Cincinnati Bengals - Fantasy News

Who to Start: A.J. Green or Antonio Brown?

by Mike Rose

10/18/17

NFL

Cincinnati Bengals

A.J. Green

The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers looked like they were headed in opposite directions in the AFC North.

After starting out 0-3, the Bengals have managed to win two straight behind quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, meanwhile, are coming off of a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, who were the final undefeated team in the league. The Steelers moved to 4-2 despite playing up and down football early in the season.

This should be an intriguing matchup in Week 7, especially if the Bengals can pull off their third straight win.

Fantasy Matchup: A.J. Green (15.5 PFP) vs. Antonio Brown (18.5 PFP)

Green blew up in a big way in Week 5 for his biggest performance of the year. He hauled in seven receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. He’s currently ranked the No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL and No. 4 at the position in fantasy. Thus far in 2017, he’s accumulated 32 catches for 504 yards and three touchdowns.

It won’t be easy, however, for Green and the team’s No. 26 ranked passing attack come Week 7. The Bengals will be facing the top-ranked Steelers defense in fantasy against wide receivers. Green, though, is coming off a week in which he put up 27.4 Dober Fantasy Points against the Bills defense. But the Pittsburgh defense has only allowed 78.3 yards per game to receivers and 104 points total (17.3 per game) in 2017.

Brown is coming off a fantastic showing in Week 6 in which he had eight receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown. He’s really picked up the pace the last two weeks after a slow start to the year. He’s averaged nine catches and 156 yards while accumulating over 55 fantasy points over that two-game stretch.

On the year, he’s been the No. 1 wide receiver in the league as well as the top one in fantasy. He’s snatched the pigskin 48 times on 74 targets and turned them into 700 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also had 11 plays of 20-plus yards.

Like the Steelers, the Bengals have been tough as nails against opposing wide receivers. Cincinnati’s defensive unit ranks No. 3 in fantasy against the position, allowing only 116.8 points to receivers (23.4 points per game). So Brown could have a tough task ahead of him come Sunday.

The Steelers have had better success on the road, going 3-1 compared to 1-1 at Heinz Field. But maybe that home cooking gets going against Cincinnati, which will be the first divisional opponent to pay the Steel City a visit this season.

The Bengals have split their two games on the road. Green has caught two of his three touchdowns away from Cincinnati, while Brown has caught both on the road. Something has to give in this battle of elite receivers. With the Steelers coming off an extremely physical game and possibly suffering a letdown, I’d go with Green over Brown—but only by a slight margin on your Dober Play Cards.

Week 7 Fantasy Projection: A.J. Green (+3) vs. Antonio Brown