QB Andy Dalton (Cincinnati)

Andy Dalton will be a better real quarterback than fantasy quarterback this year with the Bengals going to a more run heavy offense. The Bengals had 33 passing touchdowns to 14 rushing touchdowns last season, which won’t happen again, and Dalton might not get over 500 attempts. He’s a QB2 with limited upside.

3500 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 220 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns (246 pts standard)

RB Giovani Bernard (Cincinnati)

Under new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, the Bengals are going to be more run heavy. This is great news for Giovani Bernard. Bernard only had 170 carries as a rookie in 2013, rushing for 695 yards and 5 touchdowns, an average of 4.09 yards per carry, but he also caught 56 passes for 514 yards and another 3 touchdowns. Bernard might not have quite as many catches this season, but there will be more opportunity for him to carry the ball in his 2nd year in the league. He’s the lead back and could have 300+ touches.

Darren McFadden, a running back with a similar style skill set, but less career success, was great under Hue Jackson, rushing for 1771 yards on 336 carries, an average of 5.27 YPA, catching 66 passes for 661 yards and scoring 15 times total in 20 games from 2010-2011 under offensive coordinator and eventual head coach Hue Jackson. Bernard profiled similar to Ray Rice coming out of college and Rice had a similar rookie year, rushing for 454 yards on 107 carries and catching 33 passes for 273 yards. Rice didn’t break out until his 2nd year in the league, when he rushed for 1339 yards and 7 touchdowns on 254 carries and caught 78 passes for 702 yards and another touchdown, after he had a full year in an NFL training system to add weight. Bernard could have a similar year in his 2nd year in the league.

250 carries for 1100 yards, 10 total touchdowns, 50 catches for 450 yards (215 pts standard)

RB Jeremy Hill (Cincinnati)

Bernard will see a bunch of touches, but so will 2nd round rookie Jeremy Hill. They used a high pick on him and reports have been very favorable about him this off-season. Hill is a talented 6-1 235 pounder and will serve as an upgraded complement to Bernard, as compared to BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Hill won’t have the 224 touches that BJGE had last season, but he’ll see enough action to make a fantasy impact.

180 carries for 750 yards, 7 total touchdowns, 18 catches for 150 yards (132 pts standard)

WR AJ Green (Cincinnati)

Green has averaged 2.25 yards per route run in his career. He’s only caught 59.0% of his career targets and had 26 drops, 19 penalties, and 22 interceptions when thrown to throughout his career, so he has some issues that don’t show up on a traditional stat sheet, but he’s still one of the better wide receivers in the game. He could see less production this year though in a more run heavy offense, but he’ll still be Dalton’s preferred target.

90 catches for 1250 yards and 10 touchdowns (185 pts standard)

TE Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati)

With Marvin Jones missing at least the first month of the season with injury, Tyler Eifert will be the Bengals’ #2 receiving option. The 2013 1^st round pick is a better all-around player than Jermaine Gresham and could supplant him as the starting tight end. Either way, they will run a lot of two-tight end sets this season so Eifert will be on the field a lot. I expect him to finish 2^nd on this team in receiving yards.

49 catches for 700 yards and 5 touchdowns (100 pts standard)

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