Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals
This game reminded me of the week one match of Miami vs Baltimore. A 49-13 whomping moves the Ravens closer to the first overall seed in the playoffs and the Bengals toward the 1st overall pick in the upcoming draft. Both of which seems to be the goal for each team. There is not much to take away that NFL fans didn’t already know to be true from this one.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
- Ryan Finley: 16/30, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks | 5 carries, 22 yards
Finley actually did not play that poorly. However the Ravens are clearly a superbowl contender and did not give Cincinnati anything easily. Finley made a few mistakes, one of which turned highlight pick 6 by Marcus Peters. He was also able to make some nice throws with a tight spiral all over the field. How much is that worth when you’re winless looking at the first pick? For Bengal fans it might mean taking a Chase Young or trading out as opposed to a QB. We will see going forward if Finley gets more action going forward. He is not worth owning outside of the deepest of leagues or 2 QB leagues.
Running Backs
- Joe Mixon: 30 Carries, 114 Yards | 3 targets, 2 catches, 37 yards
Mixon had his best outing in weeks fantasy wise. In a poor match up he was able to bulk tough his way to a useable outing. This could be the type out game Mixon needed to get back into the good graces of fantasy owners. Finley looks to be a tick better than Dalton in some regards which could end up helping Mixon in the passing game. He also is a stand alone carry eater for the Bengals. Geo is always a factor and handcuff but there is no debate as to who the lead dog is. Consider Mixon a sneaky low end RB1 going forward based on his touches. If you’re a standard league he is a solid RB1 as for the role he occupies. Fantasy is about volume and target share. He gets a good amount of it.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Tyler Boyd : 8 targets, 6 receptions, 62 yards
- Auden Tate: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards
- Tyler Effiert: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards, 1 TD
It was nice to see get into the endzone this week. Personally I wish he was traded at the deadline but if he can get his career back on with the Bengals it will seriously help their outlook for next year. As expected there was not much to excited out pass catcher wise. Easily one of the worst theoretical outlooks for all the Cincinnati skill players. Boyd was able to scrape a day together in PPR but there wasn’t any real threat from the Bengal pass catchers in this game. I would continue to own Tate as he and Boyd should see their production increase next week when they don’t have to play Baltimore. Who might just be the best team over all.
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
- Lamar Jackson: 15/17, 223 yards, 3 TD | 7 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
Lamar is the MVP. He is doing things we haven’t seen before. Making his pass catchers become must starts, and leading the Ravens like the best QB in football. In hindsight, the audacity to claim he was a WR or RB is easily some of the most absurd and disrespectful stances. However, Lamar for fun does like to bust 40 yard TD runs where he looks like an all pro running back/wide receiver. Lamar is a top 5 QB play every week but if you were the one in your league to take the gamble on him I think it is safe to assume you have been rewarded with a strong fantasy year.
Running Backs
- Mark Ingram: 9 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD
- Gus Edwards: 4 carries, 17 yards
- Justice Hill: 3 carries, 11 yards
Somewhat of a down week for Ingram. He is a lock RB1 regardless. This also might not be the most shocking turn of events. The Bengals run defense is better than pass and the Bengles saw this similar offense twice last year. They are aware of the run threat and they clearly didn’t want to be run over. Instead they were passed over and taking for a joy ride by Lamar.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Marquise Brown: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 80 Yards, 1 TD
- Nick Boyle: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 78 Yards
- Mark Andrews: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 53 yards, 2 TD
The Baltimore pass catchers that you want are Mark Andrews and Hollywood Brown. Both are must starts and add aspects to the Ravens passing attack that complement what Lamar does to a tee. Boyle, Hurst, Snead, and Boykin all are good players and on any given week may have value. But we pretty much know who the big dogs for the Ravens are fantasy wise. This can be considered a breakout year for the entire offense as well as Brown, Andrews, and Lamar as individual stars.
- John Romanelli