Cincinnati Bengals Preview: 2016 Fantasy Football Report

Bengals fans deserve a report on the team’s Fantasy Football impact and a Bengals Fantasy Football Report is exactly what they will get.

This edition will look at each position and what to expect if you draft any Bengals players on your team.  Much like Football itself, Fantasy Football comes down to match-ups, injuries, and opportunity.  Now that the Bengals have shaped and cut their team into regular season form, we can get an idea of what to expect in 2016.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Rocket: Fantasy Football Hero

Andy Dalton has all the tangible talent, intangible leadership and overall skill-set to lead his team (and your Fantasy Football team) to victory. Up until last year, Dalton had played in all 16 games in each season. 

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When taking a QB for a Fantasy Football team, consistency is very important.  If that player tends to miss games (Tony Romo or Sam Bradford) making a lineup that will score enough points becomes difficult.  With that said, Andy Dalton’s consistency in playing games and putting up stats makes him a great value choice in the mid-to-late rounds in Fantasy Drafts.

In his first four seasons, Dalton’s QBR never got above the 56.8 earned in 2013. However, last year in 13 games the red-headed gunslinger rocketed his QBR up to 73.1 before being injured. This jump provides more proof of consistency for Dalton and should bring comfort to anyone drafting him for their team.

In most cases, Dalton should be taken anywhere after round 9 and if you play your cards right, he may even be available as late as rounds 16-20. Losing Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu was devastating. Relying on new receivers (and an injured group of TE’s) causes many experts to shy away from Dalton.  In any case, if Dalton is drafted as a Starter anywhere later than Round 9 he should have plenty weapons and talent surrounding him to lead your team (and his) to victory.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The A.J. Green Show

The only Bengals Wide Receiver Fantasy Owners should even consider drafting until the very end of their Draft is A.J. Green.  This season A.J. Green has very little help and mostly limited players to compete with for catches.  Pair that with a healthy Andy Dalton returning off of a great year and you have a potentially incredible stat season for Green.

Round 1 is the only round Fantasy Football owners will be able to draft A.J. Green.  There is always the slight possibility that someone outsmarts themselves and drafts someone like Deandre Hopkins or John Brown in the 1st round.  If this happens, Fantasy Football owners should do their happy dance and draft Green as soon as possible.  No matter what kind of league you are in and what you value on your team, drafting Green has no downside in 2016.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Ready to Run

Both Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill come with the potential to either help or hurt a Fantasy Owner.  Hill had a disastrous end to last season and it remains to be seen if the “fumble bug” has set up shop in his mind.  Bernard seems to be the safer choice but when facing a defense that can hold the edge, his rushing numbers may suffer.  Any Fantasy Football team should take great caution when drafting or rely on either running back.  The combo of the two are great for the Bengals but may not be as great for your Fantasy team.

Do not draft Hill as your primary running back.  However, if you can get him post round 5 he should get enough goal line chances to give consistent points.  If he doesn’t play consistently and starts to turn the ball over, be ready to trade him or move on to a more consistent RB.  Hill is the epitome of a boom-or-bust player: he could pay huge dividends or he could destroy your season.  Once your Fantasy Draft reaches Round 6 owners can begin to consider Hill with Rounds 8 or 9 being the safest play.

Similarly to Hill, it’s even safer to say Fantasy owners should in no way draft Bernard as their primary RB.  Scoring wise, there hasn’t been a huge difference between the two running backs as Hill scores more TD’s and Bernard catches more balls.  Just like his backfield counterpart, Bernard is a boom-or-bust player.  If they split snaps, the impact of each player is nullified.  Yet, if the Bengals are in a shootout or playing from behind Bernard will get more looks since he can catch and run.  For Bernard, owners can feel safe drafting him closer to Round 10 or later depending on who their RB1 is.

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Eifert worth the Effort?

Fantasy owners know a tight end can make or break an entire season for them.  Players like Tony Gonzalez, Jimmy Graham, and others have proven in the past to be worth drafting in early rounds.  However, with Tyler Eifert missing the first 4-6 games of this season and having to work himself into football shape his draft worthiness isn’t great.  There is no doubt that Eifert is talented and had a great season last season.  Don’t expect him to keep up the same TD rate and to stay healthy. That isn’t something he has shown the ability to do consistently.  Given his injury status and past inconsistency, owners should avoid Eifert. Until they have a solid TE that can start, wait until he’s healthy.  Rounds 10 and later should be the first time Fantasy owners consider taking Eifert.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Self-Defense

The Bengals defense has been a saving grace in many instances over the last few years.  Yes, the Bengals lost Reggie Nelson and Leon Hall but recent draft picks should bring excitement and opportunity.  Consequently, the injury to first-round pick William Jackson III will hinder the Fantasy scoring opportunities for the Bengals in 2016.  Even so, the Bengals look to be a top-5 Fantasy defense this year.  Draft wise, look to take the Bengals D/ST from Round 4 through Round 10.

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