Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 10th, at 1:00 PM EST
Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Betting Odds: GB -3, 50.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers (Start, QB2)
Aaron Rodgers has yet to amass 300 passing yards on the season, and the Packers offense has been fairly low in passing volume. That said, he’s coming off a win against the Steelers in which he had two passing touchdowns, and one on the ground. The Bengals have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to QB’s this year, but Rodgers should remain in the QB2/QB1 upside conversation. As we’ve seen plenty in the past, he’s always good for a blow-up week, and if the Packers want to get out in front early, it’ll start with AR12.
Running Backs
Aaron Jones (Start, RB1), AJ Dillon (Sit)
Aside from his Week 2 blowup, Aaron Jones hasn’t brought back the RB1 return managers had hoped for. Last week against the Steelers, he split carries down the middle with AJ Dillon (15 to 15), to the tune of 48 yards, as well as catching three of four targets for 51 yards. Right now, Dillon remains a handcuff at best, but Jones should be in line for a better day against the Bengals. If he can shake off the minor ankle injury he’s dealing with, he may find success against a Cincinnati defense that allowed James Robinson to run for 78 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns last week.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Davante Adams (Start, WR1), Randall Cobb (FLEX, if you must), Allen Lazard (Sit), Robert Tonyan (Start, TE2)
Week 5 is a smash-spot for Davante Adams, who was on the quieter side of involvement in the win against Pittsburgh. He caught six of 11 targets for just 64 yards. That said, he still is the preferred target for Rodgers, and managers shouldn’t fret on the idea of Randall Cobb having two-score days often as he did against the Steelers. Speaking on Cobb, he’s an interesting FLEX option this week with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on IR with a hamstring injury. We know Rodgers quite literally forced the Packers to bring back Cobb, so there should be a sense of confidence that his target share will increase. Allen Lazard should see an uptick in involvement as well, but I wouldn’t be rushing to start him yet. Tight end Robert Tonyan, a 2020 fantasy darling, hasn’t produced anywhere near where we hoped he would. He had his most targets on the year last week (seven), but he only caught two passes for 8 yards. It’s best to consider him a touchdown-dependent streaming option right now.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow (Start, QB2)
Winners of two in a row, the Joe Burrow-led Bengals have scored 24 points in back-to-back weeks. If Cincy plans to stay afloat in this game against Green Bay, expect Burrow to throw a ton; especially with an injury to Joe Mixon. Burrow is coming off a Thursday Night Football thriller where he completed 25 of 32 attempts for 348 yards and two touchdowns. I would expect him to have to throw more than the Bengals would probably wish for, but that could play into a productive QB2 finish. The Packers defense has given up the 14th most fantasy points to QB’s on the year thus far.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon (Start if active, RB2), Samaje Perine (Start if Mixon is inactive, RB2), Chris Evans (Sit)
This may be the Samaje Perine show if Mixon can’t go due to an ankle sprain. Head coach Zac Taylor has labeled him day-to-day, but with a previous injury history, you’ll need to monitor Mixon’s practice logs through the weekend. If he’s active, I’d take it as a good sign and start him. The obvious pivot if he’s ruled out is to throw Perine into your lineup with volume-based expectations. An interesting name to watch, or even add now while he’s free/prior to being subjected to waivers is Chris Evans, who may assume the pass-catching role that former Bengal Gio Bernard owned for years.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Ja’Marr Chase (Start, WR2), Tyler Boyd (Start, WR2), Tee Higgins (Start, WR3/FLEX), C.J. Uzomah (Sit)
It’s not often that you’ll have three Bengals wide receivers as starting options in fantasy. With Burrow back & playing some nice ball through four games, he’s been able to support Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins; with Higgins having missed the last two weeks. The latter is expected to return to practice this week & suit up for the home clash with Green Bay. When all are healthy, it’s hard to say who is the alpha, but again, I’d expect more passing in this game for the Bengals, and that should bode well for all three as they verse an injured Packers secondary (see Jaire Alexander).
I was semi-bracing for tight end C.J. Uzomah to be a popular waiver add this week after his two-score showing last week against Jacksonville. That wasn’t the case at all, considering he’s only had a +3% add rate in the last day [on Yahoo]. With Higgins due to return, I would leave Uzomah on the wire, and only consider him an add if he puts together a string of productive games.
-Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)