NFL Fantasy Football Matchup Cheat Sheet: Cincinnati Bengals
In NFL daily fantasy leagues, matchups are important. Pay attention to favorable matchups rather than the overall quality of individual players. It is better to select an above-average offensive player facing poor or average defense than an elite talent facing above-average or elite defense.
Each position in ranked according to one of these four ratings: Elite, Above-average, Average, and Poor.
Offense
QB Andy Dalton: Average
RB Giovanni Bernard: Above-average
WR1 A.J. Green: Elite
WR2 Marvin Jones: Above-average
Slot WR Mohamed Sanu: Average
TE Tyler Eifert: Average
O-line: LT Andrew Whitworth, LG Clint Boling, C Trevor Robinson, RG Kevin Zietler, RT Andre Smith: Above-average
Marvin Jones is one of the best cheap receiver options in the NFL. He is good receiver in his own right, and he benefits from light coverage as opposing secondaries have to focus on Green. When matched up with poor CB2s, Jones is a must-start.
Bernard is also a good cheap option. He doesn’t have much name recognition yet, but he proved to be effective in limited snaps last year, rushing for 695 yards with 4.1 yards per carry. He was a factor in the passing game as well, recording 56 receptions over the year. In 2014, he will have a bigger role and the benefit of running behind an above-average o-line. Bernard could easily eclipse 1,000 yards rushing and a few hundred receiving this season.
There are games where Dalton looks like a great quarterback. But there are just as many games where Dalton looks terrible. He is incredibly inconsistent; don’t take him unless facing a particularly poor defense. However, his favorite target A.J. Green is always a good start against poor to average defenses.
Defense
CB1 Pacman Jones: Above-average
CB2 Terence Newman: Average
Nickel CB Leon Hall: Above-average
Safeties: SS George Iloka, FS Reggie Nelson: Above-average
Linebackers: WLB Vontaze Burfict, MLB Rey Maualuga, SLB Vincent Rey: Above-average
D-line: DE Wallace Gilberry, DT Geno Atkins, DT Domato Peko, DE Carlos Dunlap: Above-average
Cincinnati’s defense is strong in all areas. I would recommend not taking most offensive players against the Bengals. The exception is above-average outside WR2s, like Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery. With Pacman focused on the WR1, in the Bears’ case Brandon Marshall, a good outside WR2 like Jeffery can take advantage of a favorable matchup with the average and aging Terence Newman.
But with 3 of 4 players in the Bengals starting secondary over 30 years old (Pacman Jones, Terence Newman, and Reggie Nelson) and nickel cornerback Leon Hall also prone to injury, key cornerbacks and safeties could miss time during the season and weaken Cincinnati’s strong defense. Check injury reports before selecting Cincinnati for D/ST.
Leave a Reply