Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals at Jets: 5 best fantasy options

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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As the Bengals travel to New York in hopes of defending their AFC North 2015 title, the Jets will be ready however as they seek to make the playoffs after going 10-6 but failing to do so a year ago.

While this won’t be a shootout as both teams feature defenses that are elite up front, the Bengals and the Jets do have multiple playmakers on the offensive side of the ball that will make this game appealing for fantasy owners. Both of these offenses will be improved from a year ago.

The Jets bring back quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at least for another year, and the addition of running back Matt Forte point to the offense being more explosive than it already was a year ago. They will, however, have to compensate for the loss of running back Chris Ivory. The team’s leading rusher from a year ago played a vital part in the offense, not only taking pressure off of Fitzpatrick but also putting the team on his back in multiple games.

As for the Bengals, we all know how dynamic this offense was a year ago with quarterback Andy Dalton taking the reigns. When he went down in Week 14 against Pittsburgh, many thought the team would be done. But the offense proved to me resourceful without him, winning two of the final three games of the regular season, and nearly beating the eventual Super Bowl Champs at Mile High in overtime.

Every one of us is well aware of their postseason collapse versus the Steelers, but that certainly wasn’t quarterback AJ McCarron’s fault.

But without further ado, here are the top five fantasy options for Bengals at Jets.

Sep 1, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

5. Andy Dalton

By far the most improved quarterback in 2015, and perhaps the most improved player, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (28) will enter his sixth year in the league Sunday. Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers referred to Dalton as a “game manager” via NJ.com. But last season, Dalton established himself as more than just a game manager.

This game is a regular season game, so we can expect to see the regular season Dalton, who has been really good as of late. Expect to see the 2015 version of him, the one who threw for 25 touchdowns and 3,250 yards in only 13 games. Before he broke his thumb in Week 14, Dalton put up 20 or more fantasy points in nine of 12 starts a season ago, per CBS Sports.

While he will be without his tight end who led the team in touchdowns last year in Tyler Eifert, Dalton will still spread the ball around enough to compensate for the loss of Eifert. He’s no tier one quarterback but Dalton impressed last season. He has gotten better with experience, and against a questionable Jets secondary, he’ll be able to put up decent numbers.

His top receiver, A.J. Green, will be up against one of the best in the league in Revis Island, but don’t fool yourself. Green will still get his yards and perhaps a touchdown, and Dalton will find enough weapons to thrive on Sunday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – AUGUST 27: Eric Decker

4. Eric Decker

Last year, Jets receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall led the league with 26 touchdowns combined. Most of any duo in the NFL. This season, expect his game to elevate in year two with Fitzpatrick at the helm of the offense. He was the 10th-best receiver in fantasy last year, per CBS Sports. Coming to the Jets in 2014, his production fell quite a bit compared to the numbers he put up in Denver. But he’s shown us what he can do with a quarterback not named Geno Smith.

Against the Bengals Sunday, expect Decker to be covered by Dre Kirkpatrick, who made 15 starts last season. The Bengals played a lot of zone coverage, especially early on last season. If they do so, expect Decker to shred it up. With the Bengals losing an All-Pro free safety in Reggie Nelson, expect the Jets to look deep early in the game and bait now free safety George Iloka.

Decker is a popular fantasy No. 2 wideout, and has great route running ability. He wins more often than not at the top of his route, gaining separation from his man in coverage. Watch out for a big guy from him Sunday, and look for him to be a good red zone target with Brandon Marshall gaining extra attention inside the 20.

Dec 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA;Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) celebrates following the game versus at the Browns FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals won 30-0. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jeremy Hill

While some may think this is a head-scratcher as the Jets had one of the best run stopping defenses in the league, giving up just four rushing touchdowns all season, they lost a very big part of their defense in Damon Harrison.

Harrison was a gap eating monster, playing a HUGE role versus the run last year. Steve McLendon will replace him as the nose tackle, but he lacks the versatility and dominance brought by Harrison. Hill is the Bengals downhill back. He’s their north-south runner and will get a bigger load in 2016. Giovani Bernard will also see carries in this game but at the goal line on 4th and 1, we know who will be in the game.

With that in mind, expect Hill to get carries inside the 20’s and in short yardage situations. Many fantasy experts have hill as a sit candidate this week, but not me. The Bengals will attack the Jets inside, and see just how much they will miss Harrison. McLendon is no slouch and there’s a reason why he signed a three year, $12 million dollar contract this offseason. However, the Jets do run a 3-4, and are vulnerable in the middle of their defense. Look for the Bengals to test this early on Sunday.

Aug 27, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws the ball in the 1st half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

2. Ryan Fitzpatrick

In his 11 year career, Fitzpatrick has never been a reliable starting quarterback, nor a starting fantasy quarterback for owners. That changed in 2015. He threw 31 touchdowns and led the Jets to a 10-6 records. While there was some left to be desired from Fitzpatrick (completed just 59% of his passes, and 6.95 yards per attempt), he still managed to bring energy and poise to a Jets team that hadn’t had a winning record since 2010.

Now in year two, despite the offseason contract dilemma, Fitzpatrick is primed for another stellar season. In Week 1 against the Bengals, the 33-year-old who was 10th in the NFL in touchdowns a year ago will attempt to lead the Jets back to the playoffs. The Bengals gave up 266.5 yards passing per game last year and as mentioned earlier they lost Reggie Nelson in free agency. Fitzpatrick has all the weapons to make this thing click again in year two.

The Bengals did only surrender 18 passing touchdowns a year ago which was tied for second in all of football. So we should see an interesting test for Fitzpatrick on Sunday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 27: Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall

1. Brandon Marshall

At number one, we have the receiver opposite of Eric Decker. Marshall rejuvenated his career last season in his first year with Gang Green. Marshall set a personal record in 2015 for touchdowns, recording 14 of them as well as 109 receptions for 1,502 yards on 174 targets. He’s been on the other side of 1,000 yards receiving in eight of his nine seasons and is a top 10 player at his position.

Facing the Bengals on Sunday, they’ll do everything the can to slow down Marshall. They’ll likely throw out Adam Jones onto Marshall, but Jones is just 5-foot-10. At 6-foot-4, Marshall towers over Jones. They both had solid years last year, but Marshall will get the best of Jones on Sunday. The Bengals main priority on Sunday will be to stop the pass first.

Offensively, from a rushing standpoint, the Jets won’t faze Cincinnati’s front four without Chris Ivory, who left in free agency. Matt Forte was brought in, but the aging back is no longer the dynamic Swiss army knife he was a few years ago. He’ll still be productive out of the backfield as a pass catcher but they can’t rely on him as a runner.

The Jets will throw the ball 35+ times on Sunday. Which is why I have Decker, Fitzpatrick, and Marshall all on this list. The trio will need to get things going early and often versus the Bengals to hang with Andy Dalton and the Bengals.