Cincinnati Bengals: Fantasy football focus Week 2
Week two of the NFL is in the books which means fantasy owners are scrambling to pick up players. Is anyone from the Bengals worthy of an add?
Another week, and another dismal performance by the Bengals offense. While it’s true that Andy Dalton scored better than his measly one fantasy point from a week ago, it wasn’t a whole lot better. The men in stripes were kept out of the end zone yet again and looked no more cohesive than a week ago. To make matters worse, they were up against a Texans defense that got lit up by the Jaguars a week ago. That’s right, the Jaguars. Though the team is still floundering, were there any Bengals bright spots for fantasy owners?
Quarterback
Andy Dalton continues to be a sub-par option at for fantasy teams. He still doesn’t have a touchdown on the year and already has five turnovers to his name. The good news here is that Dalton didn’t have any turnovers in Week 2 and posted a positive point total in ESPN leagues of 9.5, as opposed to last week’s total of -3.
Dalton isn’t getting much protection from his offensive line and, unfortunately, there isn’t any reason to think that will change anytime soon. The Bengals will be playing a Packer defense, in Week 3, coming off a horrendous performance in Atlanta. But, don’t get too excited for this matchup. If Packers’ defensive lineman Mike Daniels is healthy by game time, it may be another long day for Dalton.
Running Backs
More from Bengals Fantasy Football
- Cincinnati Bengals: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 8 vs. Jets
- Cincinnati Bengals: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 6 vs. Lions
- Cincinnati Bengals: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 4 vs. Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 3 vs. Steelers
- Cincinnati Bengals: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 2 vs. Bears
The Bengals’ backfield mysteries continue to puzzle. After Giovani Bernard was the most efficient back Week 1, he rushed the ball five times for 10 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards. This amounts to 4.6 points in PPR leagues and a measly 2.6 in non-PPR leagues. Jeremy Hill continues to be a non-factor with just 17 yards on six carries and another two yards receiving. The most successful back week two was Joe Mixon who edged out Hill and Bernard in carries with nine. He ended up with 36 yards and added a reception for five yards.
The bad news for fantasy owners is that there still isn’t a clear-cut number one running back. The worse news is that none of the backs are currently productive. In fact, adding all of their totals together equates to an unimpressive 12.6 fantasy points in PPR leagues. There’s no reason to start any of these players until a starter emerges.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
It’s the same story as last week for the receivers and tight ends: A.J. Green has the best numbers but even he isn’t generating anything to get excited about. Five catches for 67 yards isn’t what owners who drafted Green were hoping for. In addition, 50 of those yards came on one catch. Other than Green, Alex Erickson had a decent showing hauling in four catches for 62 yards and gaining another 133 yards on kick and punt returns. Other than these two players, nobody cracked the 50-yard mark. Brandon LaFell ended up with 30 yards, Tyler Eifert ended with 42 yards, and John Ross had no catches but did manage to fumble on his only touch of the game.
Kicker
Randy Bullock got in action this week going 3/3 on field goals. Bullock hasn’t missed yet this year but hasn’t gotten a whole lot of looks. The fact that the Bengals can’t score touchdowns may be enticing to owners looking for a kicker but the Week 1 shutout should still make people hesitant to pick up Bullock. There are plenty of other options available.
Defense
The Bengals’ best fantasy player this week was their defense. The defense held the Texans to 13 points and recorded three sacks. The bad news for the defense is that they didn’t cause any turnovers. They aren’t a good start this week vs. Aaron Rodgers, but they are a good stash candidate with match-ups with the Browns and Bills in Weeks 4 and 5.
Buy/Sell
Bengals buys are still hard to find. As mentioned earlier, the defense may be a good stash. Otherwise, this could be a good time to try trading for Green as he should have some better games ahead of him.
For sells, if anyone out there is still holding on to Dalton or Ross, it’s time to let them go. Dalton hasn’t been getting enough protection to be productive and Ross looks like a work in progress.
Next: Bengals vs. Packers: By The Numbers
What It Means
The Bengals’ turned in their second poor performance in as many weeks. Things are looking bleak from a fantasy perspective, indeed. The offense has been able to drum up very little in terms of yards and points. It’s now or never against a Packers team that doesn’t want to fall to 1-2.