Welcome to the Weekly Bengals Fantasy Football Aftermath Report! Whether the good guys in the Jungle pulled out the W or not – we take a closer look at which Bengals performed and which ones flopped in your fantasy lineups.

QB Andy Dalton

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: Dalton tossed four interceptions with no scores over the first two games, but has thrown six touchdowns and zero picks since. Part of this success has been fueled by keeping things conservative, as Dalton completed 16-of-18 passes thrown to running backs and tight ends this past Sunday. Dalton’s 191 passing yards to these two positions are a new career high, while his 16 such completions are tied for his second-best career effort. A matchup with the Bills in Week 5 isn’t exactly appetizing, as Buffalo has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks and just neutralized Matt Ryan in Atlanta. As such, Dalton is a risky starting option in standard leagues.
Projected: 15 Points
Actual: 13.4 Points
Our Grade: B-
Notes: Dalton had another solid week which included a 77 yard bomb to AJ Green. Dalton still did Dalton things with some questionable throws but surprising enough, his two interceptions weren’t even his fault. The Bengals new OC has made Dalton and this offense relevant again.

RB Joe Mixon

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: The workload was there for Mixon to shine against Cleveland, as his backfield mates split nine attempts while he got the call 17 times. Mixon simply couldn’t convert the work into positive production. In fact, the Bengals have struggled to create yards before contact up front all season. It’s promising for Mixon’s fantasy floor to see him also earn a nice share of the passing work on a team allocating more attention to the backfield in the passing phase. The Bills have allowed just 80 rushing yards per game to opposing backfields, so it’s again likely Mixon will need receiving work to realize his promise as a flex option.
Projected: 12.1 Points
Actual: 11.1 Points
Our Grade: B
Notes: Since Lazor took over as OC, Mixon has been getting the bulk of the carries. This finally paid off for Joe Mixon fantasy owners as he finally got a touchdown, not only a touchdown, but our first rushing touchdown and only 5 weeks into the season! Some say that’s crap, but i call it progress. Slow and painful progress but progress nonetheless.

RB Giovani Bernard

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: A career-long 61-yard touchdown catch against a sleeping Cleveland defense inflated Bernard’s fantasy results in Week 4. If we look past this outlier play, however, it’s troubling to consider that he’s been getting fewer routes and targets with Joe Mixon’s ascent as Cincinnati’s feature back. Reliant on big plays for relevance, Bernard is a risky option against a solid Buffalo defense.
Projected: 7.2 Points
Actual: 4.2 Points
Our Grade: C
Notes: Bernards stock is falling fast. He’s still the most prominent back in our passing game, but he’s a Boom or bust back with Joe Mixon getting the majority of the carries for the rest of the season barring any injury.

WR AJ Green

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: Over the past two games, Green has come back from a slow start by earning a whopping 36.4 percent of the Bengals’ targets. The Bills have allowed the eighth-lowest catch rate to wideouts, but the sheer volume of Green’s workload serves to drive strong expectations for this elite fantasy commodity.
Projected: 14.4 Points
Actual: 26.4 Points
Our Grade: A-
Notes: AJ Green exploded this week, showing why he’s a top 5 receiver in the league. Hauling in 7 catches for 189 yards and a TD. If it weren’t for the 3 turnovers he caused.. (which he handled with the utmost class. Seriously go watch his post game interview. The guy is more humble than the most humble piece of pie that has ever been served.) ..this would have been a perfect game for AJ. And a BOOM! for a Fantasy performance.

TE Tyler Eifert (OUT)

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: Another signficant back injury has surfaced for Eifert, again derailing his ability to work the red zone as Andy Dalton’s primary scoring target. With a multi-week absence likely given the lack of practice participation, we’d be wary of trusting this touchdown-dependent producer if he does happen to suit up against a Bills team allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season.
Projected: 0 Points
Actual: 0 Points ?
Our Grade: F
Notes: We miss you, Eifert. Get your shit together please.

DST Bengals Defense

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: There is some sneaky streaming appeal for this group, as the Bills have seen opposing D/STs average nearly nine fantasy points per game this season. Mewanwhile, the Bengals have kept all opponents without Aaron Rodgers in the huddle to 20-or-fewer total points.
Projected: 9.7 Points
Actual: 14 Points
Our Grade: B+
Notes: The Bengals have the kind of defense this year that will keep us in every game. Racking up another 6 sacks this week – the Bengals defense comes in at first or second in 5 defensive categories. There’s a lot to love about how this defense has played so far this season, with solid 10+ fantasy performances almost every week.

K Randy Bullock

ESPN Pregame Fantasy Outlook: The made field goal against the Browns was a 41-yard attempt, and Bullock is now five-for-six on the season. The 27-year-old’s field-goal opportunities have diminished a bit as the Bengals figured out how to score touchdowns, but he is still a solid streaming option, depending on the matchup.
Projected: 7.4 Points
Actual: 8 Points
Our Grade: A
Notes: Bullock was a perfect 2/2 on field goal and XP tries. While I don’t see Bullock blowing up for a 15+ point game now that the Bengals can score touchdowns – he has been solid for us all year, missing only 1 attempt against Green Bay.