The Cincinnati Bengals have five players on their roster that made the Top 200 PPR Fantasy Football list by ESPN. Who should you draft?
The Cincinnati Bengals have finished up offseason activities, and while we wait for them to start training camp to begin the season, we think about fantasy football. Of course, if you’re like me, you like to wait till the end of the preseason to draft your leagues to get a feel for the changes over the offseason. That doesn’t mean it’s too early to begin mock drafts or checking lists of where players are projected to rank this season.
ESPN has made their fantasy football Top 200 PPR list and five Bengals players appear to be on it. Wide receiver A.J. Green (17), running back Joe Mixon (37), running back Giovani Bernard (112), tight end Tyler Eifert (120), and wide receiver John Ross (136). We talked yesterday about the impact Joe Mixon will have this season after a limited rookie year.
Finding Green in the top 20 was no surprise. I’m sure some fans will argue that he should be higher on that list but when looking at the group in front of him, I would disagree. Green is practically guaranteed for a 1,000-yard season as he has done so in six of his seven seasons in the league. The only time Green failed to reach 1,000-yards was in 2016 when he only played ten games due to injury.
Joe Mixon will be a candidate this season for a breakout year. Running as the lead back behind an upgraded offensive line in 2018, Mixon will have all the opportunities to prove he was worth the hype coming out of college. His abilities to play all three downs will make him a versatile threat in the Bengals offense as offensive coordinator Bill Lazor wants to make him an all-around running back this year.
Giovani Bernard will be an option to keep on the bench unless Mixon gets hurt most likely. Bernard played the most snaps last season while the Bengals kept Mixon limited, but that will not be the case this season. He is known as the pass-catching back for the Bengals, but I see Mixon taking plenty of those snaps as well. He still might be worth keeping around in case Mixon gets hurt or if Cincinnati decides to keep making him a big part of the passing game. One point per reception isn’t bad if you can manage him as a flex in some weeks.
Tyler Eifert is rated so low due to his injury history. In fact, we haven’t even made it to training camp, and there is already medical issues surrounding Eifert. While he is one of the most explosive players on the field when healthy, he has only played in ten games the last two seasons. Eifert has failed to stay healthy for a full season in his five-year career. If you feel like taking a gamble, Eifert is always putting up numbers when he is on the field, but don’t bet your team on him.
John Ross had a terrible rookie season with injuries and limited playing time. Given all of the hype we have heard surrounding Ross in OTA and minicamps, I would be higher on drafting him. He’s absolutely someone I will be looking for to drop down the draft board and become a late round steal. Outside of Bengals country, most fans have forgotten about Ross after he disappeared in 2017. Look for him in the middle to late rounds of your draft. Of course, I’m one that believes Ross will become a solid number two receiver to compliment Green.
Related Story: Joe Mixon: Fantasy football outlook and draft stock
Cincinnati has some star potential on offense this season, but there are plenty of question marks to keep some players deeper on the list. It was good to see most of the Bengals playmakers make the Top 200, however. Eifert could be a steal if he can stay healthy and you draft him in the middle rounds of your draft and Ross could be a late round sleeper that not many people are thinking about. Let’s hope all five of these players become fantasy football stars this season.