Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
- Andy Dalton: 26/42, 311 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 2 carries, 2 yards, 1 fumble
Andy Dalton struggled today, mostly due to a bad performance by his offensive line. The Bengals offensive line allowed four sacks, constant pressure on Dalton, and failed to get any push in the running game. Dalton was fine when he had time to throw, but he threw a terrible interception on a play where he rolled to his right and then fired the ball right into the hands of the defender. Dalton’s stat line is inflated by a 66-yard touchdown pass to John Ross in garbage time, but it all counts the same for fantasy and judging by the performance of the Bengals defense today there should be plenty of opportunities for Dalton to pick up cheap points late in games that have already been decided.
Running Backs
- Joe Mixon: 11 carries, 17 yards | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 10 yards
- Giovani Bernard: 6 carries, 6 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards
Questionable all week, Joe Mixon did end up playing today but couldn’t get anything going. Mixon couldn’t connect with Andy Dalton on his fist designed run (Dalton was given the fumble), and he was unable to find any room to do his job behind an overmatched offensive line. The good news for Mixon owners is that he seemed healthy, and his lack of opportunity was probably more due to the Bengals trailing for most of the game. Giovani Bernard was unable to get involved much in a game where Mixon came in banged up and the Bengals were in obvious passing situations for most of the second half. If Bernard is not getting utilized in a spot like this then it is tough to start him in any matchup going forward.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Tyler Boyd: 10 targets, 10 receptions, 122 yards
- John Ross: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD
- Tyler Eifert: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 9 yards, 1 TD
- Damion Willis: 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Tyler Boyd had a nice game, which unfortunately included having a touchdown called back due to a holding penalty from the offensive line. Boyd’s best play came on in the first quarter when the 49ers lost track of him, allowing Boyd to catch and run for a 47-yard gain. John Ross caught a long touchdown late to salvage a good fantasy outing, but that’s part of the package with him as his speed allows him to be a big-play threat at all times. Both Boyd and Ross are start-worthy receivers going forward, with Boyd being the more reliable of the two but Ross possessing game-breaking speed and a high weekly ceiling. Tyler Eifert caught a short touchdown and is a tight end that can be started in a pinch. He has a low floor due to his low target numbers, but he’s involved in the red zone and has shown throughout his career that he’s a capable weapon around the goal line.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
- Jimmy Garoppolo: 17/25, 297 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT | 4 carries, 8 yards
Jimmy Garoppolo mostly had a good day taking advantage of a bad Bengals defense. It was good to see him trusting his surgically-repaired knee on a few scrambles, and he should only get more comfortable moving around as the season goes on. What was concerning is that Garoppolo’s interception was a terrible decision, as he threw the ball downfield into several Bengals defenders. It was a bad read, and the throw wasn’t even on target for the intended receiver. Garoppolo missed on several passes, and he needs to clean up his decision making going forward. His first touchdown came when Marquise Goodwin was left uncovered by the Bengals secondary for an easy score, his second was a screen pass to Raheem Mostert, and his third was a two-yard pass to Deebo Samuel. Against a better defense, those plays will not come as easily, but Garoppolo remains a viable streaming option when he has a favorable matchup.
Running Backs
- Matt Breida: 12 carries, 121 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
- Raheem Mostert: 13 carries, 83 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD
- Jeff Wilson: 10 carries, 34 yards, 2 TDs
- Kyle Juszczyk: 1 carry, 6 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
The 49ers’ offensive line dominated this game and created plenty of running lanes, which all of the 49ers running backs were able to take advantage of. Matt Breida was impressive on seemingly all of his touches, including one where he should have been stopped for a loss but managed to bounce the play outside and made a defender miss with a very nice juke move. His only limitation in this game was his lack of touches, but that was probably due to the big lead the 49ers built as Breida barely touched the ball in the second half. Raheem Mostert showcased some impressive speed and was a few yards short of having multiple touchdowns. His touchdown reception came on a screen pass that was really well blocked by the offensive line, but he did a good job of reading the blocks and accelerating away from the defense. Jeff Wilson was called up from the practice squad this week and scored two short touchdowns. The 49ers seemed to make it a point to bring him in for goal-line work in the second half, which is something to watch for going forward. Breida and Mostert are worth starting as they appear to be splitting the backfield work, and Wilson is someone worth taking a flier on while Tevin Coleman remains sidelined with injury.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Deebo Samuel: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD | 2 carries, 7 yards
- Marquise Goodwin: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD
- George Kittle: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 54 yards
- Richie James: 4 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards
Deebo Samuel and Marquise Goodwin appear to be the lead receivers for 49ers for the time being. Goodwin caught an easy touchdown when the Bengals secondary forgot to cover him, while Samuel was more involved throughout the game and caught a short touchdown pass. George Kittle was quiet in the passing game but was great as a blocker today. His targets will fluctuate based on the flow of the game but he remains a must-start tight end for fantasy. Dante Pettis saw one target and turned it into a bad drop. He did complete a pass for 18 yards on a trick play, but it seems as if he has completely fallen out of favor with the coaching staff and is not a receiver that can be relied upon for fantasy lineups.
— Dan Adams