Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
- Gardner Minshew: 15/32, 255 yards, 1 TD | 9 carries, 48 yards
Gardner Minshew was not overly efficient, but he did enough to lead the Jaguars to a win. Minshew was pressured a lot and that prevented him from being able to let plays develop down the field and led to several of his passes being tipped or altered by the pass rushers. He did a good job of picking up first downs with his legs, and he did not turn the ball over which ultimately was all he needed to do to win the game. Minshew’s touchdown pass came on a well-thrown fade route to Keelan Cole at the goal line, and he followed that play up finding Chris Conley on a slant route for the two-point conversion. From a fantasy perspective, this game was disappointing, especially given the favorable matchup against a weak Bengals defense, but Minshew took what the defense gave him and played an overall solid game. In one-quarterback leagues, he is a viable streaming option going forward.
Running Backs
- Leonard Fournette: 29 carries, 131 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards
- Ryquell Armstead: 3 carries, 3 yards | 1 target, 0 receptions
Leonard Fournette once again dominated the backfield touches for the Jaguars, totaling 31 touches and 145 total yards. Fournette was stuffed on the goal line on the first drive for the Jaguars, but aside from not scoring a touchdown, he was great. He continues to be the focal point of this offense, and although he wasn’t needed in the passing game much today he has shown this year he is a capable receiver and the Jaguars do not take him off the field very often. Fournette is a locked-in fantasy starter for as long as he is healthy. Ryquell Armstead did not find his way on to the field much today and remains nothing more than a handcuff to Fournette.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Dede Westbrook: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 103 yards | 2 carries, 14 yards
- Chris Conley: 8 targets, 3 receptions, 83 yards
- D.J. Chark: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 53 yards | 1 carry, 20 yards
- Keelan Cole: 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards, 1 TD
- Seth DeValve: 2 targets, 0 receptions
With the Jaguars mostly unable to let deep routes develop Dede Westbrook had a great game working on mostly underneath routes. He did have one drop, but he also had an awesome catch where he went up and took the ball away from a defensive back that looked like he had a sure interception. Chris Conley had a 29-yard reception on a deep in-route, and also took a short slant route for a 47-yard gain. It looked like the Jaguars were making it a priority to get him involved, which is something to monitor going forward. Conley is a big and athletic receiver, and he would be an interesting fantasy asset if he was seeing close to eight targets a game. D.J. Chark was not as involved in this game, but he continues to look great when targeted. He made a nice catch in traffic in the red zone but was tackled on the one-yard line, and he took an end-around for 20 yards. The targets were not there today, but Chark should still be trusted as a starting fantasy receiver.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
- Andy Dalton: 22/43, 276 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs | 4 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD
His offensive line did not do him any favors, but Andy Dalton looked bad today. He was intercepted three times, and that number could have easily been higher if not for some drops by the defensive backs of the Jaguars. There were too many throws where it was unclear what Dalton thought he saw before deciding to let go of the ball. He managed to save his fantasy day with a quarterback sneak for a touchdown after the game was decided, but there are not a lot of positives to take away from this performance. The Bengals have rookie fourth-round pick Ryan Finley behind Dalton so it’s unlikely they bench him, but Dalton should not be considered more than a low-end streaming option in one-quarterback leagues.
Running Backs
- Joe Mixon: 10 carries, 2 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards, 1 TD
- Giovani Bernard: 4 carries, 0 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards
The Bengals offensive line was unable to get any push in the running game, and as a result, Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard combined for two rushing yards. Mixon scored a touchdown on a simple flat route, but otherwise, the Bengals mostly ignored their running backs in the passing game. Most teams with offensive line problems would lean more on quick passes to the running backs for easy completions, but the Bengals do not appear to believe in that approach. It is tough to bench a high draft pick like Mixon, but it does not appear that the volume or efficiency will be high enough to trust him as a weekly starter. Bernard gets on the field a fair amount but is not being utilized enough to be fantasy relevant.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Alex Erickson: 14 targets, 8 receptions, 137 yards | 2 carries, -2 yards
- Tyler Boyd: 14 targets, 5 receptions, 55 yards
- Auden Tate: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 65 yards
- Tyler Eifert: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Alex Erickson built on a solid performance last week against Baltimore by having a career day today. Erickson did a great job of finding open spots on the field, and once he got the ball he was effective at picking up yards after the catch. He accounted for 87 yards on the Bengals’ first touchdown drive and was the lone bright spot for the Bengals offense today. Tyler Boyd saw his usual target volume, but fumbled once and was unable to take advantage of the targets he saw. Andy Dalton underthrew him on what should have been a long touchdown and was generally a little off target when looking Boyd’s way. The overall struggle of the offense is a little concerning for Boyd’s efficiency, but his volume keeps him locked in as a starting fantasy receiver. Auden Tate had a nice 20-yard reception where he was able to use his frame to create space between the ball and the defender but was otherwise quiet.
- Dan Adams