Have we entered not starting any Bengals territory yet?

The Cincinnati Bengals are going nowhere fast in the 2019 NFL season. Have we entered the part of the fantasy season where we should stop starting Bengals?

Coming off their annual bye week after a bad business trip overseas, the Cincinnati Bengals find themselves at a not-ferocious 0-8 record on the season. Literally every other team in the NFL has won a game this season, even the pathetic Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. Just not the hapless Bengals.

So with seven weeks left in the fantasy football season, is it no longer safe to start Bengals on your fantasy team? What are the ramifications of doing so, now that rookie Ryan Finley will be the Bengals starting quarterback the rest of the way with Andy Dalton getting benched on his 32nd birthday? More importantly, what do The Fantasy Footballers think about all of this?

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In recent weeks, you might have been able to get by with Bengals players like Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate at flex spots, maybe starting them at running back or wide receiver if you absolutely have to. But at this point, what’s the point? We have no idea who Finley will be at quarterback. Are you sure you want your fantasy season to come down to a bunch of Bengals?

Me neither. So let’s not do that to ourselves unless you’re in bye week hell, which in that case, lord have mercy on your fantasy football team. If you’re forced to play a bunch of Bengals this week, that’s not going to go well for you because they’ll be getting the division-leading Baltimore Ravens at home. While fresh of a win over the New England Patriots, it won’t end well for Cincinnati.

If you have to play one of the three Bengals mentioned above, there are ways you can halfway convince yourself that either of those three could work. Finley may struggle as a passer, which leads to more touches for the running back Mixon. Boyd was heavily targeted by Dalton, so that could continue. Tate at the flex won’t crater your team potentially like Mixon or Boyd maybe could.

Overall, if you aren’t stricken with a pride of Bengals on your fantasy roster, there is still hope for your team. But if you’re all about Cincinnati football, you should get ready for the 2020 NFL Draft. That will be the next time you’ll have any legitimate reason to cheer for your team.