Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 15, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Network: FOX
Writer: Matt LaMarca (@MattLaMarca on Twitter)
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: Start, QB1
Joe Burrow is a no-brainer must-start every single week at quarterback. He’s been absolutely rolling of late, scoring at least 24.3 fantasy points in five straight games. He’s finished as a top-six option at the position in each of those contests, including two finishes as QB1. The Titans have been middle of the pack from a matchup perspective, allowing the 15th-most fantasy points per game to the position. Of course, it wouldn’t matter if Burrow is playing the 1985 Bears or 2000 Ravens at this point; you’re not taking him out of your lineup.
Running Back
Chase Brown: Start, RB1
Khalil Herbert: Sit
Since Zack Moss went down with an injury, Chase Brown has emerged as one of the biggest bell-cow backs in the entire league. Over his past five outings, Brown has played on 83% of the Bengals’ offensive snaps, and he’s handled 89% of their rushing attempts. He’s also run a route on 65% of the team’s dropbacks, and he’s racked up a 15% target share. There simply aren’t a ton of running backs that handle that kind of workload, and Brown does it while playing for one of the best offenses in football. He’s emerged as a weekly top-five option at the position, and he’s finished as a top-10 scorer at running back in five straight outings.
Khalil Herbert was acquired by the Bengals at the deadline, and it was believed he would help ease Brown’s burden in the backfield. That simply hasn’t been the case. He’s at least managed a couple of carries the past few weeks — something he didn’t do in his first two games with the Bengals — but he is not remotely close to startable for fantasy purposes.
Wide Receiver
Ja’Marr Chase: Start, WR1
Tee Higgins: Start, Upside WR2
Andrei Iosivas: Sit
Ja’Marr Chase isn’t just a WR1 at this point; he’s the WR1. No other receiver in fantasy has come close to matching his output this season. He’s averaging 20.8 half-PPR points per game this season, and no other receiver is above 16.5. The gap between Chase and Nico Collins — who ranks second in points per game — is the same as the gap between Collins and Garrett Wilson (WR20). Chase hasn’t done it by dominating the targets for Cincinnati but rather by being an absolute touchdown machine. His target share sits at a good but not elite 27% for the year, so in weeks when he sees more than that, he has an astronomical ceiling. Pray for the Titans corners.
Ironically, Tee Higgins actually had a higher percentage of the Bengals’ targets and air yards before last week’s outing. Chase has now slightly overtaken him from a target standpoint — Higgins’ target share sits at 26% for the year — but Higgins still has the edge in air yards. Outside of the massive touchdown discrepancy, there’s really not much separating these two studs. Higgins checks in as a high-end WR2 vs. the Titans, but it should surprise no one if he has a WR1 performance.
Andrei Iosivas has had some viability at times this season, but on a week where all 32 teams are in action, you hopefully don’t need to dig that deep. He checks in somewhere near WR75 for me, so he’s not a viable target.
Tight End
Mike Gesicki: Sit
Mike Gesicki has given fantasy players decent production for parts of the year, but his good games have coincided with Higgins being out of the lineup. Now that he’s back, Gesicki’s role has fallen off a cliff. He’s even started to lose some snaps to Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample, so there’s no reason to target him against a Titans squad that has allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Will Levis: Sit, QB2
The Bengals stand out as one of the best possible matchups for quarterbacks. They’ve played in high-scoring affairs all season, and they’ve allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. Still, it’s not really enough to put Will Levis on the radar. He had an equally appealing matchup last week vs. the Jaguars and fell flat on his face, finishing with 7.0 fantasy points. Levis is a potential option in superflex or two-QB leagues, but he’s still pretty uninspiring in those formats. With most fantasy leagues transitioning to the playoffs, don’t be the guy who benches a better quarterback for Levis just because of the matchup.
Running Back
Tony Pollard: Start, RB2
Tyjae Spears: Sit
The Titans appeared to be headed to a committee backfield this season, but that hasn’t really materialized. Tony Pollard has emerged as the team’s clear top running back, with Tyjae Spears serving as his backup. Both players have been in the lineup for the team’s past two outings, and Pollard has handled 74% of the carries with a 13% target share. Spears has lagged way behind, posting marks of 18% and 3%, respectively.
That means we can feel pretty comfortable firing up Pollard as an RB2 this week. There are some potential game script concerns, but the Bengals’ defense has been bad enough to keep opponents in most games this season. Pollard has finished as a top-25 scorer at the position in back-to-back weeks, and he should be able to do it again.
Wide Receiver
Calvin Ridley: Start, WR2
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: Sit
Calvin Ridley has quietly turned in elite volume at the receiver position recently. He’s posted a 30% target share and 45% air yards share over his past seven outings, both of which are phenomenal figures. Only five receivers have posted a higher target share over that stretch, and they are among the best receivers in football. Ridley was particularly busy last week vs. the Jaguars, racking up 38% of the team’s targets in a loss. Unfortunately, Ridley is still tied to a subpar quarterback, which makes his production volatile. However, his upside is high enough to propel him to low-end WR2 status in a great matchup vs. the Bengals.
Ridley doesn’t leave a ton of targets for the rest of the pass-catchers in this offense, including Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The only reason he’s even relevant for fantasy purposes is that eight of his 21 receptions have resulted in touchdowns. It goes without saying, but that isn’t sustainable. He has just 3.7 expected receiving touchdowns this season, so he’s run exceptionally well in that department. You can do better in a week with 16 games to choose from.
Tight End
Chig Okonkwo: Sit
Chig Okonkwo remains the Titans’ primary pass-catching tight end, but that role simply hasn’t provided much value this season. He’s 33rd at the position in terms of fantasy points per game, and he’s finished as TE25 or worse in four of his past five outings. The Bengals are a fantastic matchup for tight ends, but he’s simply not relevant enough to benefit.