The Week 13 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns features interstate rivals with two very different fantasy outlooks the rest of the way. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 13: Bengals-Browns featuring A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert and Gary Barnidge
We break down the Week 13 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have revealed a few holes in their collective armor lately, making the Carolina Panthers the only undefeated team left in the NFL. That doesn’t mean the team doesn’t have its share of fantasy performers however. Wide receiver A.J. Green is a familiar name. He had a big game against the St. Louis Rams last week, catching six passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Although he hasn’t posted the yardage totals that most would expect, the fact is the Bengals have a well-rounded offense, so Green doesn’t need to do all the work. He should be able to put up some solid numbers against the Browns this week.
So should tight end Tyler Eifert who just keeps on ticking. Eifert only caught three passes for 40 yards against the Rams last week, but he did manage to find the end zone yet again. Eifert now leads the NFL with 12 scores on the season and he’s got six of those touchdowns in the last four games. It’s a little bit alarming that he hasn’t caught more than three passes since Week 9, but you can’t not start him right now given how valuable he seems to be in the red zone to quarterback Andy Dalton.
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback Josh McCown just went from being renamed the team’s starting quarterback to being announced as out for the season thanks to a broken collarbone. While coach Mike Pettine has to decide whether Johnny Manziel or former St. Louis Rams passer Austin Davis will get the start on Sunday against the Bengals. The unknown nature of the situation in Cleveland means it’s probably better to go with someone outside of the Browns organization at that position this week. Tight end Gary Barnidge should still produce though. His owners definitely prefer having McCown under center, but Barnidge is the most consistent player in the team’s offense. That won’t change no matter who is passing Barnidge the ball.
Maybe those willing to take a gamble in deeper leagues and look outside of Barnidge anyway should consider running back Duke Johnson. The rookie hasn’t exactly carved out a leading role for himself in Cleveland, but uncertainty at the quarterback position usually equates to a lot more usage for running backs. Johnson may be a good bet to produce based on sheer volume this week.
