Fantasy Football Preview: Cincinnati Bengals 2010

As we make our way through all 32 teams in the NFL, FFSpin .com has come to the unpredictable Cincinnati Bengals.  Fantasy Football Spin takes the NFL news and gives you the fantasy football spin, telling you what it all means in fantasy terms.  Let's take a look at the Bengals fantasy football prospects for 2010. 

In 2009, the Bengals had a rebound season that resulted in a return trip to the playoffs, where they promptly lost in the first round at home to the upstart New York Jets.  The offense had its moments, but was pedestrian for the most part, finishing the 2009 season ranked 24th in the NFL in yards, averaging only 309 total yards per game.

The offense only mustered 19 points per game, showing rare glimpses of the explosive offense they possessed for years, but has seemed to elude them ever since Carson Palmer’s elbow injury. 

The front office hopes new weapons acquired in the offseason will bolster the offense.

New to the offense are talented, but troubled—words that have been used way too often for players on this team—wide receiver Antonio Bryant, and first round pick tight end Jermaine Gresham.

Bengals fans have expressed their displeasure with our consistent criticism of the team’s failure to clean up their act, and their insistence on building a team with embarrassingly bad citizens. But the fact remains that the Bengals fans deserve better, and this team drafts and acquires problem players at an unprecedented pace.

We welcome your angry posts as FFSpin.com and thank you for reading our stuff—even if you call us names.

As questions concerning Carson Palmer’s arm strength persisted, the Bengals became a more run oriented attacking 2009.

They focused the game plan around reclamation project Cedric Benson.  After three failed seasons in Chicago, the 4th overall pick from the 2005 draft enjoyed a breakout season in his 2nd year wearing the tiger stripes. Benson finished with 1,250 yards and six TDs, finally realizing his tremendous potential, and all this despite missing two games with a hip injury.  He’s no choir boy though, evidenced by multiple arrests include a recent assault leading to charges pending surrounding a bar brawl.

A suspension is warranted based on the Bengal back being a frequent offender.

Reports, however, indicated that he will escape suspension and be the second NFL player in as many months to punch a bar employee in the face and get away with it.

Assuming he is on the field in week one, Benson is a borderline fantasy football RB1.

His lack of receptions make him better suited as a high end RB2, especially in PPR leagues.

After missing most of 2008 with an elbow injury, Carson Palmer survived all 16 games under center in 2009.

His downfield throwing ability was questionable though, and probably contributed to Palmer topping 300 yards in only one game.

The Bengals passing game finished a disappointing 26th in the NFL, gaining a paltry 181 yards on average through the air.  The lack of a true No. 2 WR was surely a contributing factor but Palmer only attempted down field passes 15 percent of the times he threw, diminishing his fantasy value in 2009.

The Laverneous Coles signing was a bust as he proved to lack explosiveness (averaged less than 35 yds/game) and failed to distract double teams away from Chad Ochocinco.

The Bengals are hoping that the addition of Antonio Bryant will provide a boost to the passing game. Bryant followed up a breakout 2008 in Tampa Bay (1,200 yards, 7 TDs) with an injury-plagued 2009 campaign that ended in his production being cut in half (600 yards, 4 TDs). The 29 year old receiver had meniscus surgery before the 2009 seasons, and had complications that could be an ongoing concern in 2010.

He also comes with character concerns, but that seems to be par for the course this organization.

After averaging over 1,000 yards per season from 2002-2007, Ochocinco’s 2008 (500 yards, 4 TDs) had many questioning whether No. 85 was on the downside of his career, and should focus his attention on Dancing With the Stars. In 2009, Chad hit the fountain of youth at age 31 and had a productive season finishing with 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns.  Despite battling constant double teams, he reached his sixth Pro Bowl selection in nine seasons. Chad Ochocinco should be a high end WR2, especially if the added weapons (Antonio Bryant and rookie TE Jermaine Gresham) are able to attract defensive attention.

Ochocinco is one of the most misunderstood players in the league, and regardless of his reputation for flamboyance and attention mongering, he is not only one of the most entertaining personalities in the league—he is a good guy.

FANTASY FOOTBALL SPIN:

Overvalued: RB Cedric Benson

Benson has the added motivation of playing in a contract year.

That didn’t stop him from acting like a criminal, however, and you have to wonder whether or not the Bengals will be willing to invest big money on a back with a spotted past coming off at least one season with a massive work load.

We expect the Bengals offense to be more well round in 2010.

The passing target additions of Bryant, Gresham, and probably slot WR Jordan Shipley should spell a less Benson-centric scheme.  His current ADP has him being selected as borderline RB 1 (30 overall/ RB14) but he lacks the receiving skills of other top running backs in the same tier, including Jamaal Charles, Lesean McCoy, and Pierre Thomas.

Thomas and McCoy in particular may be bought at a cheaper price.

Benson’s 2009 stat line (1,200 yards, 6 TDs) is likely his production ceiling and you never want to pay for a career year.

The Bengals face the 19th most favorable schedule for running backs and have four division games against two defenses that finished in the top 5 against the run in 2009 in Steeler and Raven units that are stout against the run. Consider Benson a RB2 in 2010, and let someone else spend too much on him if they want him as their top back.

Undervalued : QB Carson Palmer

We are cautiously optimistic that a full year removed from the elbow the injury that cost him 12 games in 2008, Palmer is in line for a bounce back season.

He is unlikely to ever approach the 4,000 yard seasons that he enjoyed in 2006 and 2007, but the offseason additions to the passing game should provide the 30 year old Palmer with enough options to improve on a disappointing 2009.

He will not again average less than 200 yds/game in the near future.  The risk is minimal considering his current ADP (109, QB15), and he has the potential to out produce QBs that are going ahead of him in most fantasy drafts, including Matt Ryan and Donovan McNabb.

Take him as your QB2, and a wise play may be to look at another lower end No. 1 or high end No. 2. Play a QB platoon situation where you start the hot hand or the QB pacing the more advantageous opponent.

Sleeper : Jermaine Gresham

The rookie is already being called a starter.

Carson Palmer has longed for a reliable target in the middle, the red-zone, and as a release valve. Past attempts at acquiring a pass catching TE, including a high pick in 2008, have backfired. The TE position has been a sore spot in need of a long term answer, and Gresham looks the be the best of a weak TE class from 2010.

He will need to be coached up on blocking technique in order to be an every down option, but with his frame and athleticism, he has potential to make an instant impact.  As a No. 2 TE, he may surprise.

Follow us on Twitter @FFSpin and participate in Facebook debates at our Fan Page.