Dolphins vs. Bengals Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy FanDuel, DraftKings
Thursday night's clash between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals features one of two undefeated teams in the NFL and one that earned its first win four days ago.
Despite being 1-2, the Bengals are the favorite to win the Week 4 opener and may have the better combination of players for daily fantasy football players to work with.
Miami is 3-0, but the Dolphins have allowed the second-most total yards in the league behind the Baltimore Ravens.
The AFC East leader has given up over 470 total yards to the Ravens and Buffalo Bills in the last two weeks.
The Dolphins also have a banged-up quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and a wide receiver with a target on his back after Tyreek Hill called out Eli Apple on Sunday.
Cincinnati holds the advantages of playing at home, coming off a win and not allowing over 350 total yards in a single game in 2022.
Thursday night could be the perfect time for Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the rest of the Bengals offense to showcase why they are the AFC champion.
Start with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase Stack
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The only healthy quarterback in the Thursday night matchup is Joe Burrow.
Tua Tagovailoa was listed on the Miami injury report with issues to his back and ankle. He could feel the effects of those injuries on short rest.
Burrow is coming off a 275-yard, three-touchdown performance against the New York Jets that got the Bengals' season back on track.
The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner struggled in the opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he threw four interceptions. He has not turned the ball over since Week 1.
Miami's high concession of yards over the first three weeks could allow Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase to connect for a large yardage total.
The wide receiver is due to break loose on an opposing secondary after producing 54 and 29 receiving yards in the last two weeks.
Five of the 22-year-old's six 100-yard performances in the NFL have come on home soil. He had 10 catches on 16 targets for 129 yards and a score in the home opener against the Steelers.
A Burrow-Chase stack may be chalky on the DFS front, but it could be your best lineup foundation before finding value plays around them.
Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins should receive some roster thoughts as well. The former had 105 yards and a score while the latter produced 93 yards in the win over the Jets.
Burrow will target all three of his top wideouts and that could lead to an abundance of yards and points against a Miami defense that has the second-highest total yard concession.
Take Jaylen Waddle over Tyreek Hill
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The Miami move that you may want to make involves Tyreek Hill because of his trash-talking rant about going after Eli Apple.
Tagovailoa added fuel to the fire when he said he would give Hill the ball in one-on-one matchups, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
The targeting of Apple could work, but it may serve as a detriment to the Dolphins offense if it tries to force the ball to Hill, or if the Bengals keep a second defender within close range and take advantage of the quarterback's aggressiveness toward the Cincinnati receiver.
Apple has allowed 11 completions on 17 targets over three weeks, per Pro Football Reference, so the Bengals may be willing to give him more help to deal with Hill.
Miami's aggression toward the 27-year-old and the potential mistakes that come with it could set up an adjustment in which Jaylen Waddle sees more of the ball.
After all, the 23-year-old turned in the best receiving yard performance of his young career on the road in Week 2 in the come-from-behind win over the Ravens.
Waddle comes into Cincinnati on back-to-back 100-yard games and could benefit from the attention being focused on the Hill-Apple showdown.
Hill seems like an easy DFS roster choice because of his big-play potential and his situation, but Waddle may end up as the wiser option with less defensive attention placed on him.
Look to Tight Ends For Value
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Hayden Hurst and Mike Gesicki should be near the top of your second-tier options for DFS rosters on FanDuel and DraftKings.
The Bengals and Dolphins have two of the three worst yardage concessions to tight ends over three weeks.
Miami gave up 24 receptions, 247 yards and a touchdown to opposing TEs, while Cincinnati has allowed 18 receptions for 222 yards.
The Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons are the only two other teams that have allowed over 200 yards to the position this season.
Hurst and Gesicki will not have high target volumes because of the wide receivers in their respective offenses, but they could bring a touchdown or two that makes a difference in DFS contests.
Hurst should fly under the radar more than Gesicki going into Thursday night because he caught one ball for seven yards in Week 3. He had five receptions in each of the first two games.
Gesicki has brought in all six of his targets this season and found the end zone in Week 2. He could be utilized across the middle if more attention is paid to Hill.
It may make sense to pair Gesicki with Tagovailoa, Waddle and/or Hill in a Miami lineup stack, and to do the same with Hurst and Burrow, Chase and Higgins or Boyd.
Either tight end may also be used as a final member of a DFS lineup so that more salary can be used on the top pass-catchers and Joe Mixon.
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