Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 17th, 1:00 PM ET
Location: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Betting Odds: CIN-3.5, 46.5 total via PFF.com
Network: CBS
Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ on Twitter/X)
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson (Start, QB1)
When you see a Baltimore win over Houston, and the score was 25-9, you would imagine Lamar Jackson had something to do with it, right? Think again. It was a quiet fantasy Week 1 for Jackson, as he completed 17 of 22 passes for just 169 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. He also turned six rushes into 38 scoreless yards. One would think the new-look Ravens pass attack will show out more this week against a Bengals defense that allowed the Browns to put up 24 points in a 24-3 loss last week. It’s worth noting that the Cincy defense led the league in QBR-against in 2022.
Running Backs
Justice Hill (Sit), Gus Edwards (Sit), Melvin Gordon (Sit)
I covered Texans v. Ravens last week, and word for word highlighted J.K. Dobbins‘ fate – “I think it’s safe to say that Dobbins can be treated as an RB2… until he can’t.” Unfortunately, Dobbins tore his Achilles against Houston, and his season is over before it could get going. It’s a tough break for the oft-injured ‘back, and now Justice Hill is suddenly the guy. This is the same Hill who turned eight carries into a whopping nine yards, but two touchdowns against HOU. There will be people who think otherwise, but Hill isn’t someone I would drop important FAAB or burn a waiver priority on, and the same goes for the next men up in Gus Edwards and Melvin Gordon.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
Zay Flowers (Start, FLEX), Rashod Bateman (Sit), Odell Beckham Jr. (Start, FLEX), Mark Andrews (Start if active, TE1), Isaiah Likely (Start if Andrews sits, TE2)
Because Baltimore was carrying a steady lead by the 3rd quarter, the Todd Monken pass-attack was not fully displayed. Rashod Bateman caught all three of his targets for 35 yards, Odell Beckham Jr. turned two catches on three targets for 37 yards, but it was rookie Zay Flowers who led the way in all categories with ten targets, catching nine passes for 78 yards. He was even featured in the backfield with two carries for nine yards. I would suspect that heavy involvement to continue for Flowers, and he would be the Ravens WR I would trust starting the most this week. You can make an argument for Beckham too as a FLEX, considering he led the Baltimore receivers with 59 snaps, and Flowers was right behind him with 54.
If Andrews suits up – and it’s trending that way at the time of writing – fire him up as a TE1. If Andrews were to miss another game, Isaiah Likely may be a viable option. Anything will be better than last week, where in a sudden spot-start he caught his only target for just four yards.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow (Start, QB1)
Chalk up the surprising, no-show performance from Joe Burrow against the Browns to the fact that he was injured all of training camp and preseason with a calf injury. The weather did not help his case either in Cleveland, as he was held under 100 yards for the first time in his career. As per Statmuse, Burrow is now 1-5 against the Browns in his career, but one would hope he’s going to bounce back this week against another divisional opponent. It won’t be easy, as the Ravens allowed just nine points to the Texans, racking up five sacks and a fumble recovery.
Joe Mixon (Start, RB2)
Joe Mixon had a quiet showing in the blowout to the Browns, but practically had the backfield to himself, turning 13 carries into 56 yards, and catching three of five targets for 17 yards. Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams behind him were non-factors, and one would suspect that will remain the same against Baltimore. Last week, the Ravens held Dameon Pierce in check, as he had only 38 rush yards on 11 carries, and caught two of three targets for nine yards.
Ja’Marr Chase (Start, WR1), Tee Higgins (Start, TE2), Tyler Boyd (Sit), Irv Smith Jr. (Sit)
It was a season opener to forget for Ja’Marr Chase against the “Elves.” Nothing went right for the Bengals, and Chase caught five of his nine targets for 39 scoreless yards. What’s worse though is the goose egg that Tee Higgins laid; catching zero of his eight targets. As the years roll on, Tyler Boyd is firmly cemented as this Cincy’s WR3, and he caught two of his three targets for just 10 yards. There are positive spins here though for Week 2: surely the Bengals offense is not this bad, and the fact that the Baltimore secondary already has a key injury in Marcus Williams (pec), who is expected to be out for some time.
Irv Smith Jr. had a Bengals debut to forget, as he had just three catches for 17 yards, and had a poor blocking display, which doesn’t bode well for a TE that will be called upon to help protect the highest-paid player in NFL history in Burrow. Even in a pass-heavy offense, Smith doesn’t excite right now as an option at tight end.
Rams secondary “got worked” by Seattle? Did you even look at the boxscore or watch the game??? What kind of ignorant comment is that? Geno Smith was 16-26 for 112 yards. Rams held Metcalf to 47 yards. Lockett had 10 yards. Will Dissly was the 2nd leading receiver with 17 yards. Is that being “worked”. Not a very impressive write-up. Do better. At least look at the stats before you make an uninformed comment. Not a good look.
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