2024 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview
2024 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Preview A year after winning the AFC North, Zac Taylor’s squad struggled out of the gate before a winning October put them back in contention. Then they lost Joe Burrow before another unlikely win streak had the Cardiac Cats on the verge of the AFC playoffs. Nearly overcoming that adversity was a testament to Taylor’s coaching. With Burrow back, the Bengals project to be contenders in 2024. Burrow’s poor play was largely to blame for Cincinnati’s 1-3 start. However, things clicked in Week 5. During the team’s four-game win streak, he topped 22 fantasy points three times. Ultimately, Burrow’s campaign ended in Baltimore with a right scapholunate ligament tear. Last season stands out as an anomaly on Burrow’s resume. He was an elite fantasy signal-caller in each of his previous two campaigns and the 2024 Bengals should rely on the pass even more. Expect Burrow to contend for overall top-5 numbers this season. Ja’Marr Chase saw a dip in production but it wasn’t due to lack of volume. Chase absorbed a career-high 145 targets in 16 games. Chase’s 24.5% target share was also the highest of his career. Considering the uncertainty in Cincinnati’s receiving corps and assuming we get a fully healthy Joe Burrow under center makes Chase one of the safest picks in fantasy and every bit worthy of a top-3 overall selection. Tee Higgins was franchise-tagged but has been at an impasse with the team. Higgins is one of the better WR2s in the league but wants the chance to shine as the top dog. Assuming he returns to the Bengals, Higgins will be plenty motivated to play for a lucrative long-term contract. The Bengals also used the 80th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Alabama WR Jermaine Burton. Burton has good size and speed and is more of a downfield playmaker than Tyler Boyd. The rookie is an intriguing late-round fantasy sleeper, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Higgins. Taylor employed a committee approach to the tight end position. No TE exceeded 50 targets last season or ranked inside the top 30 fantasy scorers. The club signed Mike Gesicki to presumably take over as the starter. However, fourth-round Iowa rookie Erick All is a dark horse to win the starting role and emerge as a waiver-wire asset. With Joe Mixon traded to Houston, Zack Moss takes over as the team’s lead back. Moss filled in admirably for Jonathan Taylor last year, averaging a career-high 10.0 PPR points per game (23rd). Taylor likes to include his backs in the passing game, so Moss is a sneaky bet to be a solid RB3/flex option. Second-year rusher Chase Brown got a chance to contribute late last season and could play his way into the mix. Quarterbacks QB JOE BURROW – SOLID/SAFE PICK A pair of injuries bookended an erratic 2023 campaign for Joe Burrow. A July calf ailment resulted in a rusty start. Then, Burrow got healthy and averaged 21.4 fantasy points per contest during the team’s 4-1 stretch through Week 10. Ultimately, a wrist injury ended Burrow’s season in Week 11. He’s expected to be fine for 2024 but that mid-season stretch of a healthy Burrow is what piques our interest. With the addition of Jermaine Burton and Mike Gesicki plus the loss of Joe Mixon, the Bengals will rely on Burrow more than ever. He’s firmly in the conversation to be a top-5 fantasy option and the discounted price makes him a solid mid-round value. ADVICE: Safe QB1. Running Backs RB ZACK MOSS – SLEEPER (UNDERVALUED) Zack Moss filled in admirably for Jonathan Taylor last season. He was so effective that he continued to have a weekly role in Indy’s offense. Now, it appears that Moss will open the season atop Cincinnati’s depth chart after the Bengals shipped Joe Mixon to Houston. Mixon was used as a workhorse, inviting some optimism that Moss could potentially see 250-plus touches in a solid Bengals attack. Chase Brown will also work into the mix, but Moss’s tackle-breaking ability and solid receiving skills make him the favorite for early-down work and short-yardage opportunities. ADVICE: Excellent sleeper candidate in the middle rounds. RB CHASE BROWN – QUALITY BACKUP Joe Mixon and his 78.9% opportunity share are gone. In his place, the Bengals signed Zack Moss to a relatively modest contract. The expectations are that Cincinnati will move to a committee backfield. Moss has always shared time and we saw snippets of what Brown could do in the second half of 2023. Brown averaged 5.8 yards touch and 4.2 yards after contact. He’s got that breakaway ability that will make him a nice change-of-pace option from Moss. The split could be closer than many think, with Brown acting more as an RB1B than RB2. That makes Brown an appealing ‘dead zone’ target. ADVICE: Dead zone sleeper extraordinaire. Wide Receivers WR JA’MARR CHASE – STUD (LOW RISK) Touchdowns matter and no wide receiver has drawn more weekly red-zone targets than Ja’Marr Chase, who earns 1.64 per game. And part of that came in a trying 2023 season that saw the Bengals hobbled by injuries to QB Joe Burrow. The combination of Burrow and Chase is one of the top duos in football, with league-winning upside. Even with Jake Browning playing 469 snaps, Chase still ranked top 30 in yards per route run (2.2), contested catches (11), and missed tackles forced (17). He’s an elite option primed to make a run at the overall WR1 if Burrow stays healthy for 17 starts. ADVICE: Locked-in first-round WR with No. 1 overall upside WR TEE HIGGINS – SOLID/SAFE PICK Rib and hamstring injuries cost Tee Higgins five games last season. Joe Burrow’s health-related struggles also played a factor in Higgins having his worst fantasy performance in 2023. However, he’s now healthy and entering a contract year fully intent on grabbing that bag. Even in a down year, Higgins still had four top 10 weeks and was top 20 in air yards share (35.9%) and yards per reception (15.6).
Week 13 DFS: Running Back Report
Week 13 DFS: Running Back Report The winning running back ticket landed on Kyren Williams (38.40 fantasy points) in Week 13. Christian McCaffrey (30.90) finished with the runner-up prize, followed by Bijan Robinson (27.30) and Isiah Pacheco (25.90). Seven other
Week 13 DFS: Running Back Report
The winning running back ticket landed on Kyren Williams (38.40 fantasy points) in Week 13. Christian McCaffrey (30.90) finished with the runner-up prize, followed by Bijan Robinson (27.30) and Isiah Pacheco (25.90). Seven other running backs scored between 20.00 and 22.50 fantasy points. Here are the top five running backs by scoring average after 12 weeks:
- Christian McCaffrey (24.98)
- Raheem Mostert (18.48)
- Travis Etienne (17.44)
- Rachaad White (14.94)
- Josh Jacobs (14.61)
Also, check out FullTime Fantasy‘s Week 13 DFS QB Report and TE Report.
Top Tier Options
Christian McCaffrey, SF (DK – $9,000/FD – $9,800)
Even with his second-best fantasy game (30.90) in Week 12, McCaffrey didn’t score high enough to fill his current salary bucket. He has a floor of 20.00 fantasy points over the past five weeks, averaging 21.6 touches. The 49ers have had him on the field for 76% of their plays or more over his last five starts. His best showing (20/106/3 with seven catches for 71 yards and one touchdown) of the year came in Week 4. Last year, McCaffrey gained 106 combined yards with one touchdown and four catches against the Eagles.
Philadelphia has the best defense in the NFL vs. running backs (15.63 FPPG). They allow 4.1 yards per rush, with backs scoring only two touchdowns. Kansas City (30/168) and Buffalo (40/173/2) ran the ball well against them over the past two weeks, but 119 yards (34.9%) came from the quarterback position. Running backs have 58 catches for 359 yards on 75 targets.
McCaffrey doesn’t have the best matchup. The 49ers will ride him early and often in this game, with an uptick of value in the passing game should be expected. He needs multiple touchdowns and at least one big play to be in the mix in Week 13.
Alvin Kamara, NO (DK – $8,200/FD – $8,300)
The fun and excitement of Kamara left the building over the last three weeks. His regression in stats over this span came from…
WHO ELSE DOES SHAWN THINK ARE MUST-PLAY OPTIONS THIS WEEK?…
USE CODE: BLITZ50 FOR 50% OFF your first TWO MONTHS! —OR— Use save20 for 20% off our 6-month package!
DEADLINE THIS SUNDAY.