Looking Into the Numbers: Cincinnati Bengals Edition: Could Tyler Boyd Make an Impact & More

by Ray Kuhn

Fantasy football ultimately is all about the numbers, though the NFL itself is about significantly more than that. That said we have come a long way in the past few years when it comes to equating numbers and statistics to what we see on the field and helping to predict and explain both past and future performance. As we inch closer to the kickoff of another NFL season, we’ll take a trip through the league and look at two statistics for each team and what it means from a fantasy perspective.

Today let’s take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals:

61: Net Receptions the Bengals Lost from the Wide Receiver Position

Mohamed Sanu now calls Atlanta home and Marvin Jones signed with the Lions this off-season. The Bengals still have A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert, although his status to open the season is in doubt, and they signed Brandon LaFell and drafted Tyler Boyd to help fill the gaps.

LaFell is coming off two years with Tom Brady, and while he has a track record of being a solid receiver he isn’t going to excite anyone from a fantasy perspective. Last season the inconsistent wideout caught 37 passes for 515 yards in 11 games. That came after the best season of his career that saw him catch 74 passes for 953 yards while scoring seven touchdowns.

I wouldn’t expect LaFell to repeat that performance, but it still shouldn’t be a surprise that he is listed as the starter opposite Green. There have been issues with drops in the past, but he appears to be working well with Andy Dalton thus far in camp.

If we really can’t count on LaFell, which is possible, then who is going to pick up the slack?

That is what brings us to Boyd, the second round selection out of Pittsburgh. As with all rookies there will be an adjustment period, but the Bengals have high hopes.  He was obviously starting with a fresh slate, but Dalton and the Bengals are quite pleased with the progressions he has made thus far. While Boyd is not an athletic freak like some of the other rookie receivers we have grown accustomed to seeing, he had no issues producing in college.

To begin his professional career he will be Cincinnati’s slot receiver after setting Pittsburgh’s school record with 254 catches and 3,361 yards. Boyd had 21 receiving touchdowns in his three years in college. In PPR leagues he should be on your radar for the later rounds and waiver wire pickups.

3.6: Yards per Carry for Jeremy Hill Last Season

After bursting onto the scene as a rookie in 2014 Hill took a step back last season. He gained 1,124 yards in his debut while averaging 5.1 yards per carry, but didn’t live up to that performance as a second round selection.

With one more carry Hill saw his rushing yards drop by 330. All was not lost, as Hill did score 11 TD after finding the end zone nine times as a rookie.

Hill isn’t going to be much of a factor in the passing game, as he caught just 15 passes last season, and Giovani Bernard has that role cemented. On third downs Bernard will be the back we see, but the first and second downs, along with short yardage situations, will belong to Hill.

The true value of Hill is likely somewhere in the middle of what we have seen from him so far in his career. His value in PPR leagues will be limited because of Bernard, but there is no reason why he can’t reach 1,000 yards again this season.