The Week 6 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills should be won and lost by running games. We've got the the fantasy projections you courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 6: Bengals vs. Bills featuring C.J. Spiller, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green
We break down the Week 6 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills.
Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Andy Dalton hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in the last two weeks. Not only did he not find the end zone against the New England Patriots or Cleveland Browns, he also threw for less than his season average of 243 yards per game. There have been times over the last two seasons where Dalton has looked like a future premier fantasy quarterback, but these days, he's struggling to connect with his favorite receiver AJ Green and looking rather average.
Speaking of Green, he was most likely drafted in the first or second round in your fantasy league, but he is playing more like a mid-round pick right now. Through five games this year, Green is averaging just 72 receiving yards per game, which is over 12 yards less than what he averaged last season. He's still on pace to catch over 90 passes and get over 1000 yards this year, so if he can get a little support offensively, particularly from Giovani Bernard and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, it will help free him up.
Though his resume comes with a lot less experience, Bernard is generally regarded as the more talented running back and the better fantasy play. Bernard is averaging just 42 yards per game this season, but fantasy owners should keep in mind that most of that comes as a result of splitting carries with Green-Ellis. Green-Ellis got 19 carries in Week 5 compared to Bernard’s 13, and it seems the Bengals aren’t ready to anoint a rookie as their workhorse quite yet.
Buffalo Bills
After E.J. Manuel suffered an LCL sprain in the Week 5 loss to the Cleveland Browns and backup Jeff Tuel proved ineffective as his replacement, it looks like the Bills will start Thaddeus Lewis at quarterback against the Bengals. Lewis has only played in one NFL game in his career: the last game of the season for the Cleveland Browns in 2012 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that game, he completed 22 passes for 204 yards to go with a touchdown and an interception.
With wide receiver Stevie Johnson currently in California to attend to a personal matter, it looks like the Bills' receiving game will depend on rookie receiver Robert Woods. Woods managed just five catches against the Cleveland Browns, and most of those statistics were accumulated with Manuel at quarterback. The good news is that Woods was targeted 14 times in the game. ALso, C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson have proven to be quite the dynamic duo in the Bills' backfield. Though Spiller has been limited recently with a sprained ankle, he still managed to put up over 60 yards rushing on eight carries against the Browns and he scored his first touchdown of the season. Jackson, on the other hand, managed 93 total yards in the game and scored twice, giving him four touchdowns on the season.
• Week 6 fantasy football rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
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