Hey guys, here is my take on the Cincinnati Bengals key additions and key subtractions over the off-season. Once again, I'm going to keep my introduction in here so if anybody is new to my content they can get familiar with what I'm trying to do here. If you are already familiar with what's going on, skip the introduction, but if you are new, keep reading and welcome!
Introduction - Bringing the Fantasy Football Discussion to Steemit
I've been a diehard fantasy football player for nearly a decade now, and I am extremely active in my research all year around. I plan on sharing my thoughts by blogging on Steemit for the upcoming season, so if you like to play fantasy football, you should definitely follow me. I am active on Sleeperbot, which is a fantasy football app that sends updates in real time, but there is also a community there that is very knowledgeable. You can find me on there @USER00100000.
Before the season starts, I will be breaking down key moves around the league as they happen, I will share my draft plans and key targets for the upcoming season, break down key statistics, and anything else that I can think of. During the season, I plan on breaking down key statistics each week, look at trade values around the league, player matchups, start/sit, and again, anything else I can think of to help you win a fantasy championship this season.
So far, we've seen a lot of movement this off-season. I'm going to start off by highlighting some key additions and subtractions by each team. I'm not going to spend time on players that I don't think are worth discussing, so keep in mind these are not intended to be complete lists, just important players (and possibly coaches) that moved and may have an effect on other players fantasy production.
Lets dig in! Next up is...
Cincinnati Bengals
Key Additions: Joe Mixon RB, John Ross WR, Eric Winston T, J.J. Dielman C
Key Subtractions: Andrew Whitworth T, Kevin Zeitler G, Rex Burkhead RB
Takeaway:
Yes, the Bengals added two rookies that could be dynamic weapons for Andy Dalton, but they also let two pro-bowl caliber offensive linemen leave the team in Whitworth and Zeitler. They replaced them with… Eric Winston... a guy who played 279 snaps last season and had a 59.5 PFF grade, and J.J. Dielman, a 5th round pick this year. Whitworth and Zeitler scored rave reviews with PFF, grading out at 91.3 and 87.1. This brings serious concern to Andy Dalton’s projection this upcoming season as a reliable fantasy starter. To put matters into perspective, the Bengals allowed Dalton to be sacked 41 times last season, and that was with two pro-bowlers anchoring the line. That was good enough for 2nd worst in the league. Think it will get any better? I don't. I am not buying Andy Dalton this year in fantasy, don't believe anyone who tells you that he is a fantasy starter, there are much better options you can have if you plan out your draft accordingly.
That said, Joe Mixon is a future superstar in this league if he is given the opportunity and John Ross is a burner who will help stretch defenses and will take some pressure off of AJ Green. I think Mixon has more value in dynasty formats than redraft, only because the Bengals still have serviceable backs in Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard. Mixon’s current redraft ADP of RB18 at 46th overall is far too rich for my tastes, but it is worth keeping an eye on how this situation plays out in this backfield – he very well could be worth the price by draft season, but the value just isn't there yet. The problem is not talent, it's opportunity. With a poor offensive line and two other veteran running backs on the roster, I can see Mixon having a productive, but inconsistent rookie season. I will say, Mixon is a likely candidate to catch fire during the second half of the season, so instead of drafting him, it might be better to let another team take him early while you swoop in with a trade offer early to mid-season at a discount.
The addition of John Ross will likely help AJ Green more-so than Ross providing value himself in fantasy. Right now, Ross has an ADP of WR51 at 135 overall. This is a fairly late pick, so it's fine if you wanted to take him there, but I think there are better choices that can be had that are going later, such as Kenny Britt, Breshad Perriman, Kevin White, Quincy Enunwa, Tyler Lockett, Tyrell Williams... okay well you get the point. Perhaps I would feel differently about Ross if he wasn't suppose to be out until August due to a shoulder injury. Missing all of camp is never a good thing for a rookie wide receiver. You can't discount his talent, but I'd rather take the risk next year or keep an eye on him on the waiver wire in 12 team or less leagues.
The bottom line: Their offensive line got significantly worse, which is not a good thing for Andy Dalton. They do have a lot of talented weapons, but its hard to see any of them but AJ Green being a consistent fantasy producer.
Draftable key additions: Joe Mixon RB
Keep an eye on: John Ross WR
If you enjoyed this article and you play fantasy football, you should definitely hit that follow button and smash that upvote button! Next up, I will be evaluating the key moves on the Cleveland Browns.
If you are new to this series, check out my addition/subtraction fantasy analysis on the teams below and be sure to read my future articles. I will be covering all 32 teams.
Fantasy Football Key Movement: Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy Football Key Movement: Atlanta Falcons
Fantasy Football Key Movement: Baltimore Ravens
Fantasy Football Key Movement: Buffalo Bills
Fantasy Football Key Movement: Carolina Panthers
Fantasy Football Key Movement: Chicago Bears