Team Profile
Cincinnati Bengals
-
13.9% 5thOff DVOA
-
35.7% 4thPassing DVOA
-
-10.4% 20thRushing DVOA
-
10.4% 29thDef DVOA
-
20.2% 28thDef Passing DVOA
-
-1.1% 27thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
-
Points For28.6 5th
-
Points Against27.7 30th
-
Yards Per Game363.0 9th
-
Yards Allowed Per Game366.0 28th
Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss (forearm), who is listed as questionable for Saturday night's showdown against the Houston Texans, is expected to play in Week 18, according to sources. It will be the first time the Colts have had him and Jonathan Taylor together in the backfield since Nov. 26, when they combined for 161 total yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12. The 26-year-old Moss has missed the last two games and averaged just 2.56 yards per carry on 36 attempts in his last three starts when Taylor was dealing with a thumb injury. Moss did save his fantasy line with nine catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in that span, but he's not going to be a very attractive DFS piece in the regular season finale if he's active this evening. The Texans defense has also allowed the fourth-fewest half-PPR points per game to RBs in the last five weeks.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (foot) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's showdown with the Browns. The signal-caller didn't practice on Wednesday because of a foot issue. However, he logged full sessions on Thursday and Friday, so he wasn't in any real danger of missing the finale. Browning has played better than expected after Joe Burrow (wrist) went down for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign. Although he hasn't been a consistent fantasy producer, managers still have received some valuable performances from him this season. The 27-year-old hasn't played the best over the last two games. Yet, Browning still has potential against a Browns defense that won't feature Myles Garrett (shoulder, hamstring), who has been a nightmare for offensive lines all year.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) logged a full practice on Friday and was removed from the injury report ahead of the Week 18 matchup with the Browns. The wideout had a monster performance in the Week 13 win over Jacksonville, catching 11 of 12 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown. However, he's fizzed since then, amassing just 10 grabs for 134 yards and no touchdowns. Chase also has battled a shoulder injury, keeping him out of the lineup for the Week 16 AFC North clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But all things considered, the former LSU Tiger can always have a productive fantasy showing whenever he's on the field. Unfortunately, the Bengals were eliminated from postseason contention after losing to the Chiefs in Week 17, so there's a chance Chase won't play a full 60 minutes.
Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert (back, personal) is listed as questionable to play on Sunday in Green Bay against the Packers. Herbert popped up on the injury report in Week 18 on Thursday with a limited practice and did not practice at all on Friday, putting his status in question for the season finale. Making the 25-year-old even more of a shaky fantasy option this weekend is the fact that the Bears don't play until the later window on Sunday. It's potentially bad news for fantasy managers in season-long leagues still playing for a championship, as Herbert has been Chicago's backfield leader the last two games and has gone over 100 yards rushing in each contest with two touchdowns. If he does not play or is limited against Green Bay, rookie Roschon Johnson and D'Onta Foreman will split Chicago's backfield duties.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) did not practice on Friday and is listed as doubtful to play in the Week 18 regular season finale on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Higgins didn't practice all week after tweaking his hamstring in the Week 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Bengals were still in playoff contention, the 24-year-old wideout might have made a bigger push to play, but Cincy doesn't have anything to play for besides pride in this one. Higgins played in only 12 games in his fourth NFL season due to various injuries and finished with career-lows in receptions (42), targets (76), receiving yards (656) and touchdowns (five). It didn't help that quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) dealt with injuries, too, and didn't play a full season. With Higgins out on Sunday, Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) and Tyler Boyd will be the team's top two wideouts.