Baltimore Ravens - Fantasy News

Bengals at Ravens Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Adam Markowitz

12/28/17

NFL

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco

The Baltimore Ravens have a number of different paths they could take to get into the postseason, but the easiest way to lock up a playoff bid is to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Ravens have been playing strong ball down the stretch, but Marvin Lewis would love to take one last parting shot against a team that has been a thorn in his side over the course of his career before he leaves the Queen City.

Frigid and breezy conditions are scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Baltimore, and that could play a huge role in the successes and failures in the final week of the season for some of the top players at Dober Games.

Cincinnati Bengals Week 17 Projected Fantasy Points
Andy Dalton: 12.5 PFP
A.J. Green: 12.5 PFP
Giovani Bernard: 9.5 PFP
Joe Mixon: 7.5 PFP
Brandon LaFell: 6.5 PFP
Randy Bullock: 6.0 PFP
Tyler Kroft: 5.5 PFP

Baltimore Ravens Week 17 Projected Fantasy Points
Joe Flacco: 12.5 PFP
Alex Collins: 11.0 PFP
Justin Tucker: 10.0 PFP
Mike Wallace: 9.5 PFP
Jeremy Maclin: 7.5 PFP
Benjamin Watson: 7.0 PFP
Danny Woodhead: 7.0 PFP
Javorius Allen: 5.5 PFP

Start 'Em: Giovani Bernard (9.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 8.08

Bernard is a tough man to trust on Dober Play Cards on Sunday, but there's a good chance he's going to be the best option in the backfield. Joe Mixon is still dealing with an ankle injury and hasn't practiced all week, and there really isn't any sense of risking him in this last game of the season.

Brian Hill could steal some carries, but if nothing else, Bernard is Cincinnati's best back when playing from behind. The UNC product has caught 16 passes in his last three games while being the primary ball carrier. If he gets five or six receptions in this game, he'll have a good chance to get to double-digits in Dober Fantasy Points even if he doesn't score a touchdown.

Sit 'Em: A.J. Green (12.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 12.64

There's no doubt that Green is Cincinnati's best offensive weapon, but he has either been really, really good or really, really bad against the Ravens in his career. In last year's game at M&T Bank Stadium, Green had 10 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdowns.

Back in Week 1, though, he was held to five grabs for 74 yards by this Ravens secondary.

With potentially blustery conditions on tap on Sunday, the likelihood that Andy Dalton is able to work the ball down the field is slim. Green could also beat us with a touchdown, but we'll take our chances that he's kept out of the end zone and limited to under 100 yards.

Start 'Em: Joe Flacco (12.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 11.39

There's no doubt that Flacco has improved steadily as the year has rolled on. In the first eight games, he completed 64 percent of his passes, averaged just 5.40 yards per attempt and had a woeful touchdown-to-interception ratio of 6-to-8.

In his last seven games, "Joe Cool" has raised his completion percentage by 2.2 percent, his yards per pass attempt average by 0.87 yards per throw and has a 10-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Though we don't love the weather conditions, getting beyond 12.5 Dober Fantasy Points shouldn't be all that hard. Even 225 passing yards and a touchdown does the trick—marks that Flacco has met or surpassed in each of his last four games.

Sit 'Em: Justin Tucker (10.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 9.93

We don't talk a lot about kickers at Dober Games, but we also don't talk about the weather much either. When the weather is bad, the kicking game is destined to struggle, and that seems to be the fate that will befell Tucker on Sunday.

Though he is one of the very best kickers in the league, we see problems on the horizon. He has only attempted two field goals of 40-plus yards in his last three games combined.

Tucker is awesome, but his fantasy value comes in his ability to boom 50-plus yarders. Mother Nature, though, is undefeated, and she isn't going to even afford him the opportunity to do so with 20-plus MPH winds in the forecast.