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Cincinnati Team Review - The Bengals finished last in their division posting a 3-13 record but drafted their future in Oregon QB Akili Smith with the 3rd pick in the NFL draft. Smith brings a monster of an arm to this team that still has more question marks than not. The entire defense and offensive line did not play as a unit and have not been dramatically upgraded, as they need to be. All skill position players on this team will suffer because of that. RB Corey Dillon is one of the finest in the business but simply cannot make his own holes all of the time. WR Carl Pickens can bring a team way up or way down but there is no doubt that he is one of the best at getting open. WR Darnay Scott is a steady battering ram that over a season can post fair to good fantasy numbers but can be erratic, making it all but impossible predicting which week he will catch 3 TD's in a game. There is little to no fantasy value in TE Tony McGee due to the help he will need to provide keeping the opponents out of the backfield. Although, look for an increased TD total for Tony since beating 1 is probably a safe gamble. K Doug Pelfrey is one of the games finest but on this team his worth falls through the floor. There are better choices than Pelfrey. QB Akili Smith - The 3rd pick in the nation, Akili Smith of Oregon, enjoyed a meteoric climb in popularity the few months leading up to the NFL draft this year. Akili is a prototypical 6'2", 220 pound, 24-year-old gunslinger looking to make it to Canton. Perhaps he will. With Peyton Manning last year seemingly dispelling the myth of how bad a selection a rookie QB can be for a fantasy team, Akili will see plenty of time on the field and will be looked to as the main guy from the get go. Jeff Blake may push him for playing time early but expect this to be Akili Smith's team by the end of this campaign. Look for decent, but still rookie QB stats this year, only if Carl Pickens wants to play. RB Corey Dillon - Last season this 6'1" 225 pound back rushed 262 times for 1130 yards in 15 games while struggling through a number of just plain strange ailments. His TD total was no where near expectations running in only 4 while receiving for 1. Corey Dillon needs to get that TD total up to become a true stud fantasy back and join the upper eschelon. He is a punishing runner with a blend of power and grace. Expect him to shoulder a large part of the load this season as Akili Smith gets his feet wet in the pro game. If Cincinnati can just find a way to get him in the end zone more. WR Carl Pickens - Pickens wanted out of Cincinnati in a big way so the Bengals made him their franchise player. Pickens is good for many things but shines in the reception category. He catches a ton of balls every year, roping in 82 for 1023 yards last season but found the end zone an anemic 5 times. This was an all time low TD per game played ratio for Pickens and a far cry from his 17 TD's in 1995. Expect some frustrating moments ahead for Pickens and expect similar totals. WR Darnay Scott - If there is one thing to say about Darnay Scott it would be that he is consistent. In 4 of the 5 years he's played, he has caught for 800+ yards except when he missed that plateau by 3 yards in 1997. His TD production is just as predictable as he has roped in 5 TD's all of those years except for last season when he increased his TD total to 7. Call me crazy but expect 800+ yards and 5-6 TD's if you draft Darnay. TE Tony McGee - A decent desperate fantasy backup TE. McGee is an iron man and a workhorse. To date the odds are against him being out of a game. He has started every game of his 7 year career but one his rookie year. McGee's fantasy numbers fell off dramatically last year as he was used more as a blocker attempting to keep his QB alive. The Bengals still need a lot of help in the offensive line so expect McGee to keep beefing up on his blocking skills. If given the opportunity he can still be a good fantasy TE and look for him to be more of a factor in the end zone this season as he gives Akili Smith a big target to throw at. K Doug Pelfrey - It is a shame that the #9 guy on the all time active FG accuracy list, as well as the Bengals all time leading scorer of points in a season, does not get a chance to show case his wears more often. Pelfrey is one of the best, but until this team turns it around, he is not a valuable fantasy kicker. If you think he is getting sick of it and wants to move on, think again. Pelfrey is a native Ohioan and is living his boyhood dream of playing for the Bengals. They do put him in for the long ones though. |