FGs in 12 games. If all the other elite kickers have been taken, he won’t disappoint you.

That's all for now. We'd like to hear your feedback. Do you agree, disagree, or think I'm way off. And please remember these are just predictions and not concrete truth. Until next time.

Best Wishes,

Brandon