Week Two Recap
Last week we made the obvious calls to start Smith Sr., Latavius Murray & Amari Cooper, who all fared well. On the flip side, Forsett was a bust for us, as his touches were limited while the Ravens relied on the passing game to play catch up.
But how about that Crockett Gillmore sleeper pick?! Crockett has been praised after last week’s game by many fantasy experts, with expectations to see more of the same as the season goes on. And clearly, the masses see what all of us in Baltimore see- check out this weeks NFL.com Player Trends:
Enough looking in the rear-view mirror, and on to Week 3!
Match Up: Cincinnatti Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Setting the Scene
The Bengals (2-0) look to take a 4th straight game from a Ravens team (0-2) that returns to Baltimore with their tails between their legs after a horrendous start to the season.
Start ‘EmÂ
A.J. Green: Green missed practice yesterday for an alleged knee injury, but it’s likely nothing more than some R&R. Expect to see Green on Sunday, who has averaged 4.5 receptions & 86 yards per game against Baltimore in the past 2 seasons, while scoring in 3 of those 4 games.
Bengals Backs: The Ravens held Latavius Murray to 65 yards last week, but he only carried the rock 15 times. The Bengals come in averaging 33.5 rush attempts per game for an average of 151 yards- both top 5 in the NFL. Last week Jeremy Hill was benched for fumblitis, but he’s expected to start this game, with Gio Bernard getting his fair share of touches as well.
Steve Smith Sr: Smitty showed us last week that he will get his catches and yards in bulk this year, especially with Flacco not having many other options. He’s once again a must start.
Sit ‘Em:
Tyler Eifert: It’s east to want to start Eifert after his big week in Oakland to start the season, but expectations should be tempered. Last week Eifert’s production dropped from 9-104-2, down to 4-49-1. Yes he scored again, but the Ravens D has held TE’s to a combined 7-30-0 through 2 weeks.
Justin Forsett: The Bengals have a rather stingy D, especially in the run game. Cincy is holding teams to an average 97 yards on the ground, while not allowing a rushing TD in the first 2 weeks. Couple that with Forsett’s slow start and it’s a bust kinda week.
Baltimore Defense: After making Derek Carr look like Brett Favre last week, I’d say maybe avoid Baltimore’s D until further notice. There should be some decent waiver wire pick ups based on matchups for a spot fill this week.
Sleepers:
Crockett Gillmore: I’m not 100% comfortable to put CG on my Start ‘Em list just yet. Clearly Gillmore is becoming Flacco’s 2nd favorite target behind Smith Sr., but TE’s haven’t fared well against Cincy this year. The interesting note here is that the last time the Ravens had 2 healthy TE’s against Cincy was opening week last season when Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels had a combined 14 receptions for 117 yards. Couple that with the Ravens (likely) playing catch up most of the game and Gillmore has the potential to come up big once again.
Marvin Jones: Easy call. Just pick whoever is matched up against Webb and they become instant sleeper picks. Webb covered Crabtree last week, giving up a putrid 9-111-1. Marvin Jones gets Webb this week, and could very well have a big game.
Happy Tinkering!
For more fantasy advice about this matchup or any others around the league, feel free to contact your local fantasy consultant on the Twitterverse @abonaccorsi.
