Fantasy Football Week 10: Complete Thursday Night Preview
For the second time in five days, an AFC North rivalry takes the prime-time stage.
On Sunday night, we saw Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throw six touchdown passes in a 43-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Thursday night in the Queen City, it’s the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. For what it’s worth, quarterbacks Brian Hoyer (10) and Andy Dalton (eight) have combined for 18 touchdown passes all season. Not exactly exciting numbers when it comes to fantasy football.
Still, when it comes to this series, anything goes. In last year’s tilt at Cincinnati, Marvin Lewis’ team rallied for a 41-20 victory in a game that featured a little bit of everything in terms of touchdowns.
In this year’s NFL where defense has taken a holiday for the most part, don’t be surprised to see plenty of points once again.
Starting Quarterbacks
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Cleveland Browns: Brian Hoyer
In his second season with the Browns, Hoyer has made all eight starts, doubling his career total for the previous five years (four) in the league. He’s thrown 10 touchdown passes this season compared to only four interceptions.
But Hoyer has had his struggles as of late. In his last three outings, he has thrown for three scores but committed four turnovers and been sacked seven times.
Fantasy Prediction: 19-of-34, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. 2 carries, minus-1 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton
For any numbers of reasons, we are not seeing the numbers that we have in the past from the fourth-year quarterback this season…so far.
In eight games in 2014, Dalton has thrown for 1,874 yards and just eight scores, to go with six interceptions. Of course, he has also rushed for two touchdowns, both in the Week 8 win over the Baltimore Ravens. And Dalton was on the receiving end of a Mohamed Sanu touchdown toss back in September versus the Titans.
With A.J. Green back in the fold, look for the Bengals signal-caller’s productivity to increase. It is worth noting that he’s thrown two touchdown passes in three of his last five outings.
Fantasy Prediction: 24-of-30, 267 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT. 4 carries, 23 yards, 0 TD.
Running Backs
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Cleveland Browns Starter: Ben Tate
The Browns have one of the true three-pronged rushing attacks in the league, and Tate is the leader, rushing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. But he was stifled last week by the Buccaneers, and Cleveland’s ground game has fizzled the last three games, being limited to less than 100 yards in each of those outings.
Fantasy Prediction: 17 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD. 2 receptions, 11 yards, 0 TD.
Cleveland Browns Backup: Isaiah Crowell
He’s totaled 256 yards on the ground on just 52 carries and has scored four touchdowns. But he’s managed a mere 19 yards on the ground on nine carries the last three weeks and hasn’t reached the end zone.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD. 0 receptions.
Cleveland Browns Backup: Terrance West
The rookie led his team with 48 yards rushing last Sunday against the Tampa Bay and now ranks second on the club with 302 yards on the ground, to go with a pair of touchdowns. As mentioned, the Browns running game has struggled the last three games—not coincidentally ever since star center Alex Mack went down.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 carries, 32 yards, 0 TD. 1 reception, 4 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals Starter: Jeremy Hill
The second-round pick from LSU in May ranks second on the club with 349 yards rushing and is tied for the team lead with five touchdowns. Subbing for starter Giovani Bernard last week versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, he lit up Gus Bradley’s defense for 154 yards and two scores on 24 carries.
Fantasy Prediction: 23 carries, 122 yards, 0 TD. 4 receptions, 31 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals Backup: Cedric Peerman
With Hill taking over for Bernard, Peerman became the top backup. He has 24 yards rushing on only 10 carries this season and totaled nine yards on five attempts last week versus Jacksonville.
Fantasy Prediction: 8 carries, 25 yards, 0 TD. 0 receptions.
Wide Receivers
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Cleveland Browns: Andrew Hawkins
The former Cincinnati Bengals wideout leads the Browns with 39 catches for 504 yards and a score. He’s listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game, so we’ll be conservative with our forecast.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 14 yards, 0 TD.
