Fantasy Football 2010: Cincinnati Bengals' Terrell Owens Will Produce

It was a strange season for Terrell Owens in 2009.

He played in the media tundra that is Buffalo. Owens kept his mouth shut and said nothing but good things about an awful Buffalo Bills team. Not one comment that raised an eyebrow, a first for Owens.

It had to be a frustrating year for T.O.. He wasn't getting any attention, and his QB stunk worse than a skunk in a swamp.

After the mediocre-at-best Trent Edwards went down early in the season, the Bills were forced to use the Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Bengal fans are all too familiar with the ineptitude of "Crazy Legs" Fitzpatrick, the king of the panic scramble that results in an one-yard gain.

Sure, Owens only accumulated 829 yards on 55 receptions with a mere five TDs. But he is a deep threat and Fitzpatrick couldn't hit a billboard from 20 yards away. So his numbers are a bit skewed. It was his worst non-injured season since '99. The year before, he collected 1052 yards and 10 TDs for the Cowboys.

Since then, not much has changed about Owens. He still is a workout fiend, has a TV show (somehow), and has been rejuvenated by playing with good friend and fellow reality star, Chad Ochocinco.

Carson Palmer has been quoted as saying the two receivers really feed off each other.

Outsiders suspect that the two divas will get jealous when one does better than the other. Palmer says the self-proclaimed "Batman and Robin" are each other's biggest fans. Ego has been thrown out the door as both players know their window for winning a Super Bowl is closing by the minute. 

The 36-year-old Owens seems to be at a point in his life of finally "getting it." He hasn't caused a single distraction in Bengals camp and has shown flashes of his old self, including a 43-yard bomb against the first-team Eagles defense in the third preseason game.

Owens will be the first to admit that he has indeed lost a step. He is no longer a top 10 fantasy receiver. Not breaking news. Currently, Owens is going 82nd overall in the average ESPN fantasy draft.

That's great value for the No. 2 receiver on a team with the potential to play deep into January. Owens seems to have turned a corner as far as his maturity is concerned. Even if that's not the case, he has historically been a model citizen for teams in his first season. Call it the honeymoon year.

Palmer is a battle-tested QB who is more than capable of throwing the deep ball. This summer, Palmer had been working out and throwing to Owens in California. He was a major reason the team signed Owens. Besides, Palmer is more than able to handle diva receivers.

The loss of the late Chris Henry killed the Bengals vertical passing game last season. Before Henry broke his arm, Palmer and the offense was rolling and their record (6-2) showed it. The team limped to a 4-4 finish because their passing game lacked a deep threat. Owens will be taking Henry's spot and expect a re-energized passing game to go along with one of the top rushing attacks in the league.

Another huge reason for T.O. to be a good fantasy pickup is his contract. It's an one-year deal that is extremely incentive-based. Now this may not be good for the team as Owens approaches certain numbers in the latter stages of the season, but it's great news for fantasy owners.

Expect Owens to haul in somewhere between 65-75 catches for about 1,000 yards and eight TDs. Not bad at all for a flex option.

Do yourself a favor and take a flyer on the new T.O.