Fantasy Football: 32 Teams in 32 Days: The Cincinnati Bengals
By Matt Mikolas
Fantasy Football: 32 Teams in 32 Days: The Cincinnati Bengals
Off-season Overview
This off-season was a relatively quiet one for the Cincinnati Bengals offense. They did land LT Cordy Glenn in a trade, which should help keep Andy Dalton upright and open up more lanes in the running game. Maybe the biggest signing in 2018 was the one that brought back their own guy. Tyler Eifert comes back this season, and if he stays healthy, may finally answer the Bengals’ question of who is the #2 to AJ Green.
Jeremy Hill‘s departure to New England should clear the way for Joe Mixon to take off in the Cincinnati backfield. Don’t be surprised, however, if he has trouble seeing the field on third down. The reputation of Giovani Bernard‘s pass protection is nearly legendary at this point. Bernard still stands in the way of the freak athlete Mixon becoming a three-down back in his sophomore season.
I Gotta Get Me One of Those!
Look. No reason to re-invent the wheel here. AJ Green is a top wide receiver year in and year out. With no clear challenger for targets, there’s no reason to think that will change in 2018. Green has only failed to reach 1,000 yards once in his career, and that was during an injury shortened season. If there’s one guy to get in the ‘Natti offense, Green is him.
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Buyer Beware
One of the biggest draft busts in recent memory was last year’s pick of WR John Ross. No doubt a BLAZING speedster, it’s easy to see why Ross had appeal. But, there were durability questions for Ross coming out of Washington due to his undersized frame and injury history. Disappointing is a friendly adjective to describe his rookie campaign. Ross saw the field 17 times, and touched the ball once. He fumbled.
I know it’s always sexy to try to get the number two to a really productive receiver like AJ Green. John Ross was drafted to be that, but I think he’s got a long way to go until proves that he can be that guy. Don’t get seduced by his raw speed on draft day.
Stay Woke
It’s kind of hard to tell you there is a sleeper on this team simply because it seems not much ever changes in Cincinnati.
Tyler Eifert is back, he should have a strong year if he’s healthy, but that’s the same big if as always.
Giovani Bernard is going to see most of his touches taken away by Joe Mixon.
Andy Dalton will still be the same undrafted QB that gets picked up and dropped for bye weeks or injury.
I feel like it’s irresponsible for me to tell you that Josh Malone is going to be a deep sleeper, just because I really don’t believe it. I’d say just watch camp this year and see if anybody emerges that can push Brandon Lafell and be a big-time target in this offense. It’s tough to see, though.
Next: Buy low on Mitch Trubisky