Cincinnati Bengals - Fantasy News

John Ross 2017 Fantasy Projections

by Adam Markowitz

8/11/17

NFL

Cincinnati Bengals

John Ross

John Ross was probably only a borderline first-round NFL Draft pick before he stepped up at the Combine and ran a 4.22 40-yard dash—the fastest ever by an incoming rookie. Now, the former star Washington Huskies wide receiver has the expectations that come with being a top 10 pick after being selected No. 9 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Why John Ross Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Stud

There are two main reasons why Ross may be primed to be a smashing success in the Queen City.

1: Outside of A.J. Green, there isn't another receiver on this roster capable of stretching the field quite like Ross can.

2: Ross is arguably even faster and shiftier than Tyreek Hill, who averaged 11.66 Dober Fantasy Points per game last season for the Kansas City Chiefs.

When you have a guy with this much speed, you flat out have to get the ball in his hands. U-Dub head coach Chris Petersen probably didn't do as much with Ross as possible, but you can bet that Bengals offensive coordinator Ken Zampese has been dreaming of a plan for his newest weapon. We can't imagine many games in which Ross doesn't see at least a few short receptions or handoffs to get him into some space, and quarterback Andy Dalton will take at least one or two shots deep per game at his quickest receiver.

The Bengals had six passing plays that covered at least 50 yards last season and 17 that went for at least 30 yards. If they can push one of those 30-plus yard plays to Ross more weeks than not, he could put together explosive games even if he only gets his hands on one or two balls.

Why John Ross Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Dud

How many times have we seen a kid come out of college with a blazing 40-yard dash time only to end up rarely being heard from in the NFL? Does Darrius Heyward-Bey come to mind? Or Matt Jones? Or Chris Henry? Or Cordarrelle Patterson? You get the point.

We're not saying that Ross is destined to fail, but he could be a one-trick pony. In the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Alabama, Ross only had five receptions for 28 yards. He struggled mightily getting off of press coverage, and that's not a good sign moving onto the highest level.

Targets could end up being difficult to come by in this Cincinnati offense as well. Green is obviously the top banana in town, and though there isn't another obvious second choice, Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd are both going to get their share of the action too. Toss in the fact that there are three running backs who were all taken in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft over the course of the last five years, and those are a lot of mouths to feed on a team that still has to play four games per season against the vaunted defenses of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ross will have some games where he breaks one or two big plays for a touchdown. In the NFL, though, he isn't going to get the same type of usage he did at Washington in 2016. In situations where Ross is a favorite in a Dober NFL matchup, he has to be tempting to fade until he can prove he is a solid route runner and has the physicality and size to be an every-down, all-situation player.