What We Saw: Week 6

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Bengals @ Colts

This was an entertaining game, where we saw an unexpected lead quickly fade, and the Bengals couldn’t recover. Blowing a 21-point first-half lead was the ultimate demise for Cincinnati, as they allowed the Colts to comeback and win 31-27. Indianapolis outscored the Bengals 31-6 over the final stretch of the game, and the inability to find the end zone since the second quarter was the downfall for Cincy. Let’s dive in to see what we saw.

Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterback

Joe Burrow: 25/39 313 yards, 1 INT, 2 sacks | 3 carries, 2 yards, 1 TD

Joe Burrow once again – his fourth game in his last five starts – threw for over 300 passing yards. Even with the yardage, he failed to find the end zone through the air; but did score on a goal-line sneak. The inability to score through the air did Burrow and the Bengals in, but his confidence is continuing to grow on a weekly basis. You just need to hope the offensive line and play-calling fix itself in order for Burrow to produce.

Running Backs

Joe Mixon: 18 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Giovani Bernard: 8 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards

There was a slight scare for Joe Mixon, as he exited the game briefly with a foot injury in the second quarter. He would return though, and his one touchdown saved his fantasy stat line.

Mixon motors in.#FantasyFootball | #SeizeTheDEY pic.twitter.com/TaKTzO7pRv

— QB List (@TheQBlist) October 18, 2020

He was only able to post 54 yards with his team-leading 18 carries. For as pass-heavy as this Bengals offense is, you’d hope Mixon saw more than just three targets. Giovani Bernard found the end zone today as well, and had the same target share through the pass game as Mixon did. A cool factoid: it was Bernard’s first rushing score in two years.

That's Giovani Bernard's first rushing TD in two calendar years. #Bengals

— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) October 18, 2020

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

A.J. Green: 11 targets, 8 receptions, 96 yards

Tee Higgins: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 125 yards | 1 carry, 2 yards

Tyler Boyd: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 54 yards, 1 fumble | 1 carry, 25 yards

Drew Sample: 1 target, 0 receptions

Just last week it looked like A.J. Green could have been playing himself out of a role in Cincinnati. He looked to have let up on an interception, and then some bad lip reading led to suspicion that Green wanted to be traded if he wasn’t going to see his share of targets. Well, he led the offense with 11 against the Colts and turned that into eight receptions for 96 yards. It was his best game of the season, but he’s still yet to find the end zone this year. Rookie Tee Higgins continues to be a nice addition to the offense, as he saw eight targets of his own, catching six of them for a team-leading 125 yards. Tyler Boyd had eight targets as well, but only caught five of them for 54 yards and a fumble. Week after week, you’re starting to side with Higgins as the number two option for Burrow.

Tight end Drew Sample had just one target and he didn’t catch it.

Indianapolis Colts

Quarterback

Philip Rivers: 29/44, 371 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 1 sack | 1 carry, -1 yards

Have a day Philip Rivers. Fourth-quarter interception aside, this was Rivers’ best game as a Colt. He threw for over 360 yards for the first time since Week 1 (363), and his three scores were a season-high. He found three different receivers for the scores, which plays right to Rivers’ gunslinging habits. The effort was all in part of a comeback that now has the Colts at 4-2 on the year.

Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor: 12 carries, 60 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 55 yards

Nyheim Hines: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 27 yards

Even without a score, Jonathan Taylor put in a production stat line for PPR formatted leagues; catching all four of his targets for 55 yards aided in that. He turned 12 carries, the same as he did in Week 5, into 60 yards. Taylor is the clear RB1 in Indy, and you’ll just hope the rest of the season he’ll start to amass 100-yard games (or close to it) on the ground as he last did back in Week 2. Nyheim Hines was only a factor in the passing game, catching five of his six targets.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Marcus Johnson: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 108 yards

Trey Burton: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 58 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 1 yard

Zach Pascal: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

Jack Doyle: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble

DeMichael Harris: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards

T.Y. Hilton: 5 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards

It was a forgettable day for T.Y. Hilton, who only caught one of his five targets for a measly 11 yards. Overall, it’s been a lackluster 2020 for Hilton, as he continues to build a rapport with Rivers through six games. Stepping up were fellow receivers Marcus Johnson and Zach Pascal with some DeMichael Harris sprinkled in. Chances are, Pascal would have been the only one rostered of the three, but Johnson is certainly a name to keep an eye on the rest of the season; especially if Hilton continues to struggle. Historically, Rivers leaned heavily on his tight ends in San Diego/Los Angeles, and it hasn’t been much different with the Colts. With Mo-Alie Cox out with a knee injury, Jack Doyle and Trey Burton held it down, each scoring in the come from behind victory. Shoutout to QB List’s very own Eli Grabanski, who took a deep look into Burton’s fantasy potential just a few days ago. If you were in a bind this week, you may have listened to his suggestion and scooped up Burton in time.