The conclusion of the preseason’s third week means a run of fantasy football drafts, yet it can be difficult to get through a draft thanks to a mystery team like the Cincinnati Bengals.
Those Bengals are a mystery for plenty of reasons. It starts at the top with a new head coach, which means new usage for new and old players. Injuries to guys like A.J. Green and John Ross don’t help, either.
Let’s cut through the noise a bit and tag a few players fantasy owners should be taking from the Bengals.
QB Andy Dalton
Love him or hate him, Dalton is always a viable play at quarterback. He attempted 365 passes last year, starting hot, then missing five games. Yet he still finished as a top-25 scorer at ESPN averaging more than 15 points per game. He’s a massive sleeper pick considering he doesn’t even show up on a 15-round ADP chart, but he shouldn’t have a hard time outperforming a Matthew Stafford (14.09) or Sam Darnold (14.01), making him a viable week-to-week play.
WR A.J. Green
Green only played in nine games last year but still averaged north of 11 points per showing. He’s still an elite fantasy option when healthy, but he seems poised to miss about the first month of action this year. That ADP of 5.06 is simply too rich, but if he falls during drafts, he’s not a bad high-upside play for a potential late-season playoff push.
RB Joe Mixon
Mixon ended up leading the AFC in rushing last year, breached the 200-point mark as a top-nine scorer at his position and averaged more than 14 points per game.
He’s a top-flight fantasy option.
Mixon has an ADP of 2.04 and it isn’t too rich, not with a question mark like Todd Gurley sitting at 1.11. Any worries about an injured, bad offensive line are a moot point — he did that production last year behind a terrible line, too.
RB Giovani Bernard
Bernard figures to have a fun resurgence under the guidance of Taylor. He only played in 12 games last year and hardly averaged five points per outing. The thinking is he’ll take the field more often alongside Mixon as a receiving target, not to mention the usual rushing attempts, so he’s a nice later-round investment to stash, especially if he has to function as a handcuff should Mixon miss time.
WR Tyler Boyd
Boyd remains the WR to own in Cincinnati fantasy. Quietly, behind a bad line, with Green and Tyler Eifert out and the starting QB down for a stretch, he finished as a top-17 scorer at his position with 145.1 points on a 10.4 average. He’s blatantly been the focal point of the passing attack with Green out this preseason and that won’t change once the real games start.
The IDP Slant
Jessie Bates ended up leading the Bengals in tackles last year and is looking more comfortable, so expect him to at least match the three interceptions he had last year. Shawn Williams will still soak up snaps, too. Rookie LB Germaine Pratt could see the field more than expected as they put his former-safety athleticism to use. Up front, Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap remain mainstays. Sam Hubbard gets the nod as a starter after a rotational six sacks last year and the efficient Carl Lawson should wreak havoc now that he’s healthy.
