RADIO
Boy, it’s hard to shake a bad reputation, right? If not convinced, look no further than the Cincinnati Bengals for evidence. Though Andy Dalton and his team of highly skilled players have managed to make the playoffs each of his four years in the league, they've never managed a victory once there. Even when the Bengals were a solid 8-0 this year, both NFL fans and fantasy football enthusiasts doubted.
While the proverbial jury is still out on the validity of the Bengals’ regular season record, one thing is for certain—the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals is likely to be a disaster. More specifically, things will be difficult for both Dalton and his favorite receiving target—A.J. Green.
This has nothing to do with the fact that the Bengals suffered an embarrassing, low-scoring loss against the Houston Texans last week--it’s a matter of recent fantasy trends. Dalton has scored 11 fantasy points or less in two of his last three starts and failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this year against the Texans last Monday. He was also unable to crack 200 passing yards in that game.
His top target in Green will be covered by arguably the league’s best cornerback, Patrick Peterson. It’s hard to sit an elite talent, but such a move might not be the worst call this weekend with Green. Think about it—if you’d benched Green five times over the past six weeks in standard leagues, you would’ve made a smart decision.
Green has produced single-digit points in five of the Bengal’s last six games. CBS Sports’ Senior Fantasy Writer Jamey Eisenberg recently noted, “He’s [Green] combined for nine fantasy points in his past two games against Cleveland and Houston, and only twice this season has he been over 100 receiving yards. He also has just three games with double digits in fantasy points and four touchdowns.”
While the Bengals’ reputation has negatively followed them through obvious on-field success, Green’s has done the same thing. The only difference? He’s severely underperforming. Regardless, both Dalton and Green are really up against it this week. Needless to say, if in need of stellar quarterback and wideout play, look elsewhere.
