Fantasy Football R&D: Baltimore at Cincinnati, Fantasy Boxscore Breakdown

BAL

 Joe Flacco QB – (17 for 39, 154 yards, TD, 4 Int’s)

Not a good day for Flacco who struggled to throw the ball with any accuracy whatsoever.  I have tons of film hours in on Flacco and he needs to stick to what he does best and that’s 30 yards and in.  With Rice and Boldin in his arsenal, he just needs to dump them the ball and let them do the rest.  Expect things to get better next week against Cleveland.

 Ray Rice RB – (20 touches, 117 yards)

“Chinatown” looked solid racking up over 110 total yards but was held out of the endzone for the 2^nd straight week.  Rice’s value lies in his receiving skills and big play ability.  His TD’s must come on longer runs because he gives way to McGahee inside the 5 yard line.  Stay with the petite stud and expect him to put up some monster lines in the near future.

 Anquan Boldin – (5 catches, 35 yards)

Boldin will be inconsistent this year because he will live and die by the short passes.  Today he was fortunate to catch five balls but couldn’t break loose for any significant gains.  Expect “Brickhouse” to score against Cleveland.

 Todd Heap TE – (4 catches, 35 yards)

Todd Heap is 6’5 with a pair of the softest hands in the league.  All this guy needs is a chance at the ball to make a catch.  With 10 catches after 2 games, Heap is clearly part of the every week game plan.  He is a decent TE1 flying under the radar.

 Derrick Mason WR – (1 catch 31 yards, TD)

With 3 receptions in 2 weeks, Derrick is close to free agent material.  The only reason to keep him is if you have Anquan Boldin and you need some insurance.  With 2 TD’s in 2 weeks, Mason might be in demand from some desperate league owner so try to package him before he is worthless.

 CIN

 Carson Palmer QB – (16 for 35, 167 yards)

Baltimore’s defense is elite but this is a poor showing by Palmer.  Games like this really point to his slowly diminishing skill set.  Cedric Benson’s inability to move the chains is frustrating and only puts more pressure on Palmer who converted 3 of 18 third downs tonight.  On a higher note, he is a solid QB1 start next week versus Cleveland.

 Cedric Benson RB – (23 carries, 78 yards)

Cedric is a tough runner that needs at least 20 touches to have any chance at 100 yards.  He averaged 3.4 yards a carry tonight and his longest run of the season is 13 yards.  He will have much better games against low tier teams that Cincy will be protecting leads against.  Cleveland is a great example next week.

 Terrell Owens WR – (3 catches, 57 yards)

TO didn’t look bad today and is a solid WR3 going forward.  He can sneak in a TD any week and is always a deep threat.  He has a chance for 1,000 yards but is aging and is clearly not the explosive player he once was. 

 Chad Ochocinco WR – (4 catches, 44 yards)

Chad is still the #1 target in this offense and should be counted on at a top tier WR3 and a low tier WR2.  When Palmer needs a bailout, expect “85” to be the man to carry the passing game.   

 Jermaine Gresham TE – (3 catches, 15 yards)

Don’t worry here.  Gresham stays a solid TE2 and a must start next week against Cleveland.

 Jordan Shipley WR – (5 catches, 42 yards)

Shipley is becoming a regular target of Carson’s and it should be noted going forward that he is great insurance for TO and Ochocinco owners.  Jordan has great speed and reminds me of a poor man’s Wes Welker.