Cincinnati Bengals: We Are Halfway There

Think back. It was not that long ago. It began in 2004. It ended in a very ugly fashion in 2005. What is "it?" You are likely asking yourself. "It" is the Cincinnati Bengals' stay as the "King of the Hill."

It was 2004. The team had begun 4-0. They had held their opponents to a combined total of 38 points; they themselves recorded 104 points.

The 2004-2005 season posted great numbers and performance with the Bengals. All was good with the world. Carson Palmer threw for 32 touchdowns, only 12 picks, and had an astounding QB rating of 101.1.

The artist formerly known as Chad Johnson put up numbers that granted him the right to speak his mind. Rudi developed a name for himself and a team that could play in the trenches. They were not just the dark horses for that year but were supposed to be the highest-powered offense in the NFL for years to come. They were the sexy pick.

Then it all began to fall. Come on Steeler fans, think back, would you have lost that game? You know what I am talking about, yeah you know...

13 arrests, a few suspensions, a new policy written just because of them, and one name change later and we have "The New Look " Cincinnati Bengals.

At 0-8, there may be no hopes of turning this shipwreck around.

The upcoming schedule may be the worst in the league: Jags, Eagles, Steelers, Ravens, Colts, Washington, Cleveland, and the game for the ages, the one the only:

Bengals vs. Chiefs

But back to being serious, the Bengals seem to have no shot at beating any of the teams previously mentioned, except for the Chiefs, but even that is doubtful.

Last year, it was the Dolphins. They ALMOST went winless, they ALMOST accomplished this miracle, but the Bengals, they ARE the real deal.

Think about it—behind center is Ryan Fitzpatrick—behing him is Cedric Benson, thus completing the worst QB-RB combo in league history.

Believe me, Cedric Benson was cut with reason by the Bears. The last thing the Bengals needed is another player with a knack for getting arrested. As for Fitzy, he is a terrible QB and cannot lead a club to victory without a stellar performance by Benson or that defense. Which would be nice to see once this season. The Bengals' offense is 32nd in PPG, and yards per contest. (31st in passing yards per game, and 30th in rushing yards per game, in case you were wondering.)

As a defense, stopping the pass is not too bad, but an inability to stop the run kills a team. Ranked 28th in the league at it, the Bengals will have lots of trouble shutting anyone down in winter stages of the season, meaning the Chiefs could knock them off.

As a franchise, they seem to be going nowhere. The term "anchoring" has been tossed around in Fantasy Football a lot recently. (Most notably, by Bleacher Report's own Buddy Smith.) If you own any players of the Bengals, you are doing just that.

Any reports of Carson Palmer being out for the season are not a good sign, and when healthy, how will he play? Chad Johnson? Owned in 96 percent of CBS Sportsline leagues, and STARTED in 63 percent of them. Any Bengal running backs have been useless as well.

From a fantasy standpoint, use the waiver wire if need be. Guys like Donnie Avery, Matt Ryan, or Tim Hightower? (These guys are starting to get some real attention, so move fast if they are even still available.)

Anchoring a name is a bigger risk than picking up no names like Kevin Walter or Mike Furrey? He is a low-risk/medium-reward guy. Use this method.

Thanks for the read! Hope you use this to help you,and hope (or do not) that the Bengals win A game.

--Nick