Cleveland Browns: Miles Austin
Injuries limited his effectiveness during his last few years with the Dallas Cowboys, but the former Pro Bowler has been efficient in his first season in Cleveland, ranking second on the team with 26 receptions. He’s averaging 13.0 yards per grab and has scored a pair of touchdowns. However, he’s gone five straight games without a score.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 77 yards, 0 TD.
Cleveland Browns: Travis Benjamin
His season numbers aren’t overwhelming, but Benjamin still leads the team with three receiving touchdowns in 2014. Benjamin has totaled 11 grabs for 200 yards but is also a factor on punt and kickoff returns.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD.
Cleveland Browns: Taylor Gabriel
The rookie free agent from Abilene Christian scored his first touchdown last week, and it proved to be the difference in the 22-17 win over the Buccaneers. Gabriel ranks second on the team with 21 catches and 404 receiving yards—for an impressive 19.2 yards per catch.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 31 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green
Green is one of the premier players in the league when healthy, but it’s the "when" that has been the issue this season. Last week, he returned after missing the previous three games and responded with three catches for 44 yards and a score versus the Jaguars. The three-time Pro Bowler has totaled 20 receptions for 358 yards and three touchdowns in five games this season. In 52 regular-season outings, Green has caught 280 passes, with 32 for scores.
Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals: Mohamed Sanu
Talk about holding down the fort? With Green missing substantial time and Marvin Jones unavailable all year, the third-round pick from Rutgers University in 2012 leads the club with 39 grabs—good for 628 yards—while catching exactly half of Andy Dalton’s eight touchdown passes this season. To show his gratitude, Sanu threw a scoring pass to Dalton back in Week 3 in a rout of the Tennessee Titans. Not bad for a performer who caught 47 passes, two of those for touchdowns, during all of 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals: Brandon Tate
He’s the main weapon on kickoff returns for the team. In terms of offense, Tate has totaled just 14 catches for 159 yards and one touchdown so far in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 12 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals: Dane Sanzenbacher
Seven receptions for 87 yards this season don’t scream fantasy potential. Sanzenbacher was inactive last week versus Jacksonville, and four of his seven catches came in the overtime tie versus the Carolina Panthers.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 receptions, 6 yards, 0 TD.
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Tight Ends
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Cleveland Browns Starter: Gary Barnidge
A total of seven catches for 70 yards this season isn’t much to get excited about. With standout Jordan Cameron sidelined for the third time in 2014, Barnidge will see more action. But that does not necessarily translate into receptions.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions.
Cleveland Browns Backup: Jim Dray
He’s been targeted just 12 times in eight games this year but has pulled down 10 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. With linebacker Vontaze Burfict out for the Bengals, could Brian Hoyer try to take advantage? It seems unlikely.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 9 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals Starter: Jermaine Gresham
The former Pro Bowler has been targeted 42 times this season and has hauled in 33 receptions (second most on the club) but for a mere 247 yards (7.5 average). Gresham has also yet to score a touchdown this season—somewhat surprising considering the problems the Bengals have had keeping wide receivers healthy. The talented tight end totaled 46 receptions in 2013, with four for scores.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 22 yards, 0 TD.
Cincinnati Bengals Backup: Kevin Brock
The tight end as a pass-catcher just doesn’t appear to be in the plans for offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Even with Tyler Eifert sidelined these days and Gresham not a factor in terms of scoring, Brock has totaled one measly catch for minus-three yards in six games with the Bengals this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions.
Defense/Special Teams
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Cleveland Browns Defense/Special Teams
Led by outside linebacker Paul Kruger (six) and inside linebacker Karlos Dansby (three sacks), Browns defenders have dropped opposing quarterbacks 17 times in eight contests this season.
But talk about deja two? Cleveland and Cincinnati have not only each totaled the same amount of takeaways (13) as well as interceptions (10) but have given up exactly 1,117 yards rushing in 2014, an average of 139.6 yards per game.
Fantasy Prediction: 27 points allowed, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 0 FF.
Cincinnati Bengals Defense/Special Teams
A year ago, only two teams in the NFL allowed more total yards than Marvin Lewis’ club. The Bengals also ranked fifth in the league against both the run and the pass.
These days, Cincinnati defenders are being exploited on the ground. Lewis’ team has allowed at least 130 or more yards rushing in five of their last six outings. That means fewer opportunities to rush the passer; hence, the Bengals have totaled just 13 sacks in eight games.
As for the good news, the team has come up with 13 takeaways, including 10 interceptions.
Fantasy Prediction: 24 points allowed, 4 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF.
Best Sleeper Adds
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A couple of these performers may not be on your team and could be worth adding on Thursday morning. Sometimes, a little last-minute shopping can be beneficial.
1. Taylor Gabriel, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns (Owned in 1.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
He ranks third on the team with 21 receptions , although he’s scored just one touchdown this season. He could see extended action if Andrew Hawkins can’t go or finish.
2. Jim Dray, Tight End, Cleveland Browns (Owned in 0.3 percent of ESPN leagues)
We don’t expect Dray to have a huge night, but with Jordan Cameron sidelined, you may want to grab him if one of your tight ends is off this week (Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, Antonio Gates, Jordan Reed) and take your chances.
3. Cedric Peerman, Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals (Owned in 0.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
With Giovani Bernard out last week, Peerman got his first carries since Week 3 and also caught two passes for 22 yards. He’s a nice insurance policy for rookie Jeremy Hill, especially on a short week.
4. Greg Little, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals (Owned in 0.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
In the NFL’s world of irony, it would be only fitting if Little had a big performance against the franchise that originally brought him into the league. Stranger things have happened.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at the latest injury report regarding the Browns and Bengals, focusing on key performers, courtesy of NFL.com.
Cleveland Browns | ||
Player | Status | |
Jordan Cameron | TE | Out |
Andrew Hawkins | WR | Questionable |
Phil Taylor | DE | Questionable |
Brian Hoyer | QB | Probable |
Taylor Gabriel | WR | Probable |
Desmond Bryant | DE | Probable |
Barkevious Mingo | LB | Probable |
It has been a frustrating year for Cameron, who was a Pro Bowler last season but will miss his third game this Thursday night. Hawkins was limited in practice on Wednesday after not taking the field on Tuesday, so the feeling here is that he is likely a game-time decision.
Cincinnati Bengals | ||
Player | Status | |
Vontaze Burfict | LB | Out |
Leon Hall | CB | Out |
Giovani Bernard | RB | Doubtful |
Andre Smith | T | Doubtful |
Rey Maualuga | LB | Doubtful |
Robert Geathers | DE | Questionable |
Jermaine Gresham | TE | Probable |
Kevin Zeitler | G | Probable |
Terence Newman | CB | Probable |
Darqueze Dennard | CB | Probable |
Bernard and Maualuga missed last week’s game versus the Jaguars and didn't practice this week, as was the case with Smith, who started against Jacksonville but suffered an ankle injury. Geathers, Gresham and Newman were limited this week, while Dennard and Zeitler were a full go on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sit or Start
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We know who the stars are when it comes to this contest. But is there a pivotal player or two who may be on your roster that you can’t decide whether to start or not? Here’s a little help.
QB Brian Hoyer (Browns): He’s thrown for just 10 touchdown scores in eight games this season and served up two or more touchdown passes in only two contests. The Browns will rely on the run once again.
Verdict: Sit
RB Ben Tate (Browns): Tate comes off a miserable afternoon against the Buccaneers, running for three yards on 10 carries. That’s not a typo. But the struggling Cincinnati defense should provide some relief.
Verdict: Start
QB Andy Dalton (Bengals): It has not been a huge numbers year for the former Pro Bowler, but to be fair, not having A.J. Green for much of the season hasn’t helped. In his last two games, Dalton has run for two scores (versus the Ravens) and thrown two touchdown passes (versus the Jaguars).
Verdict: Start
TE Jermaine Gresham (Bengals): He ranks second on the team with 33 catches but has yet to score a touchdown this season. In terms of fantasy, he’s obviously been a disappointment.
Verdict: Sit
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