Cincinnati Bengals Week 10 Fantasy Report
By Chris Smith
Oct 14, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) shouts out a cadence behind center Jeff Faine (62) and the rest of his offensive line during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Browns beat the Bengals 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-US PRESSWIRE
Vital Info
Opponent: New York Giants
Location: Paul Brown Stadium (Home)
Record: 3-5
Quarterback
Andy Dalton was a favorite sleeper of many – including yours truly – but you don’t want him starting on your team if you can help it. Even going against the struggling Giants secondary, Dalton is a top 15 QB this week at best.
Running Back
Benjarvus Green-Ellis is one of those players you expect every week to finally have that breakout game and it never comes. He finally got another touchdown last week but for the most part it has been tough to start the Law Firm lately. He’s a starter for me this week but not a strong one – if he does much more than justify a flex spot it’ll be a pleasant surprise. In PPR leagues, I might start Cedric Peerman over BJGE this week – the Giants have struggled to contain the screen game and Peerman does get plenty of targets.
Wide Receiver
There is only one player on the Bengals that is a must start and it is the man I have dubbed the Monster A.J. Green. He has had double digit fantasy points in six of the eight games and hasn’t failed to score a touchdown since week 1. Start him with confidence with the upside of a 2 TD 120 yard game. Aside from Green, the only other wide receiver I’d want from this team is Andrew Hawkins and even then only in deeper PPR formats as a flex. Hawkins always seems to be around the ball although he hasn’t scored since week 3 – I reckon he gets 5-6 catches for 40-55 yards.
Tight End
Jermaine Gresham is finally beginning to emerge as a genuine threat in the passing game – although many Bengals fans will tell you it’s about darn time considering he was a first round pick. Still the matchup against the Giants is an interesting one for Gresham owners to consider. On the one hand the Giants are down a bunch of players in the secondary. On the other hand they do have a bunch of elite edge rushers which may force Cincy to get him to block more often. I think Gresham is a must start this week but if he disappears I will not be surprised.