Ravens vs. Bengals: Daily Fantasy Sleepers, FanDuel, DraftKings Lineups
On Sunday night, the Cincinnati Bengals are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens. With Joe Burrow at quarterback, Cincinnati has a clear advantage, and it will be the primary target of daily fantasy football players from the AFC wild-card matchup. Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are likely to have a high roster percentage in the contest, but they are not the only potential DFS stars.
The ground game is the key to Baltimore’s victory. In recent weeks, JK Dobbins has been outstanding. The Ravens could pull off an upset with him and other ground-game stars. Burrow will most likely spread the ball around through the air in a Cincinnati victory. If they connect with Burrow in the right situations, one or two players could have breakout games in DFS.
Sleeper Selections
Baltimore’s Gus Edwards is a running back.
It’s not worth it to look for a hidden gem in the Baltimore passing game. Without Lamar Jackson on the field, the Ravens’ passing game will be limited. The key to Baltimore’s success is to thrive on the ground with Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Edwards will not be the primary ball carrier, but he should see plenty of touches as the Ravens attempt to keep the ball away from Burrow. Because of his potential to have a double-digit carry game, Edwards would be a nice low-salary option to add at running back or in a FLEX position.
Cincinnati’s Hayden Hurst, tight end
Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins are the wide receiver triumvirate to watch in DFS. Hayden Hurst has the potential to be the X-factor in the passing game, outperforming his counterpart, Mark Andrews. Hurst had four receptions for 14 yards in Week 18. In Week 5, he had six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens. He can play across the middle as well as in tight red-zone situations. With so much attention focused on the wide receivers, Hurst may have some open patches of the field to run in. He’d be a good option in a Cincinnati lineup stack just to add some variety to a group of players that many DFS lineups could have.
Ravens Lineup Predictions
JK Dobbins is the Ravens’ best DFS option by far. In Weeks 14 and 15, the top Baltimore running back returned from injury with consecutive 100-yard games. Dobbins finished the regular season with 59 and 93 yards in his other two games. He enters Sunday on full rest after missing the game against Cincinnati a week ago. Mark Andrews is also resting, and he will be relied on heavily in the passing game; he surpassed 100 yards in his last regular-season outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Andrews is the most dependable target in a passing attack with a lot of unknowns at wide receiver. Because of the quarterback uncertainty, any roster play on a Baltimore wideout is a risk. With Jackson out and no Ravens wideout having more than three touchdowns, the pressure will be on.
Bengals Lineup Predictions
On the Cincinnati roster, there are far too many options. That stands in stark contrast to the Ravens’ DFS situation. To begin a lineup stack, a Burrow-Chase pairing makes far too much sense. Last season, Chase had 368 receiving yards in four postseason games. This was only second to Cooper Kupp, who helped the Rams defeat the Bengals in the Super Bowl. Burrow and Chase will be joined by LVITyler Boyd and Tee Higgins.