Bengals vs. Chiefs
Bengals
Is Andy Dalton a top QB play this week?
For me, he is. Honestly, the idea of ranking Andy Dalton as a top-five QB this week feels weird, but here’s the thing—so far this season, the Chiefs have given up at least 20 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks every single week except one (against the Denver Broncos and Case Keenum). That includes three weeks in which they’ve given up 400+ yards. Given how bad the Bengals secondary is and how much of a god Patrick Mahomes is, I’d expect this to be a high-scoring game, which means lots of throwing for Dalton.
Will the receivers have a similarly good game?
I think so. Like I said, the Chiefs secondary has been bad, and I like the matchups for their receivers. A.J. Green will likely be up against Steven Nelson, who is five inches shorter and 15 pounds lighter than Green, and Tyler Boyd is likely to see Kendall Fuller. Boyd and Green have been excellent this year, while Nelson and Fuller have not. If Dalton’s throwing a lot, I think much of it is going to go to these two.
Will it be a good day for Joe Mixon?
Oh yea, I think it’ll be a nice day for Joe Mixon. So far this season, no team has given up more fantasy points to opposing running backs than the Chiefs. They’ve given up at least 24 fantasy points to opposing running backs every week this year, and are averaging 36.6 fantasy points against for running backs. For that reason, I think Mixon makes for a solid RB1 this week.
Are any of the tight ends worth starting?
If you’re desperate for tight end help, C.J. Uzomah might be worth a shot. He’ll likely be matched up against Ron Parker which I think should be an alright matchup. I think there are better options out there, but I’m pretty sure Dalton’s going to be throwing a lot, so Uzomah could see some work.
Boom: Joe Mixon
Bust: N/A
Sleeper: Tyler Boyd
-Ben Palmer
Chiefs
Just a few weeks into the NFL season and one thing is clear, the league views the Chiefs as must-see TV. For the second straight week, the 5-and-1 Chiefs will play on Sunday Night Football as they host the 4-and-2 Cincinnati Bengals. Kansas City is coming off a tough loss against New England but the offense was as solid as ever. What can we expect on Sunday night?
Pat Mahomes will provide plenty of fireworks Sunday night
The last two weeks QB Patrick Mahomes has faced the toughest matchups of his young career and his neutral Pro Football Focus grades have reflected this. Mahomes has thrown four interceptions in two weeks and finished his Week 5 game without a passing touchdown. Still, Mahomes managed 300-yard passing games, his fifth 300-yard passing game in as many weeks. Mahomes exploded in the second half against the Patriots, throwing four touchdowns. Expect this smoking pace to continue this week against the Cincinnati. The Bengals are allowing 300 yards passing and nearly two touchdowns per game this season. They have also given up two rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks. Mahomes will light up this defense and his full complement of receivers will be on full display. He’s a strong play in DFS cash games and a lock as your QB1.
What can we expect from Kareem Hunt this week?
The Bengals have been torched this season by opposing running backs, giving up more than 100 yards per game on the ground and 50 in the air and one touchdown a game. Expect Hunt to touch the ball early and often in what might be his juiciest matchup of the season. The Bengals can’t seem to find a formula to stop opposing backs and HC Andy Reid will have plenty of calls designed to exploit the clear weakness of this Bengals defense. Early in the season Pat Mahomes was not targeting Hunt as a receiver but in recent weeks that seems to have changed. Hunt has 12 targets in three weeks and he’s racked up more than 160 yards out of the backfield, including his first 100 yard receiving game of his career. Whether on the ground or in the air, Hunt will produce for fantasy owners as an RB1 Sunday night.
Which of these dynamic KC receivers is the right play this week?
WR Tyreek Hill is WR1 in standard fantasy leagues and second to just Adam Thielen in PPR leagues. However, looking deeper and Hill has three huge weeks sandwiched around three below average weeks. So far Cincinnati has been average against wide receivers but solid against number one wideouts. The Bengals haven’t seen a player with Hill’s speed and he isn’t a player that you can afford to bench, even for a week.
Likewise, WR Sammy Watkins has been up and down this season, producing in weeks where Hill has been quiet and disappearing in weeks where Hill blows up. We should expect this trend to continue, as the Chiefs only have one consistent receiver option and that’s at tight end. Still, Watkins is a WR3/Flex play every week and Sunday against the Bengals might just be a big Watkins game. If you can live with the change that Watkins is held down and don’t have a superior option, I like Watkins as a start this week in Arrowhead.
Has Travis Kelce taken the mantle as the best tight end on the game?
For me, the answer is a clear yes. Although TE Travis Kelce was held to just 5 catches for 61 yards against New England, Kelce is TE2 in both scoring formats. Pat Mahomes has come to rely on Kelce as his go-to receiver in nearly all situations and fantasy owners can depend on the tight end to be available, Kelce hasn’t missed a game due to injury in his career. Coming into the season Kelce was an early round pick and he’s lived up to his draft value. The Bengals are giving up more than 15 points per game to the tight end position, including three touchdowns. Kelce draws S Shawn Williams this week, who has been strong in coverage and has the size to match up but may not have the speed or athleticism to keep up. Expect Kelce to go for more than 70 yards and add a touchdown with potential for much more.
-Marc Salazar
good calls on Edelman and Gronk, Mr. Bevins….I see Brady getting it out quick to Edelman, and of course White, to avoid that Bears rush. Why did we let go of Hicks, dammit? lol
Can you guys add the “Game Previews” (and maybe Waiver Wire) as a section under the main navigation bar under articles? I love to read these but sometimes it’s hard to find. Thanks!!