Wee 1 of the fantasy football season is here! With that being said, there are going to be some difficult start/sit decisions to make this week with so much unknown surrounding star players.
In the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns AFC North showdown, who are some fantasy players you should start this week?
Want to see more fantasy players that you should consider starting this week? Make sure to check our PFN’s Consensus Rankings and Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe’s Week 1 Cheat Sheet!
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
- Spread: Bengals -2.5
- Total: 47
- Bengals Team Implied Points: 24.75
- Browns Team Implied Points: 22.25
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow: The limited reps over the past month, along with the fact that the Browns allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards per game last season (196.2), are good excuses for me to drop Burrow in my ranks lower than he’d normally be, but you don’t (or at least you shouldn’t) have a better option on your roster.
And that’s OK. Given the potency of this offense and Burrow’s confidence in his teammates, he’s not a bad play by any means. This just isn’t a bad week to be facing the team with him as their signal-caller.
Deshaun Watson: I generally think Watson has a good season and that you’ll be comfortable starting him most weeks. He’s too skilled, and the talent around him can certainly support a more than viable fantasy QB.
That said, this is a tough opener. The Bengals coughed up just 17 passing touchdowns all of last season and were the league’s toughest defense in terms of completion percentage (58.9%).
They also ranked much higher in pressure than blitz rate, a difference that speaks to their ability to make opponents uncomfortable without devoting extra resources. I’m not sweating the iffy version of Watson that we saw post-suspension last season, but the lack of live reps this preseason, along with a strong defense, makes him a fringe QB1 on Sunday.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon: Mixon has cleared 140 scrimmage yards in consecutive season openers and racked up 106 yards on 16 touches in his last meeting with the Browns. I assume the concerns around Mixon this draft season circled around his 1,500+ career touches, and that may impact him eventually, but I don’t expect it to be in Week 1.
Chase Brown: Brown is nothing more than Mixon insurance until we see the veteran assume a different role than the one he has held for half a decade. There might be a time and place for Brown, this just isn’t it, and he is not a must-roster player at the moment.
Nick Chubb: Over the past two seasons, Nick Chubb has averaged 29.6% more PPG when Cleveland assumes the underdog role than when they are favored, and that’s the case here. Gone is value-sapping Kareem Hunt from the mix, leaving the door wide open for this to be a big Chubb day in all formats.
Jerome Ford: Ford is a handcuff that should be rostered, though he doesn’t project for enough weekly work to matter absent an injury.
Wide Receivers
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd: This trio has been in place for each of the past two seasons, and only once over that stretch has one of them cleared 13.3 half-PPR points when facing the Browns (Chase, Week 14 of 2022). That’s not to say I’m advising you to bench Chase or Higgins; I’m not a crazy person.
I’m just presenting data that is influencing how I build my DFS lineups this week. Boyd will have his moments, but there’s no reason to get cute in a week in which you have your entire roster at your disposal. Chase and Higgins are top-15 plays, while Boyd is well outside of my top 40.
Amari Cooper: You drafted Cooper as a top-20 receiver, and he is as much this week — no surprise there. We all want to see if Watson can return to his Texans form, and if he can, Cooper was nothing short of a steal this summer.
Elijah Moore: Last season, the Bengals allowed the fourth-most yards per slot pass. Combine that with the potential that Cincy enters every game with shootout potential (league-high 17 touchdowns from their own side of the field since drafting Chase), and there’s upside to attack.
Moore’s floor is the highest of the secondary pass catchers in this offense, making him the preferred Flex option for deeper leagues, but one that I don’t think carries much of a ceiling (WR40 for me).
Donovan Peoples-Jones: The Bengals beat down the Browns in Week 14 last season (CIN won by 13, and CLE didn’t lead for a second), and that resulted in a pass-heavy script (43 pass attempts against 18 RB rush attempts).
If you believe that is going to be the case here, a secondary Browns receiver is likely to provide Flex value. If you play in a deeper league or one with bigger starting lineups, Moore and Peoples-Jones are reasonable roles of the dice, with DPJ being the boom/bust option that maybe you opt for in DFS situations.
Tight Ends
Irv Smith Jr.: We all want to catch lightning in a bottle at the tight end position, and, hey, maybe Smith is that if he can stay healthy.
I don’t hate it if that is your take, but we certainly need to see it before considering him a fantasy starter. We know this offense is elite and that Smith is talented, so put a star by his name and keep tabs if you plan on streaming the position this season.
MORE: Fantasy Start/Sit Tool
David Njoku: Njoku saw a 23.1% target share in that Week 14 game in Cincinnati, and while that is a bit higher than I’m willing to project, he averaged nearly six looks per game from Watson last season, and that makes him a fine play most weeks. This week is no different.
He ranks as a fringe TE1, though it is important to note that he is at the end of a tier for me, and that tier is the “I’m comfortable starting him every week for the time being” tier. Yes, I need to work on the name of it. Yes, I’m reasonably comfortable playing Njoku despite a seemingly uninspiring ranking.