Fantasy Football 2017 Team Preview: Cincinnati Bengals
This is the 2017 fantasy preview of the Cincinnati Bengals. In this preview I will provide the Must-Own players, Sleepers, and Longshot players with upside very deep in drafts.
Must-own players are those who should be owned by someone in any league. Handcuff RBs can qualify, as they are often very important to a fantasy team over the full schedule. Sleepers are secondary players that you may find on the waiver wire at some point in the year, or may go undrafted in shallower auction-style leagues. The Longshots are players with microscopic ADP, who are being drafted at the very end of drafts, or more likely not drafted at all.
All ADP data is courtesy of FantasyPros.com.
**I will list all kickers, but I cannot give analysis on them. Sorry :-/
MUST OWNS
A.J. Green, WR (ADP: 11): A.J. Green is as cold as ice. There’s not too much that needs to be said about him; he’s an incredible WR, an easy WR1 for fantasy, and someone who nearly racked up 1,000 receiving yards in 2016 despite missing six games. Green is a rock solid first round pick.
Joe Mixon, RB (ADP: 36): Mixon is someone who has confused me leading up to the 2017 season. He’s definitely talented, but this ADP places him in the third round of a 12-team league. Talent isn’t everything in fantasy; opportunity often matters far more than talent, and Mixon has to contend with two RBs – Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard – who have gotten the job done for this team in the past. A quick search of Mixon’s college career also shows that he’s never had a 200-carry season, even at Oklahoma. I’m not convinced he can withstand a full season of work as a lead back in his rookie year, nor do I think two respected veterans will be shoved aside for him. This is probably the riskiest ADP in fantasy.
Tyler Eifert, TE (ADP: 62): Eifert is very talented, but to this point he has not proven he is a complete fantasy TE. He’s never played in 16 games and never caught more than 52 passes. In 2014 and 2016, Eifert combined to play in three games. He’s highly risky. But in 2015, we were tantalized by his potential. In 12 games Eifert caught 52 passes for 615 yards and a ridiculous 13 touchdowns. Eifert is going sixth among tight ends, and that’s about right. He’s not a value at the moment, but with a healthy season he will outperform this ADP.
Jeremy Hill, RB (ADP: 128): Hill’s ADP suggests he’s a sleeper, but in my opinion he’s maybe the most undervalued player in fantasy right now. He’s been a touchdown machine in his three NFL seasons, never scoring fewer than nine times. He is the starter as of now in Cincy, and while he’s not the most dynamic player – Hill’s yards per carry has been below 4.0 for two straight years – he’s going to receive the goal line work. This ADP values him like a risky FLEX play, and not a TD-hound on a good offense.
SLEEPERS
Giovani Bernard, RB (ADP: 174): Bernard’s ADP is in the toilet because he got hurt last year and the Bengals drafted Mixon. That makes sense, and Gio’s time in Cincinnati is likely nearing an end, but it’s not over yet. For the first three years of his career Bernard had been a lock for 1,000+ yards from scrimmage, and he scored five rushing touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. Bernard has always been a quality back, especially in PPR formats. Mixon is going to eat into his work more than Hill’s, but if there’s an injury to either Hill or Mixon at some point, Bernard will be a very valuable player to own.
Andy Dalton, QB (ADP: 147): Are you looking for a steady QB who is cheap as hell and almost definitely won’t suck? Andy Dalton is a great choice. I’m not a fan because I don’t think there’s much upside for Dalton, but he’s surrounded by good weapons and he’s thrown fewer than 10 interceptions in back-to-back seasons.
John Ross, WR (ADP: 141): Ross is hurt right now, so you’ll have to monitor his progress. Assuming he makes it to Week 1 healthy, he’s the most exciting receiving option besides Green. Ross is a burner, and at Washington last season he lit up the Pac-12, putting up 1,150 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. With Green drawing double coverage and Eifert requiring attention, Ross will serve as a boom-or-bust player capable of long touchdowns. Think Taylor Gabriel. In deep leagues that type of player is a very enticing FLEX.
LONGSHOTS
Brandon LaFell, WR (ADP: 224): Boring, but steady. LaFell is the de facto WR2 in Cincy until Ross proves himself, and in that role last year LaFell was useful. With 107 targets, he caught 64 passes for 862 yards and six touchdowns. Is that great? No. But it’s good enough to start if you have injuries or bye weeks, and unless Ross heals up LaFell seems headed for similar usage.
Tyler Boyd, WR (ADP: 259): Boyd was a popular sleeper last year and kind of fell flat. Now he looks like a fantasy corpse, after LaFell proved capable, and Ross was drafted. I don’t expect anything from Boyd, but the Bengals aren’t likely to completely dispose of a 2nd-round pick after just one meh rookie season. If Ross is to miss extended time, Boyd is worth a last-round flier.
KICKER
Randy Bullock